Ring Of Honor
Date: November 30, 2023
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

So how do you follow up on Ronda Rousey making a surprise appearance last week and having a pretty solid match? There’s a good chance you don’t, as Rousey’s appearance seems to be a one off. In a way that might be a good thing though, as we have three shows left before Final Battle, meaning it’s probably time to mostly burn off a show before we get most of the card announced with about ten days before the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena yells at Billie Starkz for last week’s loss but this week, she can make it up against Marina Shafir. With Starkz gone, Athena yells at Eddie Kingston, saying you can’t backfist her to the future because her back is heavy from carrying this place. Lexi Nair as a not great hype woman for Athena is great.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Kingston vs. Lee Johnson

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Johnson wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a shot….at the North American Triple Crown. Well that closes a bit of a loophole. Feeling out process to start as the fans are behind Kingston. Johnson has to flip out of a wristlock to give us a standoff. Kingston snaps off a belly to belly for two and another suplex gets another two.

A DDT gives Johnson a breather but Kingston elbows his way out of a suplex attempt. Kingston’s t-bone suplex gets two more, only to have Johnson come back with a neckbreaker. The frog splash gives Johnson two of his own and that’s enough for Kingston, who snaps off a half dragon suplex. The backfist finishes Johnson at 6:30.

Rating: C. What matters most here is Kingston actually wrestling on this show on something of a regular basis. The show felt like nothing with the champions mostly missing so it’s very nice to have the top star around. That being said, it’s not quite as good with the title basically held in limbo until the end of the Continental Classic, but I can’t imagine ROH was high on the list of priorities when the tournament was announced.

The Boys vs. The Infantry

Bravo and Brent fight over wrist control to start until Brent snaps off some armdrags into an armbar. The Boys pick up the pace with a enziguri into a Backstabber for two. Bravo manages a block though and it’s Dean coming in to…well actually get armdragged a few times as well. An atomic drop gives Brandon two as everything breaks down. We settle down to Brandon getting stomped down in the corner until a roll over allows Brent to come back in. That doesn’t last long though as Boot Camp finishes Brent at 5:49.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match, though I couldn’t help but chuckle at commentary trying to say this might play into the Tag Team Title picture. They’re right in that it could, though there is no reason to believe that it will for a good while. The lack of having the titles around makes these tag matches feel a lot less important and that’s never a good sign.

Rachael Ellering says Leyla Hirsch’s knee is healing….and here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to interrupt. Maria says Leyla is in good spirits but Ellering wants to know why Maria was talking to the Renegades last week. Leyla comes in to ask if one of them will have her back this week. Maria and Ellering: “Yes.”

Emi Sakura vs. Trish Adora

A collision goes nowhere to start so they try it again, with Adora knocking her down. Sakura is right back with a drop toehold into the ropes though and some chops have Adora’s eyes bugging out. The surfboard has Adora in more trouble but she’s right back up with a Bully Bomb. They chop it out again until Adora boots her in the ace for two. The Lariat Tubman connects but Sakura rolls to the ropes in a smart move. Sakura’s elbow to the face gives her two of her own and the butterfly backbreaker finishes Adora at 4:32.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting match and that’s the best thing you can ask for from this kind of a match. Neither of them have much going at the moment and that doesn’t give them a ton to work with in the match. The good thing is that both of them got in enough to look strong and it was a nice match as a result.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Heather Reckless

Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Rachael Ellering are here with Hirsch. Reckless is actually shorter than Hirsch and commentary says that isn’t something you see very often. Hirsch powers her down to start without much effort and a backbreaker puts Reckless down again. A suplex into a release suplex sets up the cross armbreaker to finish Reckless at 2:08. Total squash.

Post match Hirsch leaves on her own, as commentary pushes the idea of her needing to choose a side. Well at least that’s something.

Willie Mack vs. Robert Anthony

Mack snaps off some armdrags to start but Anthony elbows him in the face to take over. Some elbows have Mack down again but Mack is right back with a swinging slam. A sitout powerbomb finishes Anthony off at 3:10.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but it’s nice to see Mack getting a win for a change. He’s been beaten so many times in recent months that he needs a win like this to rebound a bit. Mack is more or less a glorified jobber to the stars around here but that might be his ceiling unless he is given the chance to do something else. This won’t be the big change, though it’s better than another loss.

Billie Starkz vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir shoves her out to the floor to start, leaving Starkz to do some jumping jacks. Back in and Shafir hits some knees to the ribs, only to get shoved outside instead. This time Starkz rips at Shafir’s face and snaps off a suplex to keep Shafir in trouble. The Swanton is broken up so Starkz kicks her in the head and grabs a German suplex for two. A hard forearm knocks Shafir silly but she’s back with a kick to the head for two of her own. Shafir ties her up in a nasty arm/leg twist until Starkz kicks her way to freedom. The Swanton only hits raised knees and Shafir plants her for two more. Starkz manages to come back with Gory Bomb and the Swanton connects for another near fall. Starkz’ End (arm trap faceplant) finishes Shafir at 8:13.

Rating: B-. They had a good fight here and it’s nice to see Starkz getting one of the biggest singles wins of her career. It still seems like she is perfect for the title shot at Final Battle but for some reason we haven’t gotten there yet. For now though, it’s nice to see her get a win, though it needs to lead somewhere.

Post match Starkz attacks her again so here are Athena and Lexi Nair, the latter in a graduation cap and gown, for their Minion In Training graduation ceremony. Athena introduces the valedictorian, who sucked when Athena met her but got better: Lexi Nair! She gets a Minion shirt and is now known as Minion: Bestie! Commentary mocks the two of them for their attire (Nair in red and Starkz in yellow, meaning we get ketchup and mustard chants) as Nair is rather pleased, while Starkz is wished the best in her future endeavors.

Starkz yells at Athena, who tells her to back down. Athena gets her way again….but then Starkz decks her and grabs the title. I’m not sure if “I turned you evil, but you’re not evil enough” is an all time face turn but it seems we’re FINALLY getting to the match that has been building for months.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Evil Uno vs. Dalton Castle

The Boys are here too. Feeling out process to start with Castle chopping away but getting sent to the floor. That means a fanning off, followed by Uno offering him some free chops. Instead Castle drops him with a running clothesline, followed by a standing splash to send Uno outside. Back in and Uno scores with a backbreaker and, after blocking a Bang A Rang, send Castle outside for a change. This time Uno decks the Boys, which is enough of a distraction for Castle to hit a suplex. The reverse Sling Blade sets up the Bang A Rang to finish Uno at 7:27.

Rating: C. While I wasn’t going to buy Uno as a serious threat to beat Uno, this could have been a lot worse. Uno made Castle work for the win, which sends him on to the match that he should absolutely be in. Castle should be a favorite to win the title as he has been building to it for months. Nice enough match, even with a not so shocking ending.

Tony Khan congratulates Lexi Nair on her graduation when Billie Starkz comes in. Starkz wants a shot at Athena so she is given the Final Battle shot. So what was Khan there to announce?

Brandon Cutler/Colt Cabana vs. GPA/Trevor Outlaw

Cabana and GPA grapple around to start until Cutler comes in for a double hiptoss. Cutler’s neckbreaker drops GPA again but he’s back with a jawbreaker to put Cutler down for a change. The villains take over on Cutler in the corner but he kicks his way to freedom. Cabana comes in to clean house and it’s a side slam/STO combination to finish GPA at 4:31.

Rating: C. I’m assuming that this was the match designed to warm up the crowd, because AEW fans are well known for being quiet and uninterested until someone steps in to wake them up. Cabana and Cutler aren’t likely to be much more than a low level team, if they are anything at that, but at least it wasn’t anything taking up much time here.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Komander vs. Gringo Loco

Loco flips away from him to start and gets taken down by the arm for his efforts. Komander sends him outside, where Loco chops away at him and gets in a posting for two back inside. Loco misses a dropkick though and gets catapulted to the floor, setting up the big flip dive. Back in and a springboard 450 gives Komander two, followed by a hurricanrana driver for the same.

They go to the apron, where Komander’s hurricanrana is countered into a hard powerbomb. Back in and they go to the top, with something like an inverted super Spanish Fly planting Komander hard. Loco misses a springboard moonsault though and gets kicked in the head. A backbreaker into Cielito Lindo sends Komander to Final Battle at 11:03.

Rating: B-. You know all the times where some of the luchadors have gone out there and had an entertaining match for a little while? Well this is the most recent edition, though at least there was something on the line for a change. Komander being in a multi-person match is no surprise, though at least Loco got a chance to shine again as well.

Respect is shown post match.

Tony Nese and Mark Sterling demand that Jerry Lynn (hey he still works here) let Sterling be at ringside for Nese vs. Ethan Page. Works for Lynn, though Sterling will be handcuffed to the post.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Spanish Announce Project

Dralistico and Preston Vance for the Faccion. Dralistico and Serpentico start things off with an exchange of chops. Stereo flip ups to their feet mean it’s off to Vance vs. Angelico for a change. Serpentico comes in to stomp on the arm but Vance fights up without much trouble. It’s back to Dralistico to go after Serpentico’s arm, followed by an exchange of Canadian Destroyers. Angelico comes back in to kick Vance in the head but the leglock is broken up. Dralistico makes the save and hits a springboard Codebreaker into Vance’s discus lariat for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. This was the most nothing match I can remember in a very long time. It was a pair of low level teams having a completely average match that won’t change much of anything they’re doing going forward. This is a show that could have been dropped from a show that is running about two hours and fifteen minutes without missing much and that’s not a good sign. Also, it’s nice to see Angelico right back where he was a month and a half ago after building him into something a bit more interesting.

Nyla Rose vs. Zoey Lynn

Lynn tries to jump her to start and gets taken into the corner for her efforts. A running elbow knocks Lynn silly but she manages to strike away. Rose doesn’t mind and knocks her out of the air, setting up a chokeslam and the Beast Bomb for the pin at 3:03.

Rating: C. This was Rose’s Ring Of Honor debut and she did what she has done several times in AEW. It was a total squash and did just fine, but it’s a match that could have been postponed to next week and taken away from an already long show. Rose in Ring Of Honor is better than no Rose at all, but dang this show is getting longer and longer and that isn’t helping things.

Iron Savages vs. Butcher and the Blade

Bronson wants Butcher and is driven into the corner for his efforts. A running shoulder works a bit better for Bronson so it’s off to Blade, who is sent face first into Boulder’s chest. Boulder comes in and muscles Blade up for a suplex. A discussion of Savage Sauce takes too long though and it’s Bronson getting caught in the corner for a change. Everything breaks down and Butcher hammers away on Boulder, who is back with a kick to the face. A splash gives Boulder two but the electric chair splash is broken up. The powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Bronson at 6:37.

Rating: C+. It was a nice power match and it’s good to see Butcher and the Blade get a win for once. Much like Rose, if they aren’t doing anything in AEW, put them in ROH and see if they can do anything here. The Savages continue to be a fun team who never win much of anything and their value is only going to last so long.

Brian Cage vs. Action Andretti

Prince Nana is here with Cage. Andretti tries to pick up the pace to start but can’t get very far with a tornado DDT attempt. Instead Andretti kicks him in the face, only to get sent hard to the floor. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a quick belly to belly. Andretti fights up and strikes away, setting up a springboard clothesline.

Cage grabs a reverse suplex faceplant (that’s a new one) and the apron superplex gets two. Andretti is right back with the tornado DDT but has to fight out o Weapon X. The torture rack neckbreaker drops Cage and the standing shooting star press gets two more. Nana offers a distraction though and a powerbomb into Weapon X finishes Andretti at 10:21.

