Ring Of Honor
Date: August 15, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

This is a special edition of the show, which very well may mean that they taped too much and have to do something with all of the footage. We’re two weeks away from Death Before Dishonor and odds are that won’t have anything to do with this show. The fact that this will be overlapping with TNA Emergence is just a detail I’m sure. Let’s get to it.

Here are yesterday’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

TV Title: Willie Mack vs. Nick Wayne

Mack is challenging and Kip Sabian/Mother Wayne are here with Nick. A running shoulder puts Wayne on the floor to start and Mack gets annoyed at the idea of being chopped. They both go outside with Wayne sending him into various things and posing on the barricade. Back in and Mack knocks him silly for a needed breather, followed by some shots to the face. The swinging slam sets up the standing moonsault to give Mack two but Sabian’s distraction means he misses the frog splash. The Killswitch retains the title at

Rating: C+. Mack is an entertaining guy to watch in the ring but he’s also not going anywhere important anytime soon. Wayne is on his way to getting slaughtered by Adam Copeland and Christian Cage at Forbidden Door, making his time as TV Champion feel a bit less than important. I’m not sure who takes the title from him, as there aren’t many people who have been built up, but it might be time for him to drop the thing already if this is how he’s being used.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. AR Fox/Outrunners

The Promotions jump them from behind to start but Magnum fights back with some dropkicks. A running knee lift sets up Floyd’s backdrop for two and it’s off to Taylor. Some dropkicks put Taylor on the floor but he’s right back with the legdrop on the apron to put Magnum in trouble.

Back in and Bravo works on a chinlock but Dean has to come in to cut off a tag attempt. Taylor pulls Floyd off the apron so Magnum settles for a diving tag off to Fox. House is cleaned in a hurry and it’s Floyd coming back in for the slam on Taylor. The Outrunners drop the Infantry but Taylor breaks up the Mega Powers Elbow. Taylor is sent to the floor though and it’s the Mega Powers Elbow into Total Recall for the pin on Bravo at 10:45.

Rating: C. Somehow the Outrunners feel like they’ve lost all of their steam, as the idea is still funny enough but they’re just people out there doing things most of the time. It’s not as if they feel like they’re going anywhere, but this is about all we get from them. At the same time you have the Promotions and…ok if you really think they’re ever going to do anything important, you haven’t been paying enough attention.

Blake Christian and Lee Johnson talk nicknames but Johnson suggests they win some matches first.

Alex Zayne vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal starts fast by sending him outside for the suicide dives but Zayne slides back in. A springboard moonsault drops Lethal but he’s right back with a shot to the face. The Lethal Injection is blocked and Zayne hits his flipping Fameasser to put them both down. Zayne catches Lethal on top with a hurricanrana but the flipping side slam is blocked. Instead Lethal hits a cutter into the Lethal Injection for the fast pin at 5:40.

Rating: C+. Bringing Lethal back up the ladder a bit isn’t a bad idea, as it’s nice to see the old and the new tying together for a change. Lethal is still good enough for a completely passable match in the ring and someone can get a nice rub from beating him. That’s assuming he doesn’t just randomly lose his next match, which is always a realistic possibility.

Paul Walter Hauser is at the premiere of the Naked Gun with some AEW wrestlers.

QT Marshall vs. OXP

Aaron Solo is here with Marshall, who mocks OXP, who acted in Cobra Kai. After establishing that OXP knows Hauser, Marshall tells him to go back to Hollywood. OXP starts fast by slugging away but gets slammed down. A spinning kick to the face drops Marshall but he knocks OXP out of the air. The cutter gives Marshall the pin at 2:46.

Post match Marshall tells OXP to send Hauser this message….and Hauser is here. Well thanks for being there to help your fellow actor. Hauser lays out the heels and stands tall. At least Hauser vs. Marshall feels like a story that has been built up for a few weeks.

We get the same Mina Shirakawa promo from last night, as she challenges Athena for Death Before Dishonor.

Allysin Kay vs. Billie Starkz

Athena is here with Starkz, who tries to start fast but gets pulled out of the air. Starkz snaps Kay’s ribs over the middle rope but Kay kicks her down. A German suplex looks to set up a powerbomb but they trade running forearms instead. Starkz kicks her in the face and hits a German suplex of her own, followed by a crossface chickenwing for the tap at 4:25.

Rating: C-. It was quick and to the point, though I’m not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in Starkz. Other than her association with Athena, there isn’t much that makes her stand out. She’s only so good in the ring and her claim to fame is a single reign with the midcard title. I’m going to need a bit more than that from her and I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

The Dark Order says losing makes them who they are because it makes them want to win more. I’m not sure how much I’d brag about that.

Tom La Ruffa/Beef vs. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian

Christian suplexes Beef down to start and Johnson adds a standing moonsault. Beef gets grounded in the corner for some choking and Johnson grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Beef brings La Ruffa in as everything breaks down. Beef is sent outside and it’s a Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to finish La Ruffa at 4:10.

Rating: C. I guess Johnson and Christian are the next team in line to allegedly challenge for the Tag Team Titles, assuming they’re active at some point in the next few months. Granted it would have helped had they not lost last week, but there was no choice but to book them in a match against Mistico. I kind of like the team though, as it isn’t like there are all kinds of better options.

Marina Shafir vs. Marti Belle

Jon Moxley is actually in Shafir’s corner as Shafir shoves Belle down to start. Shafir takes her to the mat for the mounting but Belle escapes a cross armbreaker attempt. That’s fine with Shafir, who takes her down again and strikes away in the corner. The full nelson doesn’t last long as Belle gets more serious and tries hitting Shafir in the face. Shafir tells her to do it better and sticks her chin out, with Shafir just standing there as she gets hit. Mother’s Milk finishes Belle at 4:12.

Rating: C. Having Moxley there did make the match feel a bit more important, though Shafir is another name who is just kind of floating through the women’s division without much to do. She would be a different kind of challenger for Athena, assuming she gets by Shirakawa. The match was just a squash though, with Shafir literally standing there while Belle hit her in the face. That doesn’t exactly scream tough competition, which made Shafir look better.

Adam Priest wants some backup so here are the Workhorsemen to offer their services. JD Drake has a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt on so Priest better accept.

Adam Priest/Workhorsemen vs. Ryan Zukko/Joe Keys/Josh Fuller

I guess Priest accepted. Henry takes Keys into the corner to start and it’s off to Priest, who is powered into the wrong corner just as fast. Zukko comes in and gets jawbreakered, setting up a slingshot hilo from Drake. Fuller comes in and is taken down in a hurry, setting up Priest’s piledriver into a Downward Spiral/running kick combination to give Henry the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C+. You know all those times I’ve complained about potential challengers not getting to face champions? Well that is NOT the case with Priest and the Workhorsemen as they were announced as facing the six man champions. That’s right, the CMLL Trios Champions! They were fine as a team, though I’ll need to see more than a four minute squash to have a better idea about them.

Post match the beatdown continues but the Dark Order runs in for the save.

We run down the Death Before Dishonor card with….nothing new added!

Hechicero vs. Jordan Oliver

Somehow this is Oliver’s first time in ROH. Hechicero takes him down to start but Oliver is up for some chops. Oliver counters a leapfrog but Hechicero takes his leg down and ties it up in the ropes. Hechicero takes his straps down but puts them back up before cranking on the leg again. A sunset flip gives Oliver two but Hechicero ties up his arms for the submission at 5:28.

Rating: C+. Hechicero is very fun to watch and they’ve made him feel like a killer out there. That’s the kind of thing that can make into a threat to Bandido and that’s a good way to set up Death Before Dishonor. I don’t buy Hechicero winning the title, but it’s a match that has me intrigued and I’ll always go for that feeling.

Neon/Mascara Dorada vs. Premiere Athletes

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes. Nese and Neon start things off with Nese going for the mask, earning himself a hurricanrana. Dorada comes in with a double superkick to Daivari but Nese pulls Dorada outside so the villains can take over. Back in and Neon gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Nese to shout his team’s name.

Nese hammers on Neon’s mask but Neon fights up, allowing the tag off to Dorada to pick up the pace. A rolling cutter hits Nese but Sterling offers a distraction, allowing the Athletes to give Dorada a double chokeslam. Neon makes the save and superkicks Sterling down, setting up stereo flipping splashes off the top for the double pin on the Athletes at 6:55.

Rating: B-. This has been back to back weeks when CMLL stars (including Dorada both times) have beaten teams talking about coming after the Tag Team Titles. That’s not the most promising sign for the titles’ future, but the CMLL wrestlers are presented as bigger stars than most of the Ring Of Honor regulars anyway. At least Dorada and Neon are fun to watch.

We get an old west vignette showing Bandido beating up a bunch of villains in a saloon. Hechicero shows up and they have a finger gun standoff.

Overall Rating: D+. After an hour and thirty five minutes of this show, a grand total of nothing important has happened. There was nothing announced for Death Before Dishonor, no stories moved forward, and the biggest change seems to be that Adam Priest and the Workhorsemen (who got together during this show) are now going to have to deal with the Dark Order.

At least when other promotions try to counter program, they do something interesting or important. That was absolutely not the case here with a bunch of middle of the road matches that just made me more tired of watching ROH than wanting to see their pay per view. Throw in STILL no announcement on either of Dustin Rhodes’ titles and this was one of the worst uses of broadcast time I’ve seen in a very good while.

Results
Nick Wayne b. Willie Mack – Killswitch
Outrunners/AR Fox b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Total Recall to Bravo
Jay Lethal b. Alex Zayne – Lethal Injection
QT Marshall b. OXP – Cutter
Billie Starkz b. Allysin Kay – Crossface chickenwing
Lee Johnson/Blake Christian b. Tom La Ruffa/Beef – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to La Ruffa
Marina Shafir b. Marti Belle – Mother’s Milk
Adam Priest/Workhorsemen b. Joe Keys/Ryan Zukko/Josh Fuller – Downward Spiral/running kick combination to Fuller
Hechicero b. Jordan Oliver – Double arm crank
Neon/Mascara Dorada b. Premiere Athletes – Double pin

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: July 16, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Argon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We are done with All In and it was a very good night for our heroes. Hangman Page is the new World Champion and the Young Bucks are out of power, which means we could be in for a whole new ball game around here. It also means that we are about five weeks away from Forbidden Door so it’s time to get things ready. Let’s get to it.

Here is All In if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page for his first big speech after the title win. As usual, Schiavone bails so Page can be alone in the ring, making me wonder why he was even there in the first place. Page says that the fans chanting YOU DESERVE IT are the ones who really deserve it. Fans: “WE DESERVE IT!” Oh come on man don’t encourage them. Anyway Page talks about how the fans are the ones who wanted a grassroots approach to pro wrestling and they are the ones who brought AEW into being.

The people here do it for the fans rather than the title, which earns a THANK YOU HANGMAN chant. Page thanks people like Orange Cassidy, Jay White, Adam Copeland, the Opps, Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin. He also needs to thank Will Ospreay, who made wrestling fun again. Finally though…and the fans know where this is going. Page doesn’t know if this person helped for himself, AEW, or even Page himself, but thank you to Swerve Strickland. Page has a wife and two kids who love him and he is the World Champion. Good opening here, as Page gets to take his victory lap.

Long recap of All In.

The Young Bucks had to Uber to the show.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Mascara Dorada

Fletcher boots him in the face to start and hammers away at Dorada. Back up and they trade some flips until Dorada sends him into the corner, followed by a dropkick. Dorada sends him to the floor for a big dive, only to get caught with a swinging Side Effect back inside. We take a break and come back with kicking him in the head, setting up a running headscissors.

A shooting star to the floor drops Fletcher again and Code Red gives Dorada two. The super brainbuster doesn’t work for Fletcher so Dorada snaps off a spinning super anklescissors. Dorada’s 450 gets two and a superkick into another anklescissors sends Fletcher into the buckle. Fletcher is right back with a lawn dart into the corner and the brainbuster gives Fletcher the pin at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Fletcher gets a win and there is a good chance that it is a foot forward on the path towards a shot at Dustin Rhodes. That’s the way it should go, and probably should have gone in the first place, but at least we’re on the way there. Dorada is solid in the ring and can make anyone look better, which was what he pulled off here.

Schiavone says that we’ll hear from Dustin Rhodes on Collision. Schiavone: “MUST SEE TV!” NBC is cringing over that one.

The Young Bucks are given the cold shoulder by Marina Shafir and find their tiny dressing room. Don Callis comes in with an offer to do business. The Bucks won’t join the family but they do hug Callis. Because Callis has to be involved with everything.

MVP is begging for a legendary tag team to step up and challenge the Hurt Syndicate for the Tag Team Titles. MJF shouts about being the best in the world and being better than Hangman Page. If Page is the main character, MJF can be the villain because nice guys finish last.

Josh Alexander/Hechicero/Young Bucks vs. Jet Speed/Bandido/Brody King

The Bucks don’t get pyro, have a bare bones Titantron video, and are listed as “they used to be EVP but now they’re not!”. Alexander headlocks King to start before a running clothesline has no effect. King chops him in the back and it’s off to Hechicero vs. Bandido. Hechicero gets taken down a few times to start fast and a hurricanrana does it again. A double dropkick puts the Bucks down on the floor and Jet Speed hit stereo dives.

Back in and the Bucks get to clean house, including a Doomsday kick to Knight as we take a break. We come back with Knight fighting out of trouble but the Bucks cut off the tag attempt. The Bucks try the EVP Trigger but stop because they can’t use the name anymore. Knight fights up and brings Bailey in to clean house, including a missile dropkick to Matt. King comes back in to clothesline Alexander to the floor, followed by a Cannonball to Hechicero.

Bailey Asai moonsaults onto the Bucks and Knight springboard clotheslines Knight. Back in and some superkicks send King into a German suplex from Alexander but Matt superkicks Nick by mistake. Bandido X Knees Nick but the 21 Plex is countered. The TK Driver drops Bandido and Hechicero grabs a choke for the win at 13:36.

Rating: B. I’m not sure about having the Bucks win so soon after their big loss at All In, but at least it was more about Hechicero vs. Bandido more than anything else. The Bucks being a bit less focused and stupid was a good idea. Now just don’t have them do anything important anytime soon and things will be better.

Here is Cope, so we pause for the fans to sing his song. Cope thanks the fans and says no, of course he didn’t save Christian Cage. He doesn’t know what is wrong with Cage but he is proud of the Patriarchy. No, he came back at All In because he wanted to get his hands on FTR. They were the first people he called when he was getting back in the ring and they wanted to be Rated FTR.

But then FTR started complaining about being in Cope’s shadow. They put him on the shelf for four months and those are four months he doesn’t have. Cope is back to get rid of FTR, but here is Stokely Hathaway, with security, to interrupt. Hathaway doesn’t like Cope and apparently Cope using Spike got THREE anonymous letters sent to AEW.

Therefore, if Cope interferes in an FTR match, he is officially fired. So go find a hobby and leave FTR alone. Cope says Hathaway looks like a fat Oompa Loompa, and what a shame it would be if that caught on. Hathaway said Cope couldn’t get near FTR, but he can get near Hathaway, who is dropped with a spear. They’re planting the seeds for the Cope and Christian reunion and….I’m kind of interested but it’s only getting me so enthused.

Mark Briscoe says MJF ducked and dodged him like a b****, leading to Briscoe not accomplishing either of his goals at All In. MJF brought up Jay Briscoe and now Mark is going to make him pay for his sins.

Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata vs. Kris Statlander

For $100,000. Nightingale and Aminata are knocked outside to start, leaving Thekla to escape Statlander’s suplex. Thekla kicks away but Nightingale and Aminata are back in to slug it out inside. Aminata does her hips to the face deal but Nightingale is back up with a Rack Attack to Thekla. Back up and Thekla hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Thekla doing a sit up in the Tree of Woe and giving Aminata a spider superplex. The string of knockdowns leave Nightingale standing until she is knocked out as well and everyone is down. Nightingale is back up to plant Thekla for two but Statlander drives Nightingale into the barricade. Cue Julia Hart to mist Aminata and Thekla hits a Stomp for the pin at 10:42.

Rating: C+. The whole “this match is for a bunch of money” is becoming a bit too common thing lately, as it’s not like they have much meaning after the match is over. Maybe have people winning these matches and get closer to title shots? On top of that, Thekla vs. Aminata is still only so interesting and hasn’t really been doing much for the still new Thekla.

Here is Toni Storm in a balcony for a chat. She lists off all of her nicknames before saying that this tramp is still the champ. Storm thanks Mercedes Money for going all in with her but she warned Mone that if she made one mistake, she would eat Mone alive. Storm: “Well darling you were delicious!”

If Mone wants to come back for seconds, this buffet is always open for seconds. Unfortunately Luther was injured in the line of duty and it’s going to require reattachment surgery. Athena cuts her off and brags about her own abilities before saying that Storm’s demise is at hand. Storm: “If you are able, I will bend you over the table.” Athena feels different as a challenger and that is a very good thing.

The Patriarchy says they are now the Matriarchy and Christian Cage is now beyond his expiration date. Nick Wayne brags about being the youngest champion in company history and Cage created this monster.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Quintero

Non-title and the dropkick into the Rainmaker finishes at 1:02.

Post match Okada calls Swerve Strickland a b**** for screwing the Young Bucks. Cue Strickland to interrupt and ask what Okada meant, but Okada bails. I’d call that a good next challenger for Okada.

Death Riders vs. Mark Briscoe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Hangman Page

Hobbs goes after Castagnoli to start and fires off the clotheslines in the corner. Page comes in and gets to face Yuta, who is easily sent into the corner corner. We take a break and come back with Hobbs pulling Yuta out of the air but a cheap shot puts him down. Hobbs gets sent to the floor, where Marina Shafir gets in a cheap shot.

Moxley sends him into the steps and comes in for a running boot before handing it right back to Yuta. That doesn’t go as well and it’s off to Briscoe to clean house. Shafir cuts him off on top though and Moxley grabs the Paradigm Shift on the floor. We take another break (two hours and four minutes into the show) and come back again with Moxley grabbing an STF on Briscoe.

That’s broken up and Briscoe fights back, including a missile dropkick. Page comes back in with a pop up sitout powerbomb for two on Yuta and flips out of a Doomsday Device. The moonsault to the floor hits Yuta but Moxley breaks up the Buckshot Lariat. Instead Hobbs makes the save and Page rolls Castagnoli up for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. Good match here, with Page getting the win to keep things going after his title match. What matters the most is that Page and company won the match and beat the Death Riders again. It’s a solid way to wrap things up, but now we have to see what is next for Page, which could be a few different challengers. The Death Riders on the other hand probably have to deal with Darby Allin, which could be quite the next step in their downfall.

Post match the Death Riders beat Page down but Darby Allin pops up in the rafters. The distraction lets Page get in a Buckshot Lariat to Moxley. Allin looks down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. All In was a heck of a show and they had a good follow up as a result. I’m not sure that it needed a nearly fifteen minute overrun after the longest pay per view ever, but AEW is going to take their time no matter what happens. I’m curious to see where things go from here though and there was enough good action here, so this worked well as the next step after their biggest show of the year.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Mascara Dorada – Brainbuster
Young Bucks/Hechicero/Josh Alexander b. Jet Speed/Brody King/Bandido – Choke to Bandido
Thekla b. Willow Nightingale, Queen Aminata and Kris Statlander – Stomp to Aminata
Kazuchika Okada b. Quintero – Rainmaker
Hangman Page/Powerhouse Hobbs/Mark Briscoe b. Death Riders – Rollup to Castagnoli

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 18, 2025
Location: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the annual Grand Slam edition of the show and in this case we’re in Mexico City at one of the most famous arenas in all of wrestling. The show will feature a variety of stars from CMLL, including a major showdown between Mistico and MJF. Other than that, we have less than a month to go before All In so the show is going to need some more build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page to get things going. Page actually speaks Spanish and talks about the importance of working together. He thanks the fans for having them in CMLL’s house and together, they have the best wrestling in the world. Page doesn’t like Jon Moxley and while he won’t be wrestling tonight, Page can do something after the main event is over. That was a rather nice change of pace and made Page feel like that much bigger of a good guy.

Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario vs. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr.

Stokely is here with the villains, though Cash Wheeler and Callis himself are nowhere to be seen. Before the match, Stokely (now minus Hathaway) says that Wheeler can’t be here (I wonder if that’s due to previous legal issues) so they do at least acknowledge it. Bandido and Takeshita start things off, with Bandido spinning into the gun pose. The X Knee is blocked and it’s Hechicero, who the fans certainly react to, coming in to flip Bandido into a choke.

Garcia comes in and dances at Hechicero, who pulls him into something resembling a Boston crab. Harwood and Atlantis Jr. come in, with the latter holding Harwood up for a dropkick from Templario. Atlantis and Templario clean house until we get a Templario vs. Volador showdown. Templario clears the ring and hits a flip dive and it’s off to Archer, who is sent into Alexander on the apron.

King Death Valley Drivers Alexander onto the apron and it’s Cole clotheslining Fletcher back inside. Atlantis takes Fletcher down and Garcia knocks Fletcher to the floor as we take a break. Back with Garcia neckbreakering Alexander, allowing Bandido to come in and hammer away. A Doomsday Device is broken up and Bandido and Templario hit a pair of super flipping World’s Strongest Slams to Alexander and Takeshita.

Atlantis Jr. superkicks Fletcher and everything breaks down, including a string of dives to the floor. King and Archer have a big man showdown but Hechicero breaks that up in a hurry. That’s fine with King, who gives him a running hurricanrana, leaving Harwood to pound on Atlantis. Back up and Atlantis grabs a small package for the fast win at 15:45.

Rating: B. This was a fast paced match with a bunch of people flying around and doing entertaining stuff. That’s all you need for something like this and the fans were certainly into what they were seeing. Atlantis doesn’t do much for me, but that’s not the point of a show like this so letting a legend pin a more than over former champion is a perfectly fine idea.

Post match Harwood jumps Atlantis and runs off.

Video on Kazuchika Okada joining the Don Callis Family before his title unification match with Kenny Omega. Because Don Callis has to be involved in everything.

Mark Briscoe talks about his history with Kenny Omega and he wants some revenge on Kazuchika Okada.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada is sent outside to start but comes back in to pat him on the chest. Some Red Neck Kung Fu takes Okada down and Briscoe sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Okada dropkicks him off the top and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe fighting out of a chinlock and reversing a Tombstone attempt. A double down gives them both a breather and they slug it out until Okada goes to the eyes.

Briscoe is back up with a running corner clothesline for two but Okada grabs the neckbreaker onto the knee for two. Okada flips Briscoe off so, of course, Briscoe bites the finger. The Froggy Bow gets two but Okada dropkicks him down. The Rainmaker and Jay Driller are both blocked so Okada gives him a Tombstone. Now the Rainmaker finishes Briscoe at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Briscoe can work well with anyone and that includes Okada working at half speed. That’s just what you’re going to get most of the time with Okada, but there is quite the potential for his showdown next month with Omega. I could go with Briscoe having a better story though, which has been missing for a good while.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mistico

Naturally MJF has the very American style gear, which looks quite a bit like MVP’s old stuff. Mistico gets an incredible reaction, with the fans singing his song, which is no surprise given what an incredible draw he is for CMLL, especially around here. MJF takes him down to start and we get a standoff with the fans rather behind Mistico.