Rating: C+. Power vs. speed worked as usual here, which is something that Ring Of Honor certainly seems to understand. Cage is the bigger star, though I’m still not quite sure what the point is in having he and the Gates of Agony win the Six Man Tag Team Titles when the Gates were on their way to Japan for the World Tag League. Not much of a main event here, but it could have been worse.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a show where the problems are entirely in the presentation and not in the wrestling. The matches themselves ranged from good to decent, but there were thirteen matches on this show and three of them felt like they had any kind of impact. Other than that, it was a bunch of stuff that was put on the card seemingly or no other reason than to extend the show. It wasn’t a fun show to watch and most of it feels like it could have been heavily trimmed down or cut entirely. Rather bad presentation and a waste of some good action.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Lee Johnson – Spinning backfist
The Infantry b. The Boys – Boot Camp to Brent
Emi Sakura b. Trish Adora – Butterfly backbreaker
Leyla Hirsch b. Heather Reckless – Cross armbreaker
Willie Mack b. Robert Anthony – Sitout powerbomb
Billie Starkz b. Marina Shafir – Starkz’ End
Dalton Castle b. Evil Uno – Bang A Rang
Brandon Cutler/Colt Cabana b. GPA/Trevor Outlaw – Side slam/STO combination to GPA
Komander b. Gringo Loco – Cielito Lindo
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Spanish Announce Project – Discus lariat to Serpentico
Nyla Rose b. Zoey Lynn – Beast Bomb
Butcher and the Blade b. Iron Savages – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Bronson
Brian Cage b. Action Andretti – Weapon X

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Full Gear 2023
Date: November 18, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to one of the main pay per views and that should mean a heck of a show. This time around we’ve got MJF defending the World Title against Jay White, who has the physical title. Other than that, Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page has the potential to be a heck of a violent fight. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Jay Lethal

Kingston is defending, Ring Of Honor executive Stokely Hathaway is on commentary, and Lethal’s friends are here, despite Kingston saying he wanted this to be one on one. Kingston sweeps the leg down for two to start and sends Lethal outside but he’s smart enough to not follow him (as Lethal is quickly surrounded).

Lethal pulls him down for a posting and some right hands, setting up a triple strut from Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt. A forearm from Dutt rocks Kingston again as Hathaway is promising some stern talkings after the match. Lethal grabs a chinlock before stomping away at the ribs/arm.

Kingston fights up and gets in the boot scrapes in the corner. A distraction cuts that off but Lethal can’t hit the top rope elbow. The Lethal Injection is countered into a Saito suplex but Kingston has to take out Dutt. Cue Ortiz to guitar Dutt as another Lethal Injection is countered into the half and half. The spinning backfist retains Kingston’s title at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Lethal never felt like a serious threat to win the title but it’s smart to have Kingston face a former World Champion to add another win to his resume. I’m not sure who is going to be challenging Kingston at Final Battle, but they seem to be teasing Ortiz. I know there’s a history there, but that hardly feels like a headlining match on the biggest show of the year.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Buddy Matthews

They slug it out to start but Castagnoli can’t get the swing. Instead they go outside where Castagnoli sends him into the barricade, setting up the running uppercut. Matthews gets in a hard shot of his own though and the top rope Meteora gets two back inside. The chinlock keeps Castagnoli down for a bit, only to have him come back with the discus lariat. Some kicks set up another failed swing attempt so Castagnoli uppercuts him for two.

Back up and Matthews tries another Meteora, only to get pulled into the swing. They go up top where Castagnoli fires off headbutts until Matthews slips out and hits a Cheeky Nandos Kick. A Jackhammer gives Matthews two and he grabs a Crossface. That’s broken up as well and Castagnoli grabs a Riccola Bomb into the Scorpion Deathlock for the tap at 10:26.

Rating: B. Sometimes you just need two big, strong guys to hit each other really hard for a little while and that is what we got here. It was an entertaining, hard hitting match and Castagnoli won. I could still go for Matthews getting a better push, but for now I can settle for him getting something of a showcase match here.

Post match Castagnoli offers a handshake but Matthews bails.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe vs. The Gunns

MJF and Joe are defending and of course they’re in Los Angeles Lakers gear. The Gunns take over on MJF to start but Joe cuts off a whip into the corner like a good partner. MJF says he doesn’t need Joe, but they send the Gunns outside for a heck of a suicide dive from Joe. Back in and Joe snaps off the right hands in the corner, setting up an enziguri.

It’s back to MJF, who gets caught in the wrong corner and has to send both Gunns outside. A roll underneath a double clothesline sets up a big boot for two on Austin. Joe loads up the MuscleBuster but MJF tags himself in and tries his own version. That’s broken up so MJF can hit a double DDT, only to have Joe break up the Kangaroo Kick. The Gunns escape stereo MuscleBusters and 3:10 To Yuma hits Joe. MJF breaks up the cover…and Adam Cole is here! The distraction lets Joe Koquina Clutch Colten to retain at 9:23.

Rating: C+. This is about what it was always going to be, as the Gunns might be good but they’re not going to beat the World Champion and his next likely challenger. I could certainly go for getting the titles off of MJF already so they can do something in Ring Of Honor again, but the champs retaining here makes sense in the bigger story with MJF and Joe.

Post match Joe leaves and the Gunns jump MJF again to wreck his knee. The Gunns Pillmanize the leg and MJF has to be stretchered into an ambulance. MJF shouts to Cole to not let him take his title.

The opening video looks at the show’s matches and talks about how people are fighting for prizes and honor

We open with a recap of MJF’s injury.

We run down the card.

Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Nick Wayne vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland

A children’s choir sings Cage to the ring for a nearly creepy bonus. Ric Flair is here with Sting and company. Edge has his own face painted as well for a nice touch. Allin cranks away on Wayne’s arm to start, setting up the springboard high angle armdrag. Sting comes in to send Wayne outside for a whip into the barricade.

Back in and it’s off to Cage vs. Copeland but of course it’s off to Luchasaurus instead. Copeland tries to slug away before Allin comes in, with Cage getting in a cheap shot. A chokeslam over the top to the apron leaves Allin down, meaning the villains get to take turns beating on him. Wayne stomps away and mocks Flair before hitting a backsplash for two. They go up top, where Allin manages a super Code Red for a needed breather.

That’s not going to be enough though as Cage slides underneath the ring and pulls Copeland off the rope to break up the tag. Cage misses a spear though and it’s Copeland coming in, meaning Luchasaurus and Wayne bail from an attempted tag. Everything breaks down and Allin hits a dive through the ropes, followed by Sting hitting one off the apron.

Back in and a double Scorpion Death Drop puts Luchasaurus down. Luchasaurus fights back up and wrecks the good guys, leaving Cage to get in a fight with Flair on the floor. Cage hits him low but accidentally hits Luchasaurus with the TNT Title, allowing Copeland to chase Cage into the crowd. The spear and Coffin Drop finish Luchasaurus at 15:01.

Rating: B-. Good choice for an opener here as the fans are always going to be into whatever Sting is doing. As usual, Cage is a phenomenal heel and I’m sure his next promo will play into this perfectly. Copeland vs. Cage is probably coming next month or at Revolution, but for now I’ll take a good enough opener as part of Sting’s retirement tour.

Jay White is brought to the stage where we’re told the MJF vs. White match is canceled and White is…..cut off by Adam Cole. There is no way that White is leaving with the title, so he has talked to Tony Khan. If MJF can’t wrestle tonight, Cole will do it in his place. White is fine with that. If Cole talked to Khan already, why was Schiavone out there to award the title to White?

We recap Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley. Cassidy lost to Moxley in September at All Out but then a string of injuries have put us right back where we started.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

Cassidy is defending and gets jumped in the corner to start. Moxley sends him into the corner and then out to the floor. Some rams into the announcers’ table have Cassidy in even more trouble and a release suplex makes it worse back inside. Moxley stomps away in the corner before cutting off a charge with a swinging Boss Man Slam. They go up top where Cassidy fires off some headbutts, setting up a superplex for the big crash.

Moxley, now busted open, gets dropped with a diving DDT for two. Cassidy sends him outside and over the announcers’ table, meaning the suicide dive can connect. The suicide elbow connects as well but Moxley is right back with the hammer and anvil elbows. The Bulldog choke is broken up but Cassidy can’t hit the Beach Break.

Instead Cassidy grabs the Redrum until Moxley grabs the buckle to escape, pulling off the pad in the process. A cutter puts Cassidy down and a Gotch style piledriver gives Moxley two. Moxley gets set into the buckle, setting up three straight Orange Punches to….barely keep Moxley down. Three more set up the Beach Break to retain at 12:00.

Rating: B. It’s a good fight and the ending felt like Cassidy was slaying a giant, but this would have been better if Cassidy hadn’t won the title back in the first place. It makes Cassidy feel like a bigger deal, though I’m not sure where they’re supposed to go with him from here. He’s already had the big long term title reign and now he has beaten a former World Champion, so the main event scene would seem to be the only thing left. That might be a stretch, but it seems to be the only remaining outcome.

Post match their friends come in to check on them, with Wheeler Yuta bumping into Hook.

Mark Briscoe is in the Continental Classic. He eats continental breakfasts!

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida

Storm, with Luther, is challenging and rips up the script to show you how serious this is. Shida slugs away to start and hits a running knee in the corner. Chops in the corner and more in the corner have Storm in trouble as Nigel confuses the rest of commentary with silent movie references. Storm fights back with the windup punch as Mariah May is watching in the back. Shida is back with a running knee but Storm knocks her down again. Luther sticks something in Storm’s trunks and hands her a shoe, which knocks Shida down for two.

Shida strikes away and gets two off a Falcon Arrow, only to hurt her leg coming of the top. An ankle lock of all things has Shida in trouble but a quick grab of the rope gets her out of trouble. Another shoe shot is blocked so Shida grabs the kendo stick and unloads on Luther. Back in and Shida rolls her up for two, only for Storm to grab a German suplex. The hip attack, with a metal tray included in Storm’s tights, finishes Shida at 10:22.

Rating: B-. That ending was more than a little weird as Storm, the big face of the match, has to cheat to win despite Shida not having some big kickout beforehand. Not that it really matters though, as this was ALL about getting the title back on Storm. The Timeless deal is the hottest thing in the women’s division at the moment and it would have been insane to not ride that momentum while it’s going so strong.

Post match Mariah May comes out to give Storm some flowers. Luther takes Storm to the back.

Eddie Kingston is in the Continental Title and says his titles will be on the line in the tournament, which is to crown a Continental Title.

Tag Team Titles: Kings Of The Black Throne vs. FTR vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Ricky Starks/Big Bill

Starks and Bill are defending in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with FTR breaking up a Bill vs. King showdown. Harwood brings in a ladder, which is sent into his face for a knockdown. Wheeler and Rush slug it out inside until Wheeler hits a dive onto a bunch of people. Dralistico hits a bigger dive onto the pile, followed by a moonsault from Black and a superplex from Harwood.

Back in and Harwood and Rush have a ladder duel until Harwood can do the Terry Funk spot. Rush kicks Wheeler in the face in the corner and hits the Tranquilo pose. Black throws a ladder into Wheeler’s face but Wheeler gets in a low blow and a piledriver onto a ladder. Starks comes back in and cleans some house, including a rope walk shot to Harwood’s head.

With everyone else down, King goes up so Bill tips the ladder over to send him into another ladder in the corner. Dralistico hits a springboard Codebreaker to Bill and it’s time for a bunch of people to go up a group of ladders. With that broken up, Dralistico hits a poisonrana on King, who is right back with a Ganso Bomb onto a bridged ladder. Wheeler dives onto King onto a ladder so Harwood and Starks go up. With Harwood knocked down, Starks drops Wheeler as well and retains at 20:34.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that you’ve seen done a bunch and it does still entertain. That was the case again here, with a bunch of high spots that set up a bunch of crashes. It wasn’t a great ladder match as they did stuff that has been done better before, but at least Starks and Bill get to continue their rather entertaining reign.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

Statlander is defending and slams them both to start. Hart is sent into the corner so we get a Statlander vs. Blue showdown. With that not working, they go outside so Statlander can suplex both of them at once. Back in and Statlander gets knocked down, leaving Blue and Hart to shake hands (with left hands) before fighting as well. Blue hammers away and gets two off a kick to the face. Statlander is back up and all three are knocked down for a breather.

Hart is knocked outside and Statlander faceplants Blue before going up. That lets Hart knock her back down and moonsault Blue for two as Statlander makes a save. Blue reverses Saturday Night Fever and grabs Code Blue for two of her own. Hartless has Blue in trouble until Statlander suplexes both of them down (Excalibur: “One could describe her as a human suplex machine!” Taz: “EASY THERE PARTNER!”). Statlander grabs Saturday Night Fever to Blue but Hart knocks Statlander off and steals the pin for the title at 11:19.