Back up and Mistico runs the ropes for a wristdrag to the floor before teasing a dive. Mistico gives chase on the floor but is smart enough to not run into the Hurt Syndicate. That’s enough of a distraction for MJF to get in a cheap shot and pose as the fans calm down a bit. A powerbomb onto the knee puts Mistico down again and we take a break. We come back with MJF slugging away and Mistico hammering him down. Mistico tornado DDTs him down and sends MJF outside for a springboard dive.

Back in and a springboard Swanton sets up Mistico’s missed moonsault so he settles for a powerslam instead. A Canadian Destroyer cuts MJF off again and they go to the ramp, where Mistico charges into a tombstone. Mistico manages to beat the count back in, where the super Spanish Fly (albeit not a great one) gets two. La Mistica makes MJF tap but MVP distracts the referee, allowing MJF to hit a low blow for two more. Back up and MJF kicks him low and that’s enough for the DQ at 16:50.

Rating: B. This is the kind of spot where MJF shines, as he knows how to drive a crowd crazy like few others. That was the case again here, with the fans going nuts at the idea of MJF doing such things to their hero. Odds are we’ll be seeing these two again and it would make a lot of sense to put that match on All In.

Post match MJF beats on Mistico some more and takes the mask. That sounds lucha de apuestay at All In to me. Various good guys come in for the save.

Hologram vs. Lio Rush vs. Ricochet vs. Mascara Dorada

The winner gets four million pesos. Rush poses to start so the other three glare at him, only for Ricochet to team up with Rush for the beatdowns. Hologram and Dorada are back up with superkicks to Ricochet and Rush, both of whom are knocked outside. The villains cut off some stereo dives, leaving Ricochet to plant Dorada. Rush dives onto Hologram and we take a break.

Back with Hologram slugging away but Ricochet and Rush take him down. That’s enough of the working together though and Ricochet shoves Rush, only to get caught with a running hurricanrana from Dorada. Hologram and Dorada hit some dives before Hologram tornado DDTs Dorada for two back inside. Dorada’s crucifix bomb gets the same but Rush is back in to cut him off.

Ricochet can’t hit Vertigo so Rush snaps off some poisonranas. A middle rope version gets two on Dorada so Ricochet goes up, only to get cut off. Rush’s super hurricanrana is blocked so Rush rolls Hologram up with feet on the ropes for two. Hologram grabs his spinning torture rack bomb to finish Rush at 15:55.

Rating: B. Here’s the problem with Hologram: I was relatively certain that he was going to win because, well, that’s what he does. At the same time, Hologram feels like he has been in this same spot for months. I’m not sure what they’re waiting on with him, but it would be nice to see him getting to do something a bit more important than these random matches which are rarely more than flying around for one spot after another.

CMLL Women’s Title: Zeuxis vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is challenging and gets thrown down by the stronger Zeuxis to start. Mone’s middle rope sunset flip is blocked and Zeuxis plants her down for two. Something like the Bank Statement goes on but Zeuxis rolls away to the floor, only for Mone to come back with a middle rope Meteora. Zeuxis knocks her outside again though and hits a heck of a dive as we take a break.

Back with Mone kicking out again and both of them needing a breather. Mone gets another Bank Statement but Zeuxis powers up and slams her down for two more. Zeuxis takes her to the middle rope for a slam, which is reversed a super small package to give Mone the pin and the title at 9:17.

Rating: C+. And Mone wins again, which is just kind of what she does. In theory that’s what she’s going to do again at All In, though seeing her with another title doesn’t change anything. She’s just doing a lot of the same stuff over and over again, which is still entertaining because she is incredibly talented, but at the same time, it would be nice to see something fresh.

Post match Toni Storm pops up for a film noir speech about how she’s coming for Mone. Mina Shirakawa appears for a distraction and Storm appears to chase Mone off.

Will Ospreay/Opps/Swerve Strickland vs. Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos

Mortos kicks (the bandaged) Ospreay into the corner to start and grabs a quick Samoan drop. Ospreay fights up to send Mortos outside but the Bucks cut off the dive. Back in and the Bucks beat up Ospreay and Strickland without much trouble and Ospreay’s comeback is cut off. Yuta comes in and hammers on Strickland, which seems to just annoy him.

Strickland fights up and brings in Joe to unload on Yuta in the corner. It’s off to Shibata for some beating of his own before the Opps take turns with running corner shots. Moxley comes back in to strike it out with Joe before everything breaks down. Ospreay’s big corkscrew dive to the floor takes out a pile and we go to a break.

We come back with Moxley slamming Ospreay for two and starting in on his arm. That’s broken up and Hobbs comes back in to clean house. Hobbs does not care for the Bucks going after him and he fights off an attempted quadruple teaming. A powerslam gets two on Yuta but Mortos is back up to clean house. Joe Rock Bottoms Mortos out of the corner but the Bucks are back in with the superkicks.

A double Oscutter takes the Bucks down and Strickland hits a dive. Shibata shrugs off Yuta’s running knee and kicks him in the chest, leaving Strickland to slug it out with Moxley. Ospreay and Strickland team up for Chasing The Dragon on Moxley…but Marina Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Moxley to roll Strickland up with tights for the win at 16:15.

Rating: B. Another wild match with Hobbs getting some great shine, though naturally Moxley takes a big beating and wins anyway, because that’s what he does (a pattern is emerging on this show). Swerve and Ospreay continue teasing working together, which very well could be coming at All In as well. There was a lot going on here but they made it work, which is rather impressive given how many bodies they had moving around.

Post match the villains beat Strickland down but Hangman Page comes in for the save. The slugout is on with Moxley but Page’s Buckshot Lariat hits Nick Jackson. Matt Jackson is annoyed so Moxley tries to bring in the briefcase, which is cut off by a group stare. Page glares at the Bucks to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this show, with the crowd being more than enough to help carry things. That being said, I could have gone with something other than the usuals winning, as Mone, Hologram and Moxley winning feels like something that has been done to death. Overall though, rather entertaining and quality show, with nothing bad in the ring and some things being tightened up before All In.

Results
Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario b. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr. – Small package to Harwood
Kazuchika Okada b. Mark Briscoe – Rainmaker
Mistico b. MJF via DQ when MJF kicked him low
Hologram b. Lio Rush, Ricochet and Mascara Dorada – Spinning torture rack bomb to Rush
Mercedes Mone b. Zeuxis – Super small package
Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos b. Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland/Opps – Rollup with tights to Strickland

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: May 23, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s another Friday show due to Collision airing on Thursday due to Double Or Nothing weekend. On paper that means we should be in for something a bit more special than usual but Ring Of Honor does not tend to follow logic. Hopefully it works out here with an entertaining outing but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena (haven’t seen her in a bit) isn’t happy enough to make jokes at the moment so she’s getting to the point: Billie Starkz is entering the Women’s Pure Title tournament. No one can interfere to help her so for once, do your job and come home with some gold.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Marina Shafir vs. Laynie Luck

Shafir goes for the arm off the handshake to start and goes for an early cross armbreaker. Luck manages to get to the apron and goes for the legs but Shafir pulls her into a triangle choke. Some hard shots to the head set up a running knee in the corner for some near falls as the destruction is on. Luck pulls a sunset flip into an STF out of nowhere (the fans are VERY happy) but Shafir is back out. An enziguri rocks Shafir but she pulls Luck into Mother’s Milk for the fast win at 4:10.

Rating: C. This was more or less a squash until Luck got in a bit of offense, only to get smashed again. That’s what you expect from a Shafir match and thankfully the fans are enough behind Luck that they cared what they were seeing. Shafir can be fun to watch when she gets to smash through some people and that’s what we saw here.

Gringo Loco vs. Blake Christian

Lee Johnson is here with Christian, who jumps Loco to start and stomps away in the corner. The fans are behind Loco, who gets taken down with an anklescissors, but comes back with a knockdown of his own. A top rope spinning split legged moonsault gets two on Christian and they both go up.