Rating: C+. This was quite the triple threat match and not much more than that. The “one person hits their finish and someone else steals the pin” is as played out as you can get. While I wasn’t wild on how she did it, I’m rather pleased with Hart winning the title. She probably should have gotten it last month, but at least she got the title here, as she should have.

Tony Schiavone brings in the new big signing for AEW….and it’s Will Ospreay. Cue Ospreay to say he’s got to finish up with New Japan and then he’ll be on the road to Revolution, where he’ll be all yours. He’s ready for the best in AEW, especially at Wembley Stadium. This wasn’t exactly a shocking surprise, but it’s probably about as big of a star as they could have realistically brought in.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland in a Texas Death match. They’ve been feuding for a few months now and Swerve made it personal by breaking into Page’s house. Page is out for blood and revenge.

Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page

Texas Death match, meaning you can only win by submission or knockout (still not how a Texas Death match works but whatever). Prince Nana is here with Swerve and does his dance with a dance team. Page jumps Swerve during his entrance and hits a powerbomb into a Buckshot Lariat as I don’t think the bell ever rang. They go outside with Page whipping him into the barricade over and over. Page grabs some duct tape and ties his hands together for a staple to the bicep.

A chair to the head knocks Swerve silly again and we’ve got blood. Page stables a paper to Swerve’s face and lets Swerve’s blood drip onto his face (the fans aren’t sure about that). A barbed wire chair shot to the head is cut off by a low blow to give Swerve a breather. Swerve gets his hands untied and Page staples him in the chest…to no effect. A hard shot to the face knocks Page down the barbed wire chair is wedged in the corner. Page is sent into said chair but he’s back up for a slugout.

They fight to the apron, where Swerve hits a Death Valley Driver onto a cinder block. Somehow that’s not enough for a knockout so Swerve piledrives him onto the barricade (giving us a shot of Swerve’s face, which is COVERED in blood). Back in and more right hands seem to wake Page up so he hits a pair of fall away slams. Page rakes some barbed wire over Swerve’s face and then wraps it around his chest for another fall away slam.

With Swerve on the floor, Page grabs the barbed wire chair for the moonsault to knock Swerve down again. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is blocked so Swerve kicks the barbed wire chair into his face. Page is right back with a Tombstone onto the barbed wire chair but Nana breaks up the ten count. Swerve manages a powerbomb onto the chair, setting up the Swerve Stomp onto Page onto the chair. Page is up again so let’s grab a bag of glass….which is stomped onto Page’s back as well.

The JML Driver gets nine so Swerve Cactus Clotheslines him….and pulls out a barbed wire board. Said board is bridged between two chairs in the ring but Page slams him through said board. Then a powerbomb and Dead Eye onto the wire lets Page wrap the wire around Swerve’s neck. The Buckshot Lariat….still doesn’t finish as Nana pulls Swerve to the floor to break the count.

Cue Brian Cage to wreck Page and set up a table, but Page saves himself with some barbed wire shots. Nana tries to come in but gets Dead Eyed through the table at ringside. Swerve is back up with the remains of the cinder block to the head though and then chokes Page out with a chain to FINALLY win at 29:56.

Rating: A-. Well, if you’re going to go violent and death matchish, do it like this. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like they had been through a war. It was one of the best fights I’ve seen in a good while, which has been Swerve’s forte over the years. The one drawback here is it went about five to seven minutes long, which hut it a bit. I’m not sure if Page losing was the right call, but at least the numbers caught up with him. What might matter the most here is giving Swerve the big win that he needs, as this was one heck of a fight and worth seeing, assuming you don’t mind quite a bit of blood.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega/Chris Jericho. The Bucks aren’t happy that Omega is teaming with Jericho and want to fight about it. If Omega and Jericho win, they get the Bucks’ Tag Team Title shot but if the Bucks win, Omega and Jericho can no longer team together.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Young Bucks

Don Callis is on commentary as Omega runs Nick to start. The springboard spinning armdrag takes Omega down and we get a handshake before it’s off to Matt vs. Jericho. That doesn’t get very far so Omega comes back in but doesn’t seem overly thrilled. Everything breaks down and Jericho triangle dropkicks Nick to the floor. The Bucks are back up to crush Jericho’s arm in the steps and the villains take over back inside.

The arm is wrapped around the post as Nick pulls away, only to have Jericho score with a middle rope dropkick. Omega comes in and tells Matt that he can’t escape, only for Matt to escape. Instead Omega moonsaults onto Nick at ringside, followed by Jericho Lionsaulting onto both of them. The Walls have Matt in trouble and Omega breaks up Nick’s springboard save.

Jericho’s arm gives out though and Matt slips out, allowing him to hit the double northern lights suplex (because Matt Jackson, who had a back injury for years, can shrug off about a minute in a Boston crab and suplex two men at once). Nick German suplexes Omega onto the apron and Nick’s Swanton to a hanging Omega gets two. Back in and the referee checks on Omega, allowing Matt to kick Jericho low. It works so well on Jericho that Omega gets one as well and a Judas Effect gets two on Jericho.

The BTE Trigger hits Jericho for two more but he’s able to send Matt’s kick into Nick. Matt kicks Jericho in the arm but Omega is back up to knock both of them into the ropes. Omega has to decide who to V Trigger and goes with Matt, only to have the One Winged Angel broken up. Matt hits Omega with his own One Winged Angel but Omega is back up with a German suplex for two more. Jericho is back up with a superkick but gets superkicked down. Back up and Omega grabs the One Winged Angel to finish Matt at 20:44.

Rating: B. It was good stuff and a heck of a match which didn’t get to that epic level. It doesn’t help that it’s so similar to Omega/Hangman Page vs. the Bucks from a few years ago but I can go with the slightly watered down version just as well. If nothing else, this gives the Bucks something else to complain about, just in case they only have five things to whine about this week. I do like the idea of Omega and Jericho continuing as a team though as they work well together.

Post match the Bucks turn down a handshake and rant a lot.

AEW World Title: Adam Cole vs. Jay White

So Cole is defending on behalf of MJF but White has the title….and never mind as here is MJF, as they set up an angle to run for about four and a half hours.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jay White

MJF, with a very banged up leg (and Cole), is defending and the Gunns are here too. White, being intelligent, goes right after the knee to take over. A suplex into the corner gives White two and MJF sends him outside, where the Gunns get caught with a chair. That’s good for an ejection and MJF gets a breather, but White tells Cole to get in. MJF gets fired up and tells White to hit him, which he does, square in the knee.

Back up and MJF hammers him into the corner for a bite to the head, followed by the Kangaroo Kick. For some reason MJF loads up a dive but White kicks out the leg without much trouble. White’s knee gives out when he’s whipped across the ring but he manages to kick White in the corner. White is back up with a swinging Rock Bottom and dumps him out to the floor. MJF manages to fight back again and sends him through the announcers’ table, setting up a top rope elbow to the floor.

Back in and the dragon screw legwhip over the rope puts MJF down again and the bad leg is tied in the Tree of Woe. The leg is fine enough for MJF to pull himself up and superplex White back down. White goes up to bring him back down with a super swinging Rock Bottom for two more. The chops make MJF tell him to bring it so White Downward Spirals him. The Blade Runner is countered into an exchange of rollups for two each and they knock each other down.

White blocks the Heatseeker….so MJF hits a running cutter over the top and out to the floor. Back in and the knee gives out again as MJF can’t even stand. The doctor asks if MJF wants to stop it so MJF hits himself in the knee. White grabs some dragon screw legwhips and we hit the Figure our. Cole teases tossing in the towel but MJF manages to turn it over. White escapes and yells at Cole before trying to grab the ROH Tag Team Title belt.

The pulling sends it into MJF’s head for two and the fans are still into it. The referee gets bumped though and Cole loads up the diamond ring. White goes for the leg though and grabs the ring instead, so MJF goes low to save himself. The Gunns come in and are quickly dispatches, setting up a ring shot to retain the title at 29:56.

Rating: B+. This was a weird match as MJF was the fighting underdog throughout and then cheated to even out a bunch of the cheating White had already done. The story they had went rather well, though it could have been trimmed down a bit at the end of a really long show. At the same time, it doesn’t exactly make White look good to not be able to beat someone on one leg who had already wrestled that night.

MJF and Cole celebrate and limp up the ramp to end the show. No Devil stuff at all.

Overall Rating: A-. Another rather good pay per view from AEW, even with the show feeling rather long at times. As usual, there was nothing close to a bad match with the weakest match being completely fine. The Texas Death match is the best match on the show with the main event being a close second. I’m not sure if this felt like one of the biggest shows AEW has run, but it’s certainly worth a look, assuming you don’t mind some of the matches going a good bit longer than they need to.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Jay Lethal – Spinning backfist
Claudio Castagnoli b. Buddy Matthews – Scorpion Deathlock
Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe b. The Gunns – Koquina Clutch to Colten
Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland b. Christian Cage/Nick Wayne/Luchasaurus – Coffin Drop to Luchasaurus
Orange Cassidy b. Jon Moxley – Beach Break
Toni Storm b. Hikaru Shida – Running hip attack with metal tray
Ricky Starks/Big Bill b. FTR, La Faccion Ingobernable and Kings Of The Black Throne – Starks pulled down the titles
Julia Hart b. Kris Statlander and Skye Blue – Saturday Night Fever to Blue
Swerve Strickland b. Hangman Page when Page could not answer the ten count
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Young Bucks – One Winged Angel to Matt
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jay White – Right hand with diamond ring

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AEW has changed up its pay per view schedule so much that their original Big Four do not exactly feel as important these days. While the promotion isn’t ice cold, they don’t have the hottest product in the world going into this show. That being said, AEW’s pay per view record is more than good enough to rally things up in the blink of an eye. The main event and a few other things have me interested and that might be enough to carry things. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Jay Lethal

So this match, which felt like it could have headlined Final Battle next month, is instead taking place here and might not even main event the pre-show. Lethal’s friends helped him beat Kingston to set this up and now Kingston wants to face him one one one. That should work out rather well as Lethal is capable of wrestling a good, simple match against anyone and we could be in for something nice here.

I’ll go with Kingston winning, as Lethal isn’t exactly on fire right now. There is little reason to change the title here since this feels like a way to give Kingston a win over an ROH legend. I’ve heard worse ideas, though I’m not sure who is going to face Kingston at Final Battle. They teased something with Ortiz on Rampage, but that’s for next month. For now, Kingston wins here and moves on to Final Battle.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Buddy Matthews

The two stables have been kind of teasing each other in recent weeks and then Castagnoli saved Wheeler Yuta from Matthews after their match on Collision. Therefore, we have a heck of a rather hard hitting showdown and that should be more than enough to make for some entertaining television. Matthews continues to feel like someone who could be a breakout star and it’s nice to see him getting this kind of spot.

For now though, Castagnoli wins here, as the only way I can imagine seeing Matthews win is through some House Of Black interference. This is one of those matches that sounds goo on paper and will probably be even better when they actually get in the ring. Castagnoli is about as dependable as you can get and we should be in for a good, hard hitting, ten or so minute match here.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Samoa Joe(c) vs. The Gunns

Joe is teaming with MJF in the place of Adam Cole, though I’m not sure if it’s going to be a permanent thing. At the same time, Joe is probably going to want some compensation for helping MJF, which likely leads to a title match next month in Long Island. For now though, they have to deal with a talented team who can be a threat to win the titles. Granted they’re fighting to be the champions of a show they’ve never wrestled on.

As much as I’d love to see MJF get away from the titles and have them actually be around in ROH, I’m not sure I can picture the Gunns winning here. MJF and maybe Joe will have to lose the titles at some point in the future, though that might not happen until Final Battle. ROH needs the titles back, but this doesn’t feel like the spot where that is going to happen just yet.

AEW Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Toni Storm

I try to get what I think are the most obvious results out of the way in these things and that seems to be the case here. Shida is a good champion and has been one of the most dependable people in all of AEW, but she’s up against a different kind of force here. Storm has tapped into something with this Timeless deal and that feels like it is going to be enough to go somewhere.

Of course I’ll take Storm here as I can’t see any reason to keep the title on Shida. While she’s very good and one of the workhorses of the division, but Storm is on another level entirely at the moment. It makes all the sense in the world to give her the title as it’s a case of striking while the iron is hot. This should be a layup, and unless Mariah May costs Storm the title, Storm gets the gold here.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue

We’ll stick with the women here and another match that has a somewhat clear favorite. Hart seemed ready to take the title last month at WrestleDream but lost to Statlander, which makes me wonder how things are going to go here. This feels like it should be Hart’s to lose, though Blue being in there is a wild card given how much it seems AEW has wanted to push her.

It’s trickier than I thought but I’ll go with Hart winning here. At some point the House Of Black needs some gold and it would make sense for Hart to get them back on the champions’ list here. Hart has been built up very well in recent months and it fees like the time to go somewhere with that. Statlander has become a star during her reign, but it’s ok to move her out here and maybe into the main Women’s Title picture. Hart wins here, though Blue is a longshot option too.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Young Bucks

This is the Bucks’ title shot vs. the Canadians’ future as a team because, believe it or not, the Bucks can’t handle Omega having another friend. They did a bit of a rushed buildup to this one as the Bucks weren’t happy with Omega and Jericho teaming together because Omega seems to have forgotten the Elite. Thankfully that means the Bucks have turned heel again, which suits them so much better.

I’ll take Jericho and Omega to win here, as it would make the Bucks all the more frustrated and get them out of the title picture at the same time. The Bucks are going to find something else to whine about anyway so maybe the loss is enough to do just that. Omega and Jericho have done well enough as a team and I could see them going for the Tag Team Titles, even if it feels like a rehash of Omega and Hangman Page. Then again, the Elite’s whole thing is about repeating the same melodrama so that kind of fits. Omega and Jericho win here, or at least I think they do.

International Title: Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

So this headlined a show about two and a half months ago but now we’re right back where we started before All Out. It felt like we were going to get back here eventually and maybe we’re here a bit earlier than expected, but the rematch is on. Moxley no sold the Orange Punch on Dynamite to scare Cassidy, which puts this in quite the different place than the original version.

As much as it would make sense for Cassidy to win here and tie the series, it feels like AEW wants to get back to where this was supposed to be when Moxley won at All Out. Maybe that means Cassidy comes back and wins the third match down the line, but Moxley was champion for all of a few weeks before the concussion screwed things up. I’ll go with Moxley here, despite a feeling that Cassidy could win with a rollup for a shock victory.

Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage/Luchasaurus/Nick Wayne

And yes, Ric Flair with be here with Sting and company. That’s likely going to get a bunch of the focus and yes there is always the chance that Flair turns on Sting again because we must repeat history every chance we can. For now though, it seems much more like a way to set up Copeland vs. Cage down the line and that is not the worst idea given how rarely they have fought over the years.

Outside of Flair cheating though, this should be Copeland and company’s to win. Wayne can be right there to take a fall without damaging anything major going forward, as tends to be the case in a six man like this. Things will probably break down multiple times, but this is another step in Sting’s retirement tour and having him get a win on pay per view is a fine way for him to step away from California.

Tag Team Titles: Ricky Starks/Big Bill(c) vs. La Faccion Ingobernable vs. FTR vs. Kings Of The Black Throne

Say it with me: it’s a ladder match. That feels like a requirement that AEW has to cover every so often and we’re getting it here for reasons of “Bill is tall”. That’s not exactly a great reason to have a ladder match but that’s modern wrestling for you. The only team you can probably write off here is FTR as they’ve had the titles so recently that getting them again doesn’t make a ton of sense. That leaves us with three options and it could be either of them.

I’ll take the champs to retain here, as I could go for seeing more of what they can do. They won the titles about a month and a half ago and have wound up doing some nice things with them. Let them get a defense in here, even though it might not be the most traditional match. What matters is getting ready for another match against one of these teams later on, but that might have to wait for Omega and Jericho if all things stand. For now though, the champs retain.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

This is the “steal the show” match as it feels like they’re having two young stars get the chance to break through in a Texas Death Match (or Last Man Standing to everyone else). That’s a bit weird when Page is already one of the most decorated stars in AEW history, but Page is out for revenge/blood on Strickland and that often makes for a much more interesting situation.

This feels like Page getting his revenge so I’ll take that here after one heck of a fight. Strickland has been waiting for that big breakout moment and while it has been said over and over again, it should be coming one day. I just don’t think it’s here, as the idea of having Page get his home violated like that and then lose in the big fight seems like a bad idea. Page wins here, after a war.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Jay White

If this wasn’t the main event (or at least it should be), I would have put it high up because this doesn’t feel like the highest drama. White stole the belt at the start of their feud and has mostly kept it since, but now MJF wants the belt and the win. They’ve done a nice job with making me want to see MJF beat White and get everything back, but they might have tilted it a bit too far one way.

Naturally MJF retains here and gets the belt back. That’s not exactly a deep story and it’s hard to fathom that it doesn’t end with MJF getting the belt back here. Samoa Joe is all but guaranteed to be waiting for MJF next month in Long Island and having MJF win here is kind of required to make that work. White has done well enough but it’s time to move on without him as champion.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about it, the more I would consider Strickland vs. Page headlining. It might not be the highest profile match on the show, but it certainly feels like the hottest one. I’m worried that it might be good enough that nothing can follow it and that could ruin whatever comes after. The show looks good enough, though having it come so soon after the previous one feels off in AEW> I’ll still take them as having a real chance to make this work though as Full Gear seems like it has a good deal of potential, as usual.

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Collision
Date: November 11, 2023
Location: Oakland Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re taped for a rare situation this week with only seven days to go before Full Gear. In theory that should mean we get a few things built up towards the pay per view, which could make things interesting. You never know what you’re going to get around here but an in-ring focus tends to be the case. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Sting, Darby Allin, Adam Copeland, the Righteous, Lance Archer, Jake Roberts, La Faccion Ingobernable, Powerhouse Hobbs, Daniel Garcia and Andrade El Idolo are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Daniel Garcia

CJ Perry is here with Andrade. Feeling out process to start with Andrade getting the better of things. Garcia sends him into the ropes for the Tranquilo pose, meaning it’s time for the slugout. The frustrated Garcia is sat on top for a dropkick out to the floor as things get worse. Back in and Andrade strikes away until Garcia gets in a knee snap over the ropes.

Garcia knees him off the apron and out to the floor but it’s time to stare at Perry. That means some dancing from Garcia, though Perry actually dances back a bit. Garcia takes it back inside for a German suplex and we take a break. Back with Garcia putting on the ankle lock and Andrade pounding the mat.

With that broken up, Andrade hits some running clotheslines and nips up. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two, followed by Garcia hitting a brainbuster for the same. Andrade runs him over again and hits the double moonsault for two more. Another shot to the knee sets up the Figure Eight to give Andrade the win at 15:41.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be and there was only so much that you can get out of these two going for almost sixteen minutes. It was a good enough match, but it was feeling long and came off more like they were trying to fill in time. Andrade winning does at least boost him up though and now we should be in for a big Miro vs. Andrade match in the near future.

In the back, Miro is not pleased.

We look at the end of Dynamite, with the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn being taken out by masked men. MJF was upset but Samoa Joe seemed amused.

Nick Wayne vs. Dalton Castle

Christian Cage and Luchasaurus are here with Wayne while the Boys are here with Castle. Feeling out process to start with Wayne taking over and stopping for a pose. Castle wrestles him down without much trouble and grabs a gutwrench to send Wayne flying. Wayne gets in a shot of his own to set up more posing though and we hit the face ripping.

That’s broken up and Castle snaps off some suplexes but the Bang A Rang is blocked. Wayne’s World is blocked as well so Luchasaurus gets on the apron. The Boys make the save and get double chokeslammed, allowing Wayne to send Castle into the corner. Wayne’s World finishes Castle at 6:47.

Rating: C+. And there’s your next challenger to the Ring Of Honor World Title, as he loses to Christian Cage’s lackey two days after issuing the challenge. AEW has that big of a roster but apparently here was no one else to take this loss than Castle. Other than that, it was nice to see Castle on television again, as that star power and charisma are always worth a look.

Hangman Page is livid at Swerve Strickland for invading his home, so it’s time for a Texas Death Match at Full Gear. He’s ready to kill Strickland and then take his son to his grave every year for a visit. Heck of a promo from Page here, as he continues to do well when he’s serious.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Workhorsemen

Dralistico gets taken into the wrong corner to start and the alternating beatdown is on. A quick shot allows the tag to Rush though and Drake is quickly struck down. The fight heads outside and we take a break. Back with Rush slapping Drake in the face and posing before forearming Henry down. Back up and Drake runs Rush over, setting up a missed moonsault. Dralistico hits a top rope Codebreaker, setting up a running flip dive to Henry. The Bull’s Horns finishes Drake at 8:25.

Rating: C. This was another match that felt a bit longer than it needed to be, though at least La Faccion never really felt like they were in any serious trouble. The Workhorsemen have been around Ring Of Honor for a long time without much success and now they seem to be moving into the same jobbers to the stars roles around here. There are worse spots for them, but they’re not exactly must see TV.

Post match the House Of Black pops up to say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles at Full Gear. As for Julia Hart, she’ll beat Willow Nightingale tonight and then gets a rematch for the TBS Title at Full Gear.

Kris Statlander thinks Willow Nightingale should get a title shot and has no comment on Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue next week. Apparently the winners of Hart vs. Nightingale and Velvet vs. Blue get into a triple threat title match at Full Gear. Velvet has wrestled twice since returning and is 1-1 but is a win away from a title shot?

Roderick Strong vs. Darius Martin

Strong, with the Kingdom, is wheeled to the ring. They start fast with Strong hammering away in the corner before hitting a half nelson backbreaker. One heck of a chop in the corner lets Strong drop him in the corner again. A dropkick cuts off Martin’s comeback and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. With that broken up, Martin flips out of the corner for a kick to the head, followed by a bulldog onto the middle rope. Back in and Strong hits the Sick Kick, setting up the End of Heartache for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. Strong’s story continues, though I’m not sure where it is supposed to go. The ans are getting behind Strong and that might create some issues for everyone involved. For now though, at least Strong is getting back in the ring so there are some more options available. Maybe just tone down the comedy stuff if Strong is supposed to stay a heel?

Post match the beatdown is on until Action Andretti makes the save.

Tony Khan is with Bryan Danielson and announces that Danielson will be at next year’s All In. Also, we’ll be getting the Continental Classic, a 12 man round robin tournament over the next month and a half, with the finals taking place at World’s End. The first entrant: Bryan Danielson. Round robins haven’t gone so well in America and a month and a half is a lot, but the talent should be there.

Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart

They start slowly with Hart not knowing what to do with Willow’s power. Hart slugs away but gets slammed down without much trouble. With that not working, they head outside where Willow hits a suplex to plant Hart as we take a break. Back with Hart working on the arm, meaning Nightingale can’t pick her up for the gutwrench powerbomb. Hart hits some running shots in the corner and a running forearm to the back of the head.

Hartless is blocked so they head outside where Nightingale misses a charge into the steps. Back in and Willow pulls her off the top for a full nelson slam and another near fall. The Babe With The Powerbomb….doesn’t quite work as Hart lands sitting down. Another running forearm drops Willow and the moonsault gives Hart the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. And so, Nightingale loses again, as tends to be her custom. That being said, Hart seems all but destined to win the title at Full Gear, as Kris Statlander hasn’t had much of note or a bit now. Hart’s moonsault still looks great too as she has come a long way in a short amount of time. Just give her the title while not having Nightingale lose as much and they’ll get somewhere.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks won’t fight the House Of Black at Full Gear. That’s true, because they’ll be fighting the House of Black, La Faccion Ingobernable and FTR. Starks isn’t worried.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. ???

Paul Wight is on commentary. Spinebuster and World’s Strongest Slam finish for Hobbs at 53 seconds.