Something like a DDT onto the top turnbuckle sends Loco outside and a diving DDT over the bottom rope takes him down again. Back in and Christian hits a flipping splash and drops a leg to keep Loco in trouble. The taunting takes too long though and Loco pulls him into a pumphandle swinging Downward Spiral.

Loco goes up and gets caught in a super hurricanrana, setting up a 450 double stomp to give Christian two. They both go up again, with Loco hitting a super Spanish Fly for his own near fall as the fans are WAY into this. A pumphandle piledriver is broken up and Christian hits a 619 to the ribs. Christian hits a poisonrana and the Vanilla Choke Zero finishes Loco at 8:39.

Rating: B. WHERE THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM? I was expecting nothing more than a generic, basic match here and they went out and came this close to tearing the house down. This was a heck of an entertaining match with one high spot after another. Rather good stuff here and I’ll absolutely take this as a huge surprise.

We look at Billie Starkz winning the Women’s TV Title tournament.

Queen Aminata vs. Allysin Kay

Pure Rules. Aminata pulls her down for a full nelson with the legs and Kay uses her first rope break less than a minute in. The Rings Of Saturn send Kay straight over to the ropes again and she comes up with a right hand for the first warning. Kay gives her a fall away slam to send Aminata outside, where Kay bites her finger. Back in and they trade strikes to the face, with Kay’s big kick getting two. Aminata headbutts her down and ties up…well almost everything for the tap at 6:07.

Rating: C. If there is a point to this division, title or tournament, it is completely eluding me. The men’s division barely exists and now we are getting a third women’s title for no apparent reason. It’s not like there was anything special to the match in the first place and it just came and went, with a tournament of them coming in the next few weeks. Why that is supposed to be interesting is beyond me but here we are.

Serena Deeb is tired of coming here and never winning anything in years. Now she has heard about the Pure Rules Title and knows that is tailor made for her. She’s done waiting and being patient and is going to win because this is hers.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Barbaro Cavernario/Hechicero/Volador Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr./Neon/Fuego

Fuego and Volador start things off with Fuego taking over, meaning it’s time for some dancing. Cavernario comes in and gets taken down, with Hechicero getting the same treatment. Back in and some triple teaming takes Atlantis down but he fights out without much effort. Neon comes in for a springboard armdrag out of the corner but Hechicero grabs him from the apron. A double powerbomb plants Neon and it’s back to Fuego, who gets taken down as well.

Fuego gets tossed into the air for a missile dropkick and it’s back to Atlantis, who gets kicked in the chest. A reverse monkey flip into a double knee to the face gets two on Atlantis, who fights up to knock Cavernario…into the Worm? Everything breaks down and Fuego and Neon hit stereo dives but Cavernario drops Atlantis. A running springboard splash hits raised knees though and a Canadian Destroyer plants Cavernario. The frog splash gives Atlantis the pin at 8:06.

Rating: B-. It was the usual fun match but “the usual” is the problem. Ring Of Honor has been running these matches for a few months now and while they’re quick fun, there’s nothing here that really stands out. Atlantis continues to be one of the least interesting stars I’ve seen in a long time and that was on full display here. Fuego and Neon are fun, but these matches might as well be on a loop because nothing about them is unique in the slightest.

Overall Rating: C+. Thank goodness for Blake Christian here, as he and Loco stole this otherwise completely forgettable show. I have no idea what was supposed to be special about this episode, but that is pretty par for the course for Ring Of Honor. The wrestlers work hard, but there is nothing about this show that feels important, special, memorable or engaging in the slightest most weeks. In other words, this was as Ring Of Honor as you could get.

Results
Marina Shafir b. Laynie Luck – Mother’s Milk
Blake Christian b. Gringo Loco – Vanilla Choke Zero
Queen Aminata b. Allysin Kay – Seated Octopus
Atlantis Jr./Neon/Fuego b. Babaro Cavernario/Hechicero/Volador Jr. – Frog splash to Cavernario

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: May 21, 2025
Location: Rio Ranchos Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the last Dynamite before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to put most of the final touches on the pay per view. Odds are that means something getting us ready for Anarchy In The Arena, plus a bunch of build towards the Owen Hart Cup finals. That should be more than enough to get us through the night so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Will Ospreay and Hangman Page for a chat. They agree to get physical and Ospreay has the security go to the back, though he does promise they’ll get paid (nice guy). He asks if Page still drinks and apologizes for the shot to the face last week. Ospreay has some beers brought in but puts his down and says he has an official request for Tony Khan: the two of them should be in the main event at Double Or Nothing.

That is a lot of pressure, but the winner goes on to All In and the winner has the responsibility of taking the World Title back. Ospreay flies around all the time and is jet lagged every Tuesday but puts on his crime fighting pants and says ring the bell. That’s what he wants more than anything else. He wants to be the World Champion at Forbidden Door in London, thirty minutes from his house.

More than that though, he wants his six year old to look at him as the World Champion. Ospreay knows Page wants it, but he wants it that much more. Page says that’s the difference between them. Ospreay wants it bad and Page has had that feeling before. There is no greater prize than being the World Champion, but for Ospreay, it could be a professional accomplishment.

It’s just that though: professional. Page calls it personal for him though because he doesn’t want it, but rather needs it. Page has not won anything in two years and those moments have killed him more every day. He needs his son to look at him and see his father and for his wife to look at him and see her husband. What he needs is for Ospreay to be wrong when he said it was “too little, too late” for Page.

Ospreay asks what Page is going to do about it. Wrap a chair around his skull? On Sunday, he is showing up and doing his best, which hasn’t been enough before. Yes he has lost but he has never given less than everything. Page asks if that is enough to beat Jon Moxley and the Death Riders but Ospreay doesn’t know. Ospreay asks if what Page is now is enough either.

The best of Ospreay has beaten a lot of people because he is the best in the world. Anything can happen when that bell rings and if Page wins and needs someone to have his back at All In, Ospreay has his back. He hopes Page will do the same if Ospreay wins, so meet him in the desert. They both drink the beers and stare hard at one another. They go up the aisle and get to the entrance at the same time for quite the staredown. This was GREAT, with both of them laying out why they want to win. I’m not sure who is going to win, but I’m almost more curious to see what happens when one of them loses.

Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir arrive, with Moxley saying the spoils will go to those who embrace the anarchy.

Jon Moxley/Young Bucks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs/Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland

Marina Shafir and Prince Nana are here too. Joe and Moxley slug it out to start with Joe having to be held back. Hobbs and Matt come in with Hobbs running him over but not being able to hit the powerslam. Swerve comes in to backbreaker Nick and hits a neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Moxley’s dive is cut off by Hobbs so he dives onto Hobbs instead. The Bucks superkick Joe down but Swerve plants Matt and hits a dive to take him out as well. Now Joe can hit his suicide elbow as we take a break.

Back with Moxley hammering on Hobbs in the corner before going after the knee. For some reason Nick decides to slap Hobbs in the back, earning himself a World’s Strongest Slam. Swerve comes in to plant Nick, who avoids a running shot, allowing Matt to superkick Swerve down. Back in and an assisted Sliced Bread plants Swerve, who gets his knees up to cut off a Swanton. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Moxley is back in for a Crash Landing on Swerve.

Matt dives onto Joe and Hobbs, followed by Risky Business for two more. The hanging Swanton gets two on Swerve with Hobbs having to make the save this time. We take another break and come back again with Moxley’s piledriver (with a middle finger to the fans) getting two more. Something like the Rings Of Saturn bring the fans back to cheer Swerve so Moxley grabs a full nelson.

A headbutt drops Moxley and it’s Joe coming in to clean house, followed by Hobbs’ frog splash for two. Everything breaks down and the Bucks head fake Hobbs into a double DDT. Joe drops them with a double clothesline but Moxley is back in to take Joe down. Swerve gives Moxley the House call and adds a Swerve Stomp off the apron onto the Bucks. Back in and Hobbs busts out some spinebusters to clean house but Moxley is there to send him into Swerve. A double superkick puts Joe down but Swerve rolls Matt up for the pin at 21:17.