Post match, Don Callis mocks Chris Jericho and calls Wight Jericho’s last friend in wrestling. Callis praises Wight but says he’s scared of Hobbs. The fight is teased but nothing happens.

FTR wants the Tag Team Titles back.

Lance Archer/The Righteous vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland

Copeland strikes away at Dutch to start and finally clotheslines him down. Allin (with a taped up shoulder) comes in to headlock Vincent before it’s off to Archer vs. Sting. After a WOO off, Sting knocks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Sting in trouble as Archer gets to stomp him down in the corner. Sting fights away and, after a clothesline to Archer, brings Allin back in.

What looks to be the Code Red is blocked and Dutch hits a running clothesline as we take another break. Back again with Allin fighting out of trouble and bringing Copeland back in to clean house. Allin dives onto Archer on the floor but Dutch takes Copeland down. Sting makes the save and it’s a Death Drop/middle rope elbow combination to drop Dutch. The spear finishes Dutch at 16:21.

Rating: B-. Copeland was looking like a star in here and was moving better than he did during some of his time in WWE. At the same time, Sting continues to look good on the way towards retirement and if he can keep it going for a few more months, we should be in for a nice run. I could have gone with the Righteous not losing so soon into their teaming up with Roberts, but at least it was to a team with much higher star power.

Christian Cage and company come out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t a bad show, I couldn’t get into things this week. It felt like there wasn’t a ton of effort put into this show and very little involving the top stories took place. I can go with a show focused more on the midcard feuds, but nothing n here really stood out for the most part. It’s far from terrible, but I was bored more than once and that makes for a long show.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Daniel Garcia – Figure 8
Nick Wayne b. Dalton Castle – Wayne’s World
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Workhorsemen – Bull’s Horns to Drake
Roderick Strong b. Darius Martin – End Of Heartache
Julia Hart b. Willow Nightingale – Moonsault
Powerhouse Hobbs b. ??? – World’s Strongest Slam
Sting/Darby Allin/Adam Copeland b. Righteous/Lance Archer – Spear to Dutch

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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Collision
Date: November 4, 2023
Location: InTrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We are two weeks away from Full Gear and a good chunk of the card is already set. This show is going to be in a big of a rough patch in the coming weeks though, as Bryan Danielson is going to be out of action. Someone is going to have to step up and I’m not sure who that will be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

FTR, Big Bill, Ricky Starks Lance Archer and Darby Allin are ready to fight. Swerve Strickland is as well but AR Fox jumps him to start their match fast.

Opening sequence.

AR Fox vs. Swerve Strickland

They fight to the ring with Swerve in trouble and bailing to the floor, meaning Fox can be right there for the big running flip dive. Back in and a rolling cutter gives Fox two but Swerve sends him outside to take over. Cue the Gates of Agony (Prince Nana dances) as Swerve pulls Fox off the top as we take a break.

We come back with Swerve fighting back and hitting a hanging DDT. The 450 gives Fox two and Lo Mein Pain is good for the same. Swerve is back with the House Call for two of his own, followed by a knee first hard toss into the buckle. A powerbomb flipped into a powerslam (that was cool) sets up the Swerve Stomp to give Swerve the pin at 10:07.

Rating: B-. I don’t think there’s any surprise that these two had a good match as they’re both talented stars who have shown chemistry in the past. They made this work well and that flipping powerslam looked very good. Swerve is on the rise though and it should be interesting to see what he gets to do next.

Post match the Gates of Agony are ready to go after Fox but FTR runs in for the save. Ricky Starks and Big Bill run in to help the Gates with the beatdown but LFI makes the real save. FTR and LFI don’t seem to get along.

The House Of Black is watching.

Video on Daniel Garcia vs. MJF for the World Title at Dynamite. Geez what did we do to deserve that?

MJF rants about Jay White needing all of the Bullet Club Gold to catch him off guard and pin him. White has been in wrestling twice as long as MJF and White is twice as stupid!

Bullet Club Gold sings about beating MJF and say they’re taking a break from Collision. They’ll be back on Dynamite with another World Title eliminator though.

Kip Sabian is mad at Mark Briscoe for last week and brings in the Workhorsemen. Briscoe needs two partners tonight.

Kingdom vs. Brixton Nash/James McGregor

Roderick Strong interrupts Dasha’s entrance and complains about the lack of being neck strong. The Kingdom jumps them before the match and a spike piledriver finishes McGregor at 1:17.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Strong running in for a shot of his own.

We look at Christian Cage recruiting Nick Wayne.

Mark Briscoe is happy to be back when FTR comes in to offer to work twice tonight to team with him. Mark appreciates that but he has two people in mind, which is cool with FTR. When asked who his partners are, Mark shouts that he “CANNOT DIVULGE THAT INFORMATION!”

Darby Allin vs. Lance Archer

Jake Roberts is here with Archer. Allin strikes away a bit to start but is promptly Pounced out to the floor. Back in and Archer’s Old School is countered and they fight to the floor. That’s fine with Archer, who LAUNCHES Allin with a release suplex onto the ramp. Archer tosses him again as we take a break.

Back with Allin raking the eyes but getting caught with a running knee to the face in the corner. Allin slips out of the Black Out but gets chokeslammed over the top and onto the apron. Roberts loads up a skateboard shot, only to be ejected before he can swing. That leaves Archer to go up top but Allin catches him with a super sunset bomb for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: B-. Much like the opener, these two work well together and have every time I’ve seen them square off. It’s a natural idea to have Allin vs. the monster and these two work that style very well. Archer continues to feel like someone who could be in a bigger role but that is only going to last so long when he loses matches like this one.

Post match Roberts says that’s not how it’s going to be and introduces his new friends….the Righteous. Allin is distracted and gets chokeslammed by Archer. Again: only feels so impressive when Archer just got pinned.

Kris Statlander again attempts to calm things down with Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale. Blue says she helped Willow for Willow and wishes her luck tonight. Statlander does the same.

Alex Abrahantes is happy with Penta El Zero Miedo’s win on Rampage. Swerve Strickland comes in and gets a match with Penta on Dynamite. He even threatens to take Penta’s mask.

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to celebrate 69 day (as in days as Trios Champions). Gunn loves all of the fans’ signs and we launch the confetti. Caster gets a special present: a video from MJF talking about how he respects Caster and says Caster is starting to grow on him. MJF: “Like a fungus, but it’s starting.” He wishes us a happy 69 day and says “uh, yay scissoring.”

Caster’s amazed face is great but he’s even happier because they have a trophy! They make a bunch of jokes about the holiday (Gunn seems to be having a blast) but as they’re about to wrap it up, here are Dalton Castle and the Boys to interrupt. The Boys grab the trophy (Kelly: “These two are idiots.”) and hand it to Castle, who throws it out to the floor. The brawl is on and let’s have a match.

Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Castle and the Boys are challenging. The Boys hit a double dropkick to tart but a pinata is brought in. The Acclaimed take it away and beat the other three up with it, revealing….Acclaimed stuff inside! We take a break and come back with Castle knocking Gunn off the apron as apparently this is the result of an open contract which was only discovered during the break. The champs fight back and it’s Scissor Me Timbers into a Fameasser into the Arrival into the Mic Drop to retain at 6:24. Not enough shown to rate but maybe they could have waited to set this match up instead of doing it immediately?

Andrade El Idolo will have his answer for CJ Perry next week.

Kip Sabian/Workhorsemen vs. Mark Briscoe/???/???

Briscoe’s partners are Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee. Sabian jumps Briscoe to start and it’s off to Henry, even as Briscoe fights up. Drake cuts him off as we hear about Drake being a professional bowler, which has the rest of commentary interested. The beating continues until Mark manages a suplex. Lee comes in and powerbombs Sabian onto Henry, allowing Briscoe to come back in with the Froggy Bow for the pin on Sabian at 4:28.

Rating: C. It’s very nice to have Briscoe back in the ring after such a long absence. He has so much charisma and it is a blast to watch him out there doing just about anything. At the same time, it should be interesting to see where things go for him, as I can’t imagine the Lee/Rhodes pairing is anything more than a one off.

Post break, Briscoe says he has been watching while he was injured and now he sees an impostor. Jay White is running around with a title that isn’t his, so he challenges White to put the title shot on the line next week on Dynamite.

Willow Nightingale vs. Emi Sakura

They run at each other to start until Nightingale slams her down. The fight heads outside with Nightingale being sent into the steps. A crossbody against said steps crushes her hard and Sakura drops her again inside. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a Death Valley Driver on the floor. The Doctor Bomb is countered though and Sakura hits a reverse swinging neckbreaker. Nightingale fights up and hits a spinebuster, followed by the Doctor Bomb for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a match as these two beat the fire out of each other. You don’t get to see that kin of a fight very often and it worked well here. Nightingale is still someone who feels like she should be a much bigger deal but for some reason this tends to be the highest level of win she is going to get. For now though, they had a rather good match and I’ll take what I can get for Nightingale.

Samoa Joe says he has beaten everyone….but Keith Lee pops in to say not EVERYONE. They’ll fight on Dynamite.

FTR/La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Big Bill/Ricky Starks/Gates of Agony

Vance strikes away at Bill in the corner and moves around to do it again. Kaun comes in and gets taken down by FTR. Toa slams Harwood and drops a headbutt for two. It’s off to Starks, but Rush takes him outside for some whips into various barricades. We take a break and come back with Harwood in the wrong corner, allowing Starks to walk the rope for an elbow to the head.

Harwood fights over to the corner and hands it back to Rush to clean house. The cocky kick to the face hits Starks in the corner and he charges into a powerslam for two. It’s back to Vance, who avoids a charge to send Toa into the post. Bill chokeslams Vance as everything breaks down. Harwood comes in o slug away at Kaun until Rush plays Wheeler in a Big Rig. Wheeler dives onto Toa and the Bull’s Horn finishes Kaun at 14:52.

Rating: B-. It was smart to not take this one to the near thirty minute lengths that some Collision main events get but or now I’ll settle for another solid enough match. LFI looked good in their return and they should be in for some kind of strong push in the future. FTR almost has to get another title shot at some point, though the House Of Black might be looming before they get there.

Post match LFI leaves without shaking FTR’s hands. The House Of Black pops up to threaten FTR….and then they’re in the ring to make good on the threats. Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli run in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show here, with solid wrestling up and down the card. The best thing to say about this show was nothing got boring, as it felt like there was at least someone interesting or an important match out there the whole night. That isn’t always the case with AEW and it is nice to see them fixing things up a bit. Dynamite is looking stacked and it would be nice to see AEW follow up this show with another good one.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. AR Fox – Swerve Stomp
The Kingdom b. Brixton Nash/James McGregor – Spike piledriver to McGregor
Darby Allin b. Lance Archer – Super sunset bomb
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Dalton Castle/The Boys – Mic Drop to Brent
Mark Briscoe/Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee b. Kip Sabian/Workhorsemen – Froggy Bow to Henry
Willow Nightingale b. Emi Sakura – Doctor Bomb
FTR/La Faccion Ingobernable b. Gates Of Agony/Big Bill/Ricky Starks – Bull’s Horns to Kaun

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Collision
Date: October 14, 2023
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

Dynamite was a big deal this week and now we get to see what they have planned as a follow up. That could mean a wide range of things as Collision has been a bit all over the place in its short history but things tend to lean positive. The card does look good tonight, including Christian Cage defending the TNT Title against Bryan Danielson, so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Adam Copeland to get things going. Copeland talks about how it’s wet and rainy outside but we can get it hot in here. This week on Dynamite, Christian Cage said some nutty things and Cage must believe them. Cue Cage, with Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne, to interrupt, though he hides behind security. Cage says the security is here for Copeland’s protection and tells him to get out so Cage can get ready for his main event. He also mentions that the Blackpool Combat Club has been removed from the building so his match with Bryan Danielson can be even.

Cue Danielson to say he wants a fair fight too, so Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne are banned from ringside too! Cue Ricky Starks and Big Bill, with the former mocking everyone in the ring for being old. Starks hasn’t forgotten about Danielson but Copeland mocks him for his silk pants.

Copeland calls Starks a vanilla midget version of the Rock and says talk to Danielson. Starks: “That really set me over the edge.” Copeland: “Aw dude.” Cue FTR to say they’re coming for the titles and the champs’ necks. Harwood likes the idea of fighting so Danielson tells Cage we should do it right now. The fight is on with the good guys clearing the ring and beating up security.

MJF was at an event about rejecting antisemitism. Nothing wrong with that.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Willie Mack

Joe is defending and backs him up against the ropes to start. Mack gets knocked into the corner and pounded down with right hands. Back up and Mack scores with a running kick to the face to send Joe outside, setting up the big slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Mack hitting a Cannonball for two but Joe powerslams him down for the same. Joe cuts him off though and hits the MuscleBuster to retain at 9:17.

Rating: B-. There is something to be said about two big guys beating each other up and that’s more or less what we got here. Mack wasn’t likely to take the title from Joe here as that title reign seems destined to set the all time record, but I can go with this as a one off. Just maybe have Joe on the ROH show once or twice?

CJ Perry is here to help people and make stars so if you need guidance, come find the woman who makes made men. Action Andretti comes in to say he could benefit from her talents. She doesn’t say no and is waiting on a call.

Danhausen is back soon.

Juice Robinson vs. Christopher Daniels

The rest of Bullet Club Gold is here with Robinson, who gets chased to the floor to start and thinks Daniels needs to calm down. Back in and Daniels takes him down by the arm for some cranking, meaning Robinson wants the referee to “yell at him for cheating”. Daniels is sent outside for a beating from the Club and we take a break. Back with Robinson hitting a backsplash for two but Daniels grabs an STO. A Death Valley Driver gives Daniels two but the Club offers a distraction. Robinson hits the left hand into a Cannonball and hits the forward DDT for the pin at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Completely fine match, which is more or less a guarantee for Daniels at this point in his career. Robinson gets a win over someone with some status and that’s a good way to use someone like Daniels. At the same time, Robinson is one of the most entertaining people on the roster as he has that charisma to make you look at him and it was on full display here.

Post match Jay White gives Robinson a ring to knock Daniels out. Robinson says anyone can wear a ring and he bought his for $25. He’s been knocking people out for years and now he’s got a ring! White promises to take the ring and then the title from MJF.

Dustin Rhodes is back to win the ring and then the World Title.

Nick Wayne and his mom will have a sitdown interview on Dynamite. Wayne isn’t happy.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Boulder

Boulder stomps around a lot and Fletcher isn’t sure what to do with him. A running shoulder bounces off of Boulder but Fletcher manages to send him outside. There’s the big dive but Boulder knocks him back inside. Boulder goes up but gets powerbombed down, setting up a dragon sleeper to give Fletcher the win at 2:46.

Billy Gunn and Anthony Bowens talk to Max Caster about his aggressive relationship with MJF. They try to get him to be nicer when talking to Renee Paquette, so he asks about Oral Sessions. Renee: “You’re an idiot!” The former Jericho Appreciation Society comes in and gets a Trios Title shot.

TBS Title: Skye Blue vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending. Feeling out process to start with neither getting very far until Blue hits her in the face. Statlander isn’t pleased so she slams Blue down but she’s back up with a running hurricanrana. We take a break and come back with Blue hitting a jawbreaker and kicking her in the head.

Statlander misses a clothesline and gets caught with a tornado DDT for two. One heck of a powerbomb out of the corner looks to set up a high crossbody but Statlander pulls her out of the air. A powerslam plants Blue and they’re both down for a bit. Blue gets two off a sunset flip and she superkicks Statlander but she’s right back with Saturday Night Fever for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: B. That might be high but I was expecting very little here and they got things rolling in the last few minutes. It was probably Blue’s best match ever as Statlander has turned into a star in the division. She’s having one good match after another and this time it felt like she elevated Blue to a level she’s never had in her before.

Post match Statlander goes to help her up but Willow Nightingale breaks it up. That was kind of weird.

Kyle Fletcher calls out Kenny Omega.

Rush and La Faccion Ingobernable are back and promise violence.

Keith Lee vs. Turbo Floyd

Floyd kicks him in the ribs to start and gets Pounced to start. The Spirit Bomb finishes Floyd at 1:11.

Miro talks about how CJ Perry will be surrounded by everything she loves but he’s going to kill it off in advance. Then he wrecks Action Andretti.

Video on Rocky Romero vs. Mistico next week on Rampage.

TNT Title: Christian Cage vs. Bryan Danielson

Cage is defending. Feeling out process to start with Danielson taking him down without much effort. Back up and Cage grabs a headlock but Danielson knocks him outside and we take a break. We come back with Danielson putting on a surfboard but Cage slips out and they go to the floor. Danielson strikes him against the barricade and we hit a bow and arrow back inside.

With that broken up, Danielson goes up for the headbutt but bangs up his arm instead. Cage starts cranking away but Danielson manages to get him to the apron and tries a German suplex. Back in and a hammerlock slam has Danielson’s arm in more trouble as we take a break.

We come back again with Cage sending him to the floor, where the arm goes into the announcers’ table. Cage takes him up top but Danielson knocks him down and hits the Swan Dive. Some headbutts have busted Cage open and there’s the running clothesline. Danielson knocks him outside for the suicide dive but the arm gets banged up again. Back in and Cage scores with a frog splash for two but his spear is cut off.

Danielson’s big kick to the head gets two and stomps away but Cage hits the spear. The Killswitch gets two, only for Cage to miss a charge into the corner. The running knee gives Danielson two and the LeBell Lock goes on, but Danielson’s bar arm means he can’t get the full thing. Cue Big Bill for a distraction and Ricky Starks comes in with a belt shot to knock Danielson silly, allowing Cage to retain at 25:11.

Rating: B+. Yeah of course it was awesome as Danielson can have a good match against a broken broom and Cage has shown he can hang with anyone, especially in longer matches. I wasn’t wild on the ending, but man alive were they doing some great stuff before then. I wasn’t sure who was leaving with the title here and that’s a pretty sure sign that they’re doing something right.

Post match the beatdown is on so here is FTR for the save, only to get beaten down as well. Adam Copeland makes the real save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Danielson and Cage stole the night here and Blue s. Statlander was almost shockingly good. That being said, the rest of the show felt like a lot of filler, as I could have gone without Fletcher or another long Bullet Club Gold promo or the ROH TV Title match. As usual, the wrestling isn’t the problem and it fixes a lot of the issues, but there is just so much AEW content these days and it’s starting to get exhausting. Another good show tonight with Danielson and Cage being awesome, but they can only rely on one great match saving the show for so long.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Willie Mack – MuscleBuster
Juice Robinson b. Christopher Daniels – Forward DDT
Kyle Fletcher b. Boulder – Dragon sleeper
Kris Statlander b. Skye Blue – Saturday Night Fever
Keith Lee b. Turbo Floyd – Spirit Bomb
Christian Cage b. Bryan Danielson – Belt shot

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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Collision
Date: August 26, 2023
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Caprice Coleman

It’s the final go home show for All In and that means it could go either way. We are going to get a final push to the show but the question is how much new stuff might be added. At the same time, All Out is in eight days and there isn’t much set for the show. While All In will have a lot to do with the card, we could get something or it here as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Jack Perry, along with some people carrying the FTW Title, to open things up. The ring is set up for a funeral and Perry says it was a good title, which was just misunderstood at times. Instead of being sad at its demise, we should remember the good times. We see Perry with the title in various places, including bed, the bathtub, by the pool, in the shower etc.

It’s time to send the title to a better place though, and that means it’s time for a sledgehammer. Cue Hook on the video screen to say this wasn’t a good idea and now here he is in the ring. The beatdown is on and Perry gets suplexed through a table. Hook: “Wembley, Sunday.”

Orange Cassidy/Penta El Cero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian

Penta loads up the glove on Sabian but Penelope Ford shoves Alex Abrahantes on the floor. Everything breaks down fast and it’s Penta superkicking his way out of trouble in the corner. Sabian crotches Penta against the post but Cassidy makes the save and comes in to pick up the pace. Cassidy gets sent to the floor and it’s a double team neckbreaker to give Sabian two back inside.

Blade’s swinging neckbreaker drops Cassidy again and we take a break. Back with Cassidy dropping Sabian hard and handing it back to Penta. House is quickly cleaned, including an assisted Canadian Destroyer on Sabian. Butcher knocks Penta into the tag to Kingston and it’s hoss fight time. Kingston gets the better of things before sending Sabian and Blade into the corner for the rapid fire chops. Cassidy hits Butcher with the Orange Punch and there’s an exploder to Sabian. Made In Japan hits Sabian and Kingston gets the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. The good guys here felt like a bunch of people who had nothing else to do so here they are. Cassidy is going to get a reaction no matter what he’s doing so it’s smart to have him on a show like this. Butcher and the Blade continue to be a team who feel like they could do more but they are forever tied to Sabian for some reason.

Post break the Best Friends are in the ring with Cassidy and company to call out the Blackpool Combat Club and Santana/Ortiz. Those people BROKE TRENT’S MOM’S VAN so they’re coming or revenge. The Club pops up on screen to say it shouldn’t be a surprise that they picked Santana and Ortiz. Kingston starts heading to the back but the other four stay back as Castagnoli says Kingston and company will be out of friends again soon. We cut to the back where Kingston has a chair but can’t find anyone. Kingston promises to hut Moxley. They had me until the part about the van.

Video on FTR vs. the Young Bucks, with both of them talking about how important this match is.

Dark Order vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin

Silver and Andretti start things off with Silver taking over, allowing Reynolds to come in for an elbow to the face. The powerbomb onto Silver’s knees gets two and a double elbow puts him down again. We take a break and come back with Andretti bringing Martin in to pick up the pace. A double DDT plants the Order and Andretti comes in with a springboard 450, meaning Silver has to make the save. Andretti is sent outside and it’s the jawbreaker into the German suplex into the flipping cradle for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. So the Dark Order is becoming a thing again and these two getting the focus is the best possible combination. Evil Uno being left out of the whole thing helps it so much as Silver and Reynolds have never been the issue. It was a watchable match, but again it does feel like these guys were out there to fill in time. Not their fault, but it was noticeable.

On Wednesday, AR Fox apologized to Nick Wayne and Darby Allin for everything that happened. Fox offered a handshake to Wayne, who walked away. Allin shook Fox’s hand though.

We get a new Acclaimed music video on how Billy Gunn is back and they’re coming for the House Of Black.

Video on the Women’s Title match.

Big Bill vs. Vary Morales

Ricky Starks is here with Bill, who gets tossed down hard to start. A swing around by the hair (ouch) sets up the chokeslam to finish Morales at 1:35.

Post match Starks whips Morales and promises a bigger strap next week.

Ruby Soho challenges Kris Statlander for the TBS Title at All Out. Soho calls Statlander more than a woman but less than an Outcast.

Willow Nightingale vs. Robyn Renegade

Robyn’s sister Charlette is here too. Robyn knocks her into the corner to start but Nightingale drops her with a shoulder. The basement crossbody gives Nightingale two and she manages a pair of Amigos into a fisherman’s suplex for two. Charlette offers a distraction though and Robyn takes over as we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster for two but Robyn scores with a missile dropkick for the same. They head outside with Nightingale hitting a double suplex on both Renegades. Back in and the Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Robyn at 8:27.

Rating: C. Nightingale did her Nightingale style stuff and of course it worked because she’s the most adorable wrestler in recent memory. At the same time, she really needs to win something that matters around here sooner than later because otherwise she’s going to turn into the lovable jobber. On the other hand you have the Renegades, who have always felt like they could be something, but have lost all over the place in recent weeks. There is a lot of talent here, but none of them are really doing much and that’s a shame.

We see some quick clips of AEW stars in London.

Video on Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs.

Kris Statlander is sick of being stepped on by people like Ruby Soho so they’re on for All Out.

Keith Lee vs. Zicky Dice

Dice hammers away a few times and gets Pounced for his efforts. The Supernova finishes for Lee at 1:35.

We go back to Mexico, where La Faccion Ingobernable has been kidnapped and beaten up. Then they fought back and beat up their attackers, only to be knocked down again as someone we can’t see walks in.