Rating: B. The length helped here, as the match had the time to build up rather than having to hurry through everything. As good as that part was though, it was another example of why the Bucks can be so annoying. Just like always, they got in all of their stuff, beat up just about everyone, and then lose on a fluke rollup. I’m sure they’ll get some kind of heat back later, because the Bucks just have to be part of everything no matter what.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat the winners down but Katsuyori Shibata returns for the save. Marina Shafir cuts Shibata off with a low blow though so here is Willow Nightingale to Pounce Shafir. Kenny Omega runs in for the real save. A table is set up and Matt has to be saved from a One Winged Angel. The villains leave but Joe says they’re coming after them tonight.

The Hurt Syndicate says MJF should be the excited one tonight and he has a new suit for the occasion.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to officially induct MJF into the team. MJF comes out and says his mom told him that the most important day of his life is the day you marry the love of your life. MJF: “It’s clear that that b**** never joined the Hurt Syndicate!” MJF and MVP take turns mocking the fans who boo a lot and everyone but Bobby Lashley signs. Lashley seems unsure but ultimately signs, and yes there is a commemorative hat.

Cue the Sons Of Texas, with Dustin Rhodes telling MJF to shut up. Rhodes and MVP have a long history of respect but Rhodes thinks he shouldn’t trust MJF. We hear about how they changed the business and now they want more gold. If they like to hurt people, jump on Rhodes and try to hurt him. They have been beaten up and hurt by bigger people and now they’re ready to fight with heart. He would bet on the Day One guys. As usual, Sammy Guevara is the guy just standing there nodding as Rhodes does everything.

Kazuchika Okada isn’t letting Mike Bailey call him out for Double Or Nothing….because he’s calling Bailey out instead. And no catchphrase!

Ricochet vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens and this is to crown the true Scissor King. Bowens jumps over him in the corner to start and hits a clothesline to the floor. Ricochet stops to glare at Gunn, earning himself another shot from Bowens. They go back in where Bowens hits a quick knee, only to get sent hard into the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser into something like a reverse Angle Slam. They trade forearms until Bowens hits a superkick for a quick two. The Arrival sets up the Mollywop but Ricochet is knocked outside. The referee goes after Gunn, allowing Ricochet to pull out a pair of scissors to stab Bowens. Stabbing a man in the head is of course a setup for the Spirit Gun to give Ricochet the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I really don’t know if Bowens should be losing so soon into his singles run, but at least it was to a bigger name and through some cheating. That being said, I still have no idea why Ricochet uses scissors. It’s such a random weapon with no real connection for him, but that’s what he gets to do. On top of that, he’s in for kind of a weird gimmick match on Sunday, though at least he’s on the show.

Post match Mark Briscoe brings out a stretcher and beats up Ricochet.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Stokley Hathaway, with FTR, wants to sign the contract for the Double Or Nothing tag match face to face. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia can even bring Matt Menard.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Mone for their own face to face interview (with chairs). Hayter says so be it if she is seen as the underdog because she is used to being there. She will fight back every single time because that is who she is. Hayter doesn’t have people running around here doing her dirty work and yes she is rough around the edges.

This means more to Hayter and they both know that, because it’s about not being forgotten. If she doesn’t win, what does it mean for her? Mone laughs it off and calls herself the Beyonce of wrestling. She’s going to All In to win the Women’s Title because she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time.

Mone hasn’t gotten here through luck because it’s about leaving her legacy. Hayter’s chapter finally ends at Double Or Nothing. Hayter points out Mone losing the NJPW Strong Women’s Title and that is going to be her destiny. Mone jumps her but gets dropped with Hayterade. Cue Toni Storm, who will be on commentary for the main event. It’s hard to believe that Mone is in any danger, and my goodness she gets less and less interesting every week.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart

Toni Storm is on commentary. Hart grabs a wristlock to start and hits Old School but Shirakawa does something similar, albeit with some hip shaking. Shirakawa goes outside to mock Storm, allowing Hart to take her down as we go to a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee, followed by some clotheslines.

Hart grabs something like a Tarantula but Shirakawa hits a spinning backfist. A not great top rope crucifix bomb gets two on Hart but she’s back up with a knockdown of her own. The moonsault misses though and Shirakawa goes after the knee. The spinning backflst looks to set up the Glamorous Driver but Hart rolls out. That’s reversed into a cradle to give Shirakawa the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird choice for the main event, but there is only so much you can do on a three match show. Shirakawa is in a good place where she’s not new but she’s still fresh, so she doesn’t have to really be built up that much for the title shot at Storm. I can’t imagine she wins the title, but having her lose so soon in a high profile match would be a fairly odd way to go.

Post match Hart goes after Shirakawa, who ties up Hart’s bad leg. Skye Blue comes in to deck Shirakawa so Storm makes the save. Shirakawa and Storm get in a tug of war over the belt and Shirakawa goes after Storm’s knee, tying it around the post with the Figure Four.

The Young Bucks try to leave but Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe jump them. Cue the rest of the people in Anarchy In The Arena for the weapons filled brawl. The fight goes into the arena where the Bucks beat up Kenny Omega, who fights back as this is anarchy in the arena to set up the Anarchy In The Arena. Gabe Kidd runs in and helps the villains with the beatdown and the Bucks hit stereo dives to put Omega and Swerve through tables to end the show. This was a good example of a week that didn’t need an overrun as this was just a long brawl to set up the already announced long brawl at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: B. Double Or Nothing is going to be quite the booking challenge, as so many people are in one match. That leaves the two tournament finals to carry the thing and thankfully the men’s match got an incredible go home segment that really elevated things. Those are by far the two biggest things on the show, and it should be interesting to see if the rest of the card can live up to that hype. I’ll take a two match show, but they are in for a challenge if one of those matches doesn’t deliver.

Results
Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley – Rollup to Matt
Ricochet b. Anthony Bowens – Spirit Gun
Mina Shirakawa b. Julia Hart – Cradle

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: May 17, 2025
Location: NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second night of Beach Break and that means we should be in for something a bit bigger than normal. You never know what you might see on a show like this though and that can make for something interesting. The big feature match is the Sons Of Texas vs. Cru for a future Tag Team Title shot so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Megan Bayne vs. Anna Jay

Penelope Ford and Harley Cameron are here too. Bayne wastes no time in driving her into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs and a big boot puts her on the floor. A hard whip sends Jay into the barricade and Bayne drops her back first onto the apron. Back in and the bearhug sets up a throw to keep Jayne in trouble but a backsplash misses.

Jay slugs back and hits a dive to take out Bayne and Ford on the floor. Bayne is right back up with a Falcon Arrow but Fate’s Descent is countered into a DDT. Jay grabs a sleeper, which is enough for Bayne to drive her into the corner. Ford grabs a turnbuckle pad so she and Cameron fight to the back. The Queenslayer goes on but Bayne rams her into the exposed buckle. A powerbomb into Fate’s Descent finishes for Bayne at 7:31.

Rating: C+. This was more about Bayne getting to run through Jay, who was fighting as well as she could. The point is to make Bayne into a monster, though she’s going to need to win some gold to make her feel like a big deal. Maybe that’s coming after Double Or Nothing, but there is a good chance the titles are going to be tied up. You could have her go after Athena’s Ring Of Honor Women’s Title, but that might be asking too much.

We run down tonight’s card.

Nigel McGuinness agrees to team with Daniel Garcia to face FTR at Double Or Nothing.

Kyle Fletcher vs. AR Fox

Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher runs him over to start and stomps away in the corner but Fox sweeps the leg. A leg lariat knocks Fletcher down and a very springboardy sitout bulldog drops him again. Back up and Fletcher grabs a swinging Side Effect and we take a break.