Here is Samoa Joe to rant about how he wants to get his hands on CM Punk but has been told to wait until All In. Therefore tonight he’ll be on commentary for the main event and be a professional, but the beating is coming on Sunday.

We run down the All In card, complete with Hook vs. Jack Perry for the FTW Title confirmed for Zero Hour.

Video on CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe.

All Out rundown.

Hook/Darby Allin/Sting/CM Punk vs. Jay White/Luchasaurus/Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland

The Gunns, Juice Robinson and Christian Cage are on ringside. Punk headlocks Swerve to start but a hammerlock gets him backed into the corner. An anklescissors takes Punk down though and Swerve mocks his weird wrist thing. It’s too early for the GTS though so here’s White instead. They stare each other down a bit, but White wants Sting.

Punk goes to bring in Sting but gets jumped from behind (rare mental screwup there from Punk) before White goes after the leg. Punk suplexes his way out of trouble and it’s off to Hook to go after White in the corner. Allin comes in to stay on the arm and the tease of a tag to Sting sends White bailing back to Luchasaurus. Sting and Allin take turns crashing into Luchasaurus in the corner but Punk tries one too many.

Punk kicks his way out of trouble though and a big boot to the face cuts him off. We take a break and come back with Punk still in trouble and Swerve putting on a chinlock. An elbow cuts Punk off again and there’s a snap suplex to make it worse. Punk rolls away though and it’s back to Hook to pick up the pace. Hook gets knocked outside in a hurry though and some tosses into the barricade have him in trouble.

We take another break and come back with Hook fighting his way out of trouble and suplexing Cage for a needed breather. The hot tag brings in Punk to clean house, including a bulldog/running clothesline combination to White and Swerve. Punk goes up top but pauses for a good while, only to hit the elbow anyway. Swerve takes Punk down but Hook makes the save, meaning it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Punk finally hits the GTS on Cage (with a heck of a stare at Joe) before grabbing the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 21:06.

Rating: B. This wasn’t as long as most of the main events around here but it worked well enough with everyone involved. The match was about getting in as much of a hard push towards All In as possible in one match, with Allin vs. Luchasaurus at All Out getting a bit of time of its own. Not a classic or anything, but they covered as much as they could in a limited time and that works.

Post match Joe says the match is officially over so the big brawl is on, with Jack Perry coming out to join in. The fights break off and a bunch of weapons are brought in, with Perry and Hook fighting up the steps. Joe belts Punk in the face and leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show felt like it was designed or one purpose and one purpose only: fill in two hours and don’t screw up anything before London. They did that about as well as they could, if you ignore that the first hour and a half might as well have been an extended Rampage. You absolutely did not need to see this show, but there were some interesting pairings in the main event. The show is absolutely not going to matter this time tomorrow though and I think they knew that coming in.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Cero Miedo b. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian – Made In Japan to Sabian
Dark Order b. Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Flipping rollup to Andretti
Big Bill b. Vary Morales – Chokeslam
Willow Nightingale b. Robyn Renegade – Babe With The Powerbomb
Keith Lee b. Zicky Dice – Supernova
CM Punk/Sting/Hook/Darby Allin b. Jay White/Luchasaurus/Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland – Koquina Clutch to Cage

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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Dynamite
Date: June 7, 2023
Location: Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Forbidden Door and there is a good chance that some matches will be made official tonight. A few matches have either been teased or all but confirmed so now the only thing left to do is confirm them. At the same time, we have another big Collision announcement so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Swerve Strickland

Cassidy is defending and Prince Nana is here with Strickland. The hands are quickly in the pockets for the early exchange of flips until Strickland takes him down. Strickland goes after the arm but Cassidy is up into a bit of a lazy octopus. A headscissors sens Strickland outside, where he puts his hands in his pockets. Cassidy follows but gets sent into the barricade, followed by his hand being sent into the post. Back in and Cassidy knocks him to the floor again, setting up a suicide dive. They both go up top and crash down onto the buckle to send us to a break.

Back with Cassidy knocking Strickland down and hitting some rather lazy right hands. The tornado DDT sends Strickland to the apron, where he pulls Cassidy off the ropes with a Death Valley Driver. Since it’s just a Death Valley Driver on the apron, Cassidy is back up with a running DDT off the apron. A top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more back inside but Nana gets up on the apron.

Strickland is sent into him though and it’s the Orange Punch into the Beach Break for a rather near fall. Cassidy dives at Strickland on the floor but gets caught with a brainbuster. The House call connects back inside and the Swerve Stomp gets two more. Strickland grabs a rollup with tights for two, only to have Cassidy reverse into one of his own, also with tights, for the retaining pin at 15:38.

Rating: B. So yeah, Cassidy wins again, as he goes over someone else who has been needing a big win. At this point, I’m not sure who is supposed to beat Cassidy but there’s a good chance that the run will keep going for a long time. It was an entertaining and fast paced match, but Cassidy needs to put someone over already, as we’re almost at eight months of this reign. Oh and please stop ruining the DDT even more. The move is dead. Move on already.

Post match the Mogul Embassy runs in for the save but the lights go out it’s….Sting/Darby Allin for the save.

Video on Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, who have their big showdown tonight.

Video on Bryan Danielson challenging Kazuchika Okada for Forbidden Door, with the match being officially made.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Chaos

It’s Rocky Romero/Best Friends for Chaos and Bryan Danielson is on commentary. Taylor throws a chair at Moxley to start fast and the Club is sent outside. After a rather chaotic hug, the Club is back in with a Hart Attack for two on Taylor as we take a break. Back with Romero and Barreta cleaning house and taking Moxley down, including a sliding kick to the face for two. Strong Zero gets the same, with Castagnoli having to make a save. Romero’s cross armbreaker is broken up and Moxley grabs the choke out to finish Romero at 8:12.

Rating: B-. This was designed to advance Danielson (Blue) vs. Okada (Chaos) and if Okada isn’t going to be here in person (fair enough), this is as good of an idea as they had. Chaos was working hard here but they weren’t about to beat the top heel faction in the company in a regular six man tag. Good match, and it served a purpose.

Hangman Page and the Young Bucks say that was a good Club match (Page: “I didn’t see it, but it sounded good”.) and challenge the Club to face them next week. Danielson accepts.

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay II is set for Forbidden Door.

Here is MJF to tell the crowd (or drug addicts as he calls them) to keep their mouths shut. MJF complains about the lack of competition in Colorado before saying the fans’ mothers’ swallows. Cue Adam Cole to interrupt, with MJF cutting him off to talk about CM Punk ruining his fandom as a kid. Then he saw Ring Of Honor and Adam Cole caught his eye. MJF followed his career from CZW to NXT, where he was the greatest champion they ever had, and that is undisputed.

MJF went to CZW and the independent scene and then came to AEW, where he is the champion. MJF: “What happened to you man?” Cole used to be the Panama City Playboy and now he’s on Twitch while Britt Baker leaves the house with his testicles in her purse. And didn’t Cole used to have the physique of a world champion. We hear about the fans complaining about everything before MJF talks about how the way to make him cool is to ring the bell.

MJF brings up Vince McMahon not seeing much in Cole and he thinks Vince was right. Cole finally gets to talk and says first off, Britt could beat MJF up on his own. The other thing though is MJF keeps bringing up relationships, which might be because his own fiance left him. Cole brings up the comments about his body, which he shifts to his body of work, which MJF can’t touch.

He accuses MJF of being on steroids and says no one in the back respects him. MJF: “How about I cry into all my money about it?” MJF brings up the rumor of Cole being Keith Lee’s manager in WWE (that’s the third WWE reference), but Cole says if MJF wasn’t a coward, he would fight him. The match seems to be made.

Well that was a lot about WWE, and I’m guessing that’s supposed to be enough to fuel the feud. Cole getting the title shot makes sense and a lot of the insults were quite the zingers, but Cole is going to need some work after a pretty lame Chris Jericho feud. For now though, Cole needs a fresh challenger and Cole fits the bill well.

The Hardys welcome Ethan Page to the team and insist that he apologize to Brother Zay. Page does, albeit reluctantly.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Hook/Jungle Boy

La Faccion (Preston Vance/Dralistico) jump them from behind to start and the fight heads into the crowd as we take a break. Back with Hook fighting back and Vance COVERED in blood. A discus lariat drops Hook and Vance chokes him with a chain. Hook reverses into a t-bone suplex to send Vance through the table for a big crash. Jungle Boy DDTs Dralistico onto a chair but Jose the Assistant makes the save. Hook chokes him out and it’s the Snare Trap to finish Dralistico at 8:50.

Rating: B-. Well that was intense, even if so much of it was spent during the break. Vance was GUSHING blood and that made things look all the more violent. They crammed a lot into this and that’s nice to see, though I could have gone without a break taking up so much of what looked to be a hot match.

Tony Khan announces the main event of the first Collision: Jay White/Juice Robinson/Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk/FTR.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Damon Ace

Don Callis is here with Takeshita, who comes out without music. As we keep seeing Callis stabbing Kenny Omega on the big screen, Takeshita hits some headbutts in the corner, setting up the running knee for the pin at 1:25.

Post match Takeshita speaks Japanese and Callis calls Kenny Omega a cancer, which must be cut out.

Christian Cage promises revenge on Arn Anderson….and reveals that Luchasaurus has attacked Arn’s son Brock.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay

Jay, with Matt Menard, is challenging and starts running away early on. Menard cuts Statlander off on the floor but she’s fine enough to shoulder Jay down for two. A shot in the corner takes Statlander down though and we go to a break. Back with Jay hitting a Gory Bomb for two but the Queenslayer is broken up pretty quickly. The Tombstone retains the title at 8:23.

Rating: C. What we saw was good, but I could go without these eight minute matches having a commercial eating up such a huge chunk of their time. Statlander is still getting back and having her pick up a bunch of wins is a good way to reestablish her. Even before she left, she had only dropped the alien stuff for a short while, so this is still a relatively new version of Statlander. It’s working so far though, and that’s nice to see.

The Outcasts are ready for whomever wins a four way on Rampage for a Women’s Title shot.

Ricky Starks vs. Jay White

Juice Robinson is banned from ringside. Starks jumps him before the bell (that’s a really common theme tonight) and the fight starts on the floor, with White being chopped against the barricade. They get inside with Starks hitting a backdrop, only to go outside and find….nothing for the time being. The fight heads up the ramp and up to the stage, only to come back down with White taking over. White messes with the steps but Starks grabs a suplex on the floor as we take a break.

Back with White cutting off a tornado DDT and hitting a top rope superplex for two. The Bladerunner is blocked and now the tornado DDT gives Starks two of his own. White counters the Roshambo into a swinging Rock Bottom but Starks is back with a heck of a spear. The Roshambo connects but the ref is bumped. Cue the Gunns to lay out Starks, allowing White to hit the Bladerunner for the pin at 13:28.

Rating: B. The Gunns interfering is interesting as we’re probably coming up on the Club vs. FTR, though I’m not sure which team is going to be facing them at the moment. Other than that, White gets a big win, even if the Starks feud probably isn’t done. It was a good match and Starks did get cheated in the win, but White is what matters here and he looked more like his usual great self.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing here, or at least the biggest relief, is that the build to this year’s Forbidden Door is off to a rather good start. Last year felt like AEW was throwing as many names as they could at us while this year has some logical matches being announced one by one. Other than that, you had a bunch of solid matches and stories being moved forward. Your mileage on Cole vs. MJF may vary due to how shooty/insidery they got, but it’s a fresh feud and more traditional after the Pillars stuff. All in all, a good show here, and it felt more like your normal Dynamite.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Swerve Strickland – Rollup with tights
Blackpool Combat Club b. Chaos – Bulldog choke to Romero
Hook/Jungle Boy b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Snare Trap to Dralistico
Konosuke Takeshita b. Damon Ace – Running knee
Kris Statlander b. Anna Jay – Tombstone
Jay White b. Ricky Starks – Bladerunner

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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Rampage
Date: May 26, 2023
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

It’s the go home show for Double Or Nothing and thankfully this show is back at its normal time instead of midnight on Saturday night as an NHL series wrapped up early. In theory most of Double Or Nothing is set up in advance, but there is always the chance that something new will be added here (including to the pre-show) so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Caster’s rap insults the opponents and says they’re here to win mas rapido. Dralistico isn’t interested in scissoring with Bowens so they trade chops in the corner instead. A running hurricanrana doesn’t do much to Bowens, who is right back with the jumping Fameasser. Vance and Caster come in with a fall away slam sending Caster flying. Gunn wants to try his luck and tells Vance to suck it.