We come back with Fox grabbing a rolling cutter and dropkicking him on top. Another cutter gets two but Fletcher is back with a half and half suplex. Fox is right back up and sends him to the apron for the flipping stomp, followed by the big dive. Back in and a Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two but Fox’s small package gets the same. That’s enough for Fletcher, who brainbusters him for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Fox isn’t the kind of star who is going to become a big deal or a top star, but he can do some incredibly entertaining stuff in the ring. He’s out there to pop the crowd and he has been doing that rather well in recent weeks. I could go for him doing something a bit more important, but Fletcher needed to do something and beating Fox here is fine enough for the time being

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Hangman Page.

Don Callis Family vs. Brody King/Tomohiro Ishii/Bandido

Ishii fights off RPG Vice to start before handing it off to King for a slugout with Archer. King kicks Archer out to the floor, where Beretta knees King in the chest. Everything breaks down and we take a break. Back with Ishii German suplexing Romero for two but getting kicked in the face by Archer. The chokeslam gives Beretta two but it’s King coming back in to clean house. King sends Romero into the corner and the team hits a series of running shots. The Cannonball finishes Romero off at 6:55.

Rating: C+. There is pretty much no reason for a six man tag which runs just shy of seven minutes to have a commercial. Other than that, it was a rather odd collection of stars beating up the lower end of the Family. That’s not much more than what felt like a house show match but it was fine enough to fill in some time.

Post match the Family beats the winners down until the Outrunners make the save.

The Paragon is interrupted by the Grizzled Young Veterans, who accuse them of going soft. A match is made for next week, with Adam Cole saying the pressure is on the Veterans.

Mike Bailey vs. Blake Christian

Lee Johnson is here with Christian. Bailey starts fast and fires off some kicks but Christian pulls him face first into the buckle for the crash. 450 knees to the ribs give Christian two and they’re both back up for an exchange of shots to the face. Christian gets superkicked out of the air and it’s time for an exchange of chops. That just wakes Bailey up though and he hits a crane kick, setting up the triangle moonsault to the floor. Johnson’s distraction lets Christian get in his own dive but a 450 misses. Christian gets taken down with a super hurricanrana and the Tornado Kick finishes for Bailey at 5:09.

Rating: C+. Bailey is about as AEW of a wrestler as you can get. He has a fairly weird look, his stuff is designed to look cool rather than make sense, and he really loves those flips. In other words, he’s about as perfect of a wrestler as you can get for the stereotypical AEW style. Christian is…I’m not sure why but I kind of like him. It’s like he’s trying to be as lame as possible and it’s oddly working.

Post match Bailey challenges Kazuchika Okada for the International Title. Cue Okada to say his catchphrase but Dralistico and Rush jump Bailey from behind.

Video on Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Gates Of Agony.

We look at Jon Moxley retaining the World Title against Samoa Joe in a cage on Dynamite, with the fallout setting up Anarchy In The Arena at Double Or Nothing.

Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Gates Of Agony

Street Fight so the brawl, with the weapons, starts on the floor. Bill knocks the barbed wire baseball bat away from Liona and hits a splash inside. Liona is back up with a spear to send Keith through a table in the corner though and grabs a kendo stick. Said stick is broken over Liona’s own head and Bill realizes this could be an issue.

The slugout is on and Liona is sent to the apron, where Kaun wraps him up in barbed wire. They crash into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Liona hitting a Banzai Drop onto a trashcan with Keith inside for two, with Bill making the save. Bill whips out a backpack and finds some bricks, one of which is smashed against the post.

A trashcan lid to the head just annoys Liona, who takes it away and…charges into another kid to the head. Liona knocks him over the barricade and Bill is knocked over the announcers’ table. Keith is back up and rakes his eyes to get out of Liona’s fireman’s carry, allowing Bill to kick Liona through some tables at ringside. A piece of what looks like drywall is broken over Kaun’s head and Bill hits the chokeslam for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. Well, Liona was doing his best Roman Reigns impression here, down to the stuff with the barricade (though Reigns is more a through the barricade than over it). With that out of the way, the problem here was everything that has happened to the Gates beforehand. After having them treated as such loses for so long, there was no reason to believe they were going to win here. It was nice to see Liona treated like a monster, but the “let’s get Chris Jericho to like us again” tour continues.

Mina Shirakawa is ready to face Toni Storm again. Storm may be timeless, but Shirakawa is NOW.

We get a tribute to Steve McMichael. His wife comes out to talk about how great it is to be here. Next up is Dean Malenko…who doesn’t say anything but is in fact present. Tony Schiavone talks about McMichael’s wrestling career and his foundation to help fight ALS. Ric Flair is brought out and puts over McMichael, including the fight through his disease. And that’s about it.

Then, about 85 minutes into the show, TNT starts airing Black Adam, apparently due to transmission issues.

Sons Of Texas vs. Cru

The Sons’ ROH Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and the winners get an AEW Tag Team Title shot. Rhodes and Andretti start things off with the much taller Rhodes backing him into the corner. Rush’s cheap shot doesn’t do much good as Rhodes hits the drop down uppercut. Guevara comes in for a standing moonsault and a dive to take Andretti out on the floor. Rhodes teases his own dive but stops to dance instead. The fight heads outside again but Rush is back up for the suicide dives.

We take a break and come back with Cru working on Rhodes’ legs, only for him to low bridge Andretti to the floor. The powerslam plants Rush and it’s Guevara coming back in to clean house. A top rope cutter plants Andretti but the 450 misses. Rush slips out of Cross Rhodes so Rhodes gives him a Canadian Destroyer. Andretti superkicks Rhodes but gets caught with the GTH to give Guevara the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C. At this point, I’m honestly continues that the Sons actually have a chance against the Hurt Business. Yeah it sounds ridiculous, but after everything they’ve done in the last eight or so months, it’s almost hard to imagine them losing. I don’t think they get the titles, but my goodness it at least feels like a possibility. As for Cru…I really have no idea what is supposed to be special about them.

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale argue again.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta jumps him during the entrance and for some reason decides to slap him in the face. Hobbs grabs him by the throat and starts tossing him around, with Yuta needing to go for the eyes. An Oklahoma Stampede plants Yuta and Hobbs tosses him outside without much trouble. Some slams onto the apron have Yuta in more trouble and there’s a superplex to give Hobbs two. Back up and Yuta pulls him off the top for a crash before starting in the knee.

We take a break and come back with Yuta staying on the bad leg, including some yanking and cranking. A basement dropkick puts Hobbs on the floor and he gets knocked off the top back inside. Yuta’s top rope splash gets two but Hobbs is right back with a powerslam. Some hard corner clotheslines and a spinebuster finish Yuta at 11:45.

Rating: B-. Well, they did have a story here with Yuta trying to slow down the monster Hobbs before the strength just got to be too much to them. Hobbs continues to feel like someone who should be a big deal but it just doesn’t happen for some reason. Being part of the Trios Champions isn’t the move either, but at least he got a win in a fairly featured spot here.

Post match Marina Shafir runs in to go after Hobbs’ knee. Willow Nightingale runs in for the save. Yuta and Shafir bail, with Kris Statlander watching from the entrance to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’ve said things like “that certainly felt like Collision” before and that’s the case again here. Most of the show was spent building up smaller stories and slightly touching on the bigger ones. That’s going to happen when so much happens on Dynamite and it would be nice to see some more balance between the two shows. As usual, it’s a show that you don’t really need to see but if you did watch, you’ll be fine.

Results
Megan Bayne b. Anna Jay – Fate’s Descent
Kyle Fletcher b. AR Fox – Brainbuster
Brody King/Tomohiro Ishii/Bandido b. Don Callis Family – Cannonball to Romero
Mike Bailey b. Blake Christian – Tornado Kick
Big Bill/Bryan Keith b. Gates Of Agony – Chokeslam to Kaun
Sons Of Texas b. Cru – GTH to Andretti
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Wheeler Yuta – Spinebuster

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: May 9, 2025
Location: Adrian Phillips Theater At Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are closing in on Supercard Of Honor, which means that Ring Of Honor will likely not bring the show up for about another month. That doesn’t make for the most thrilling show, but at least this one is on Friday so maybe they’ll try something different. You never know around here though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Jay Lethal vs. Atlantis Jr.