Scissor Me Timbers is loaded up but Rush makes the save and everything breaks down. La Faccion takes over on the floor and it’s Caster alone in the ring. We take a break and come back with Bowens having been thrown over the barricade, where Dralistico keeps hammering away. Back in and Caster gets beaten down inside but manages a clothesline for a breather.

That’s enough for the tag to Gunn, who takes forever to load up the Fameasser but connects on Vance anyway. Jose the Assistant puts the foot on the rope though, earning himself Scissor Me Timbers. Three way scissoring is broken up and Vance discus lariats Gunn down for two. Dralistico adds a springboard Codebreaker to Bowens, who is right back with the Arrival (that was some pretty egregious no selling). The Mic Drop gives Caster the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly a classic but the important thing is Acclaimed/Billy Gunn are being built up as contenders for the Trios Titles. Right now the champions don’t have many serious contenders so go with the popular team for a big time title match. It’s also nice to see them beating a team with a bit of value in La Faccion, who have at least been around for more than a bit.

Post match Bowens grabs the mic and makes a reference to the House Of Black and I think we have something coming. As luck would have it, we hear about an open challenge for the Trios Titles at Double Or Nothing.

Ethan Page/The Gunns vs. FrescoMatic/Jeaux Braxton/Watson

Colton elbows Fresco down to start and hands it off to Austin for some stomping in the corner. A running knee lift and running clothesline puts Fresco down again. Page takes too long posing and gets caught with a shot to the face, allowing Braxton to come in and pick up the pace a bit. Everything breaks down and an Iconoclasm sets up a flapjack into a Downward Spiral for the pin at 2:50.

Post match Page promises to take out the Hardys because Isiah Kassidy is out of action. Cue the Hardys to say they have a third man: Hook. The villains run off.

Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee are ready to beat up Brian Cage and Swerve Strickland in the Blackjack Battle Royal (which Dustin says is for a SHOT at the International Title, which I’d assume was a mistake).

Britt Baker/Hikaru Shida vs. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose

Rose powers Shida into the corner to start and it’s off to Shafir. Shida fights up and knocks Rose into the corner before suplexing Shafir into her. Baker comes in to forearm away at Shafir, setting up the Sling Blade for two. It’s off to Rose to choke Baker down though and we take a break.

Back with Baker being send into the corner but Rose misses a splash. Shida comes in and gets to hammer away at Shafir in the corner, followed by a missile dropkick for two. Everything breaks down and Baker is draped over the top, only to have Rose miss the knee. Shida Meteoras Rose off the apron and comes back in for the Katana on Shafir. The Lockjaw finishes Shafir at 8:59.

Rating: C+. There was enough talent in here to make the match work and it was nice to not have the Outcasts for a bit. If nothing else, having Rose out there almost felt weird as she hasn’t been around much lately. Thankfully Shafir took the fall here, as there was no need to have it go any other way. Nice match here and that is always a good thing.

Post match we see the Outcasts on screen and Jamie Hayter down at their feet. That sounds violent.

Video on Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. the Best Friends.

Mark Henry hits the main event.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. Best Friends

Almost everyone in the Blackjack Battle Royal is in the crowd. Moriarty sends Trent down to start and Trent isn’t sure what to do. Kicking Moriarty in the ribs doesn’t work as Moriarty rakes the eyes, only to have Taylor get in a cheap shot from the apron. Taylor comes in for a double suplex, complete with bicep posing. Bill doesn’t care for this and cleans house as we take a break.

Back with Trent rolling suplexes on Moriarty but Bill chokeslams him onto the apron. They get back in for the Soul Food/half and half suplex combination. Bill is back up with a Boss Man Slam to Trent though and a suplex/full nelson slam combination gets two, with Chuck having to make the save. The Best Friends manage to superplex Bill but Moriarty makes the save. Bill has had it with this and chokeslams Taylor for the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. The best thing about this match was Bill acting like a monster. He has been doing it more and more lately and that is a great thing to see. Bill’s best asset is his size and it is cool to see him getting to use it more often. The Best Friends are going to be fine after a loss so this was a nice change of pace and it did some good things for Bill and Moriarty.

Post match the Battle Royal participants get in a fight and Orange Cassidy joins them. Cue Brian Cage, Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee to join the fracas. Swerve Strickland comes out to watch but Lee stalks him to the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like it as they gave the battle royal some focus and set up the likely Trios Titles match. That’s enough for this show, which has been showing some nice signs of life in recent weeks. Granted it’s hard to imagine it lasting once Collision shows up, but I’ll take it while it lasts.

Results
Billy Gunn/The Acclaimed b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Mic Drop to Dralistico
The Gunns/Ethan Page b. FrescoMatic/Jeaux Braxton/Watson – Flapjack into a Downward Spiral to Braxton
Britt Baker/Hikaru Shida b. Marina Shafir/Nyla Rose – Lockjaw to Shafir
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Best Friends – Chokeslam to Taylor

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 27, 2023
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

This show continues to interest me, though the recent changes to AEW’s TV schedule interest me more. With the likely announcement of a two hour Saturday show and the possible elimination of Dark: Elevation (neither of which are confirmed yet), the Ring Of Honor taping schedule could be shaken up in a big way. Maybe that starts here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Athena vs. Lady Frost

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Frost wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena grabs a headlock to start but misses a dropkick. Frost gets sent face first into the mat to cut her right back off though, allowing Athena to hit a backbreaker. A kick to the head staggers Athena but Frost takes too long loading up the moonsault, allowing Athena to pull her back down. Frost kicks her in the head again but the moonsault only sends Athena over to the ropes. A hard forearm gives Athena the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C. Frost got some offense in here and she has a unique enough look that she could be something if she is given the chance. Athena continues to rack up wins but I’m not sure who could be going after the title at this point. The good thing is that she doesn’t appear on AEW and actually does feel like an ROH exclusive as opposed to a good chunk of the other stars.

Post match Athena sends her into the title, as she has a history of doing.

The Kingdom doesn’t like Top Flight and Action Andretti so vengeance is sworn. They built the original Ring Of Honor and they’re going to take respect from anyone who doesn’t give it to them.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. The Infantry

Vance knocks Bravo into the corner to start and hits some running clotheslines. A spinebuster and full nelson draw in Dean for a save but Vance beats both of them up at once. Rush comes in for the Bull’s Horns and the pin on Bravo at 2:59. Total and complete destruction with Vance looking good.

Best Friends vs. Joe Ocasio/Mookie Summers

I support anyone named Mookie. Ocasio knocks Trent into the corner to start but a running shot to the face puts Ocasio down. Some forearms to the face have Ocasio in trouble and Chuck sends him into the barricade. Back in and it’s off to Summers, who gets caught with a pop up powerbomb. Everything breaks down and Chuck hits some piledrivers. A Doomsday knee to the face finishes Summers at 2:45.

Brian Cage vs. Leon Ruffin

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who drives Ruffin into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Ruffin’s tornado DDT is cut off but he knees his way out of a suplex. The high crossbody is pulled out of the air though and a World’s Strongest Slam, with curls, plants Ruffin. The F5 is countered into a DDT though and a springboard cutter drops Cage. Not that it matters as Cage hits a powerbomb backbreaker and something like a Texas Cloverleaf makes Ruffin tap at 3:16.

Rating: C. Not quite total dominance but you put someone Ruffin’s size in there to make Cage look good. That’s what the power moves did for Cage and the match was a fun destruction (eventually) as a result. Ruffin has a certain charisma to him that makes him easy to cheer and it was on display here, making this better than I would have expected.

Dark Order vs. Trustbusters

It’s Evil Uno/Stu Grayson for the Dark Order and Sonny Kiss/Jeeves Kay (with Slim J) for the Trustbusters. Hold on though as here is the Righteous for a distraction, meaning Grayson gets jumped from behind. Kidd comes in for the flipping slap in the corner but Uno suplexes his way to freedom. The tag brings in Grayson to clean house, including a springboard flipping Swanton to Kay. A toss sitout powerbomb drops Kiss and a running kick into a piledriver finishes Kay at 3:20.

Rating: C. Now that’s how I like my Trustbusters: a short match with them getting beaten up and not talking. The Dark Order is always going to pop the crowd so it makes sense to throw them out there like this. The Righteous stuff is still kind of weird, but dropping from whatever Grayson was doing on Dynamite/Rampage to this is quite the fall.

A serious Christopher Daniels is upset by not being able to win a title, but wants one more shot at Samoa Joe and the TV Title. He’s ready to fight.

Diamante vs. Skye Blue

They trade shoulders to no avail to start and an exchange of rollups gets a bunch of near falls. Blue misses a running boot in the ropes though and gets neckbreakered over the middle rope. Diamante starts in on the back but charges into a boot in the corner. A high crossbody gives Blue two and a running knee rocks Diamante for two. They head to the apron for a forearm off until Diamante hits a German suplex. Diamante slips out of Skyfall but Blue reverses into a cradle for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C+. This got a little more time and it was nice to see Blue getting in a surprise pin. Blue is someone else who could become a bigger deal down the road and having her win matches like this is going to help her. Good short match here, as I try to figure out how Diamante never became a bigger star.

Post match Athena comes out and stomps Blue’s hat.

Rocky Romero vs. Lee Moriarty

Big Bill is here with Moriarty. Romero chops away to start and hits a knee to the back for two. Moriarty sends him outside though and stops to dance, allowing Bill to get in a few shots. It’s time to start in on Romero’s hand but they fight over wrist control. A springboard tornado DDT gets Romero out of trouble and he hits some forever lariats.

Moriarty is back with a tiger driver 18 into the Border City Stretch, meaning a rope break is needed. A Bill distraction doesn’t work, as Romero grabs the running Sliced Bread #2 for two. Bill breaks up a springboard though and chokeslams Romero on the apron to give Moriarty the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Romero continues to be someone who I just don’t get. He’s talented and he’s successful, but I’ve never really gotten the appeal. It was an entertaining match and they had a good back and forth fight, but “Bill interferes and Moriarty wins” isn’t exactly the most inspiring way to finish the match.

In the back, Romero wants Moriarty in a Pure Rules match next week.

Gringo Loco vs. Blake Christian

They trade rolls/flips/misses to start until Christian is sent outside and taken down. Back up and Christian hits a spear on the apron, followed by the big flip dive over the top. Back in and a handspring kick to the head hits Loco but he’s fine enough to counter a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb for two. Loco takes him up top for a flipping slam and a near fall but gets caught with a super poisonrana. That and a springboard 450 finishes Loco at 6:15.

Rating: B-. Take two guys and let them go nuts for a bit. It’s something that has worked well for years and it is what they did here to some nice success. Christian and Loco are guys who can do a lot in the ring while also making the other look good. I could see Christian going somewhere in the near future, though being on Ring Of Honor is only going to get him so far.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Sweet goodness this show is easier to watch at just over an hour. The show kept moving and they got in a lot of people without feeling like they were filling in time. If Ring Of Honor has to be its own show, this is what it should be: get the people in the ring, let them look good, have a featured match or two with bigger names. It was a completely acceptable show with a lot of the filler trimmed off and that is what I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. Nice job here and keep it like this.

Results
Athena b. Lady Frost – Forearm
La Faccion Ingobernable b. The Infantry – Bull’s Horns to Bravo
Best Friends b. Joe Ocasio/Mookie Summers – Doomsday knee to Summers
Brian Cage b. Leon Ruffin – Texas Cloverleaf
Dark Order b. Trustbusters – Piledriver to Kay
Skye Blue b. Diamante – Rollup
Lee Moriarty b. Rocky Romero – Chokeslam onto the apron from Big Bill

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.