They trade armdrags to start and Lethal is sent to the floor, where he gets taken down by a fast dive. Lethal is right back up for a dive of his own, only for Atlantis to move before the second. Atlantis’ dive connects for two but Lethal knocks him down again. It’s too early for Hail To The King though as Atlantis rolls outside. Back in and Atlantis catches him on top for a superplex but Lethal starts going after the leg. A dragon screw legwhip sets up the Figure Four, which is broken up rather quickly. The cutter drops Atlantis, who is right back with a powerslam. The frog splash gives Atlantis the pin at 7:46.

Rating: C+. I’ve said it before and it’s still true: Atlantic Jr. is not very interesting. Technically he’s perfectly competent and his matches aren’t bad, but he’s a more generic luchador than El Generico could ever dream of being. That was on display here, as it was a completely fine match which did very little to pique my interest in either of them.

Leila Grey vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir starts fast by kicking her down and then choking in the corner. A throw takes Grey down again for some near falls before Shafir ties up various limbs on the mat. Grey fights up with a dropkick but gets kicked down again. Shafir grabs Mother’s Milk for the win at 4:59.

Rating: C. So Shafir is the big mighty guardian of the World Title belt (which she didn’t have here) and gets to smash through someone like Grey to prove that. It seemed like Grey was starting to become something around here, but instead here she is, mostly getting squashed by Shafir. As usual, the Death Riders take over just about everything else and dominate whatever they touch, because we’re just lucky that way.

Lee Johnson/Blake Christian vs. Spanish Announce Project

Angelico works on Christian’s arm to start but Christian slips out and dances a bit. Serpentico comes in and gets hiptossed onto Christian, followed by some running shots in the corner. The villains send Serpentico into the corner for some running shots to the head before Christian twists away at the neck.

That’s broken up and a hurricanrana out of the corner gets Serpentico over to Angelico. House is quickly cleaned and la majistral gets two on Johnson. A Downward Spiral into a Swanton gives Serpentico two with Christian making the save. Johnson cuts Serpentico off and holds him up for a super Canadian Destroyer. The brainbuster onto the knee finishes Serpentico at 8:55.

Rating: C+. As usual, the tag division around here is nothing short of soul crushing. The matches are fine enough, but it’s really hard to believe that any of these matches matter. Johnson and Christian are the latest team being added to the mix of teams who aren’t going anywhere and are having the same matches week after week. Meanwhile, Rhodes and Guevara now have the longest title reign in about ten years. Again, lucky us.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Ashley Vox

Pure Rules, a first for women in ROH. Purrazzo spins out of a wristlock to start but can’t get a triangle choke. Vox gets pulled into an armbar and has to use her first rope break. Back up and a springboard Downward Spiral gives Vox two but she walks into a backbreaker. Purrazzo grabs a half crab, sending Vox over to the ropes for her second break. Purrazzo’s hanging DDT on the arm gets two and a clothesline gets the same. A powerbomb into the Venus de Milo finishes Vox at 5:56.

Rating: C. Yeah as has been the case since the whole tournament was announced, I absolutely cannot fathom why this title needs to exist. We’re literally going from women’s Pure Rules matches not existing to a champion being crowned in a few months. The Women’s Title hasn’t been defended since February, but we’re getting a third title. That doesn’t seem like the best idea, but tournaments a go-go baby!

Queen Aminata is preparing for the Women’s Pure Title tournament.

Red Velvet vs. Laynie Luck

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Luck wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Lucy starts fast with a suplex but a wheelbarrow suplex is countered into a Downward Spiral. Velvet ties her up in the ring skirt and chops away, followed by some rapid fire stomps in the corner. Luck pops up with a quick Death Valley Driver for two but Velvet’s spinning kick tot he head gets the same. The flipping faceplant finishes Luck at 5:11.

Rating: C. Maybe I’m just missing it, but Velvet is only doing so much for me at the moment. She’s fine enough as a heel and getting better in the ring, but it’s only so much. Again, it doesn’t help that it feels like she’s a champion because Athena isn’t defending her title very often, but there’s only so much you can get out of doing just that.

Nick Wayne is ready to win the Best Of The Super Juniors in New Japan.

Satnam Singh vs. Lord Crewe

Singh unveils a Detroit Pistons jersey because this show is taped in multiple locations. Crewe can’t slam him to start and gets hiptossed down in a hurry. The loud chops in the corner connect and Singh tosses him around some more. The nerve hold goes on for a bit, followed by the chokeslam to finish for Singh at 3:39.

Rating: C-. The key to a giant like Singh is to get him in and out of there quickly and pushing four minutes is going longer than it needs to. You’re only going to get so much out of having him there doing his thing for a slightly extended match. I do like Singh being more of a crowd friendly guy, but keep him out there as an attraction rather than a wrestler and it’ll be a lot better.

Gringo Loco vs. Bandido

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Loco wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. They run the ropes to start but then stop for a dance off. A running hurricanrana sends Loco to the floor and Bandido takes him down out there as well. Back in and a springboard spinning crossbody is dropkicked out of the air, setting up a springboard split legged moonsault for two.

A spinning sitout powerbomb gives Loco two but Bandido is back up with a spinning DDT. Bandido’s frog splash gets two but the 21 Plex is blocked. They both go up top and Loco hits a super moonsault Angle Slam (or whatever you would call….that) for two. Bandido is right back up with a super hurricanrana into a Shining Wizard for the win at 6:16 (with Justin Roberts saying he’s the TV Champion).

Rating: B-. This was good stuff, as you probably expected based on who was in there. It’s nice to have Bandido being a fairly regular presence on the show, but it would be nicer to have him do something that feels like a feud. Loco was his usual entertaining self, even if there was no reason to believe he was going to win here.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the bad kind of Ring Of Honor, as it felt like a show that was just there because it had to be. Nothing on here felt like it was building to anything in the future, there are still FAR too many titles running around and it doesn’t feel like anything is going to change based on what we saw here. It’s just a dull show and that seems to be the case by design, which astounds me to no end.

Results
Atlantis Jr. b. Jay Lethal – Frog splash
Marina Shafir b. Leila Grey – Mother’s Milk
Lee Johnson/Blake Christian b. Spanish Announce Project – Brainbuster onto the knee to Serpentico
Deonna Purrazzo b. Ashley Vox – Venus de Milo
Red Velvet b. Laynie Luck – Flipping faceplant
Satnam Singh b. Lord Crewe – Chokeslam
Bandido b. Gringo Loco – Shining Wizard

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: May 8, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re live on Thursday for the sake of this weekend’s WWE Backlash event and that’s a nice thing to see. Thursday is a far better night to air the show, just for the sake of not having it on the weekend for a change. Hopefully AEW has a big lineup to take advantage of the opportunity that they have. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Toni Storm, in a box seat and naturally with a spotlight on her. Storm: “So many men have taken a shot at me in here, I feel like Abraham Lincoln.” She talks about her first time being messy but it was something she wanted to do more often. Eventually it resulted in objects being added and filthy perverts watching. Of course she’s talking about fighting for her Women’s Title so get her someone ready for next week, because she isn’t waiting for a Hayter or a CEO. That makes sense as All In is a long way off before Storm can have another big title shot.

Paragon is disappointed with their loss to FTR last week but they’re still a great team. Adam Cole is glad they know they’re still great but the Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt. The Veterans think the Paragon has gone soft so they’re ready to fight anytime. The Veterans still work here?

Ricochet vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Angelico. Ricochet takes him down for an early rollup but Angelico is back up to crank on the arm. Angelico even rubs the bald head and grabs something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Ricochet sends sends him to the floor for a rather nice dive.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet missing a charge into the corner. A spinning lifting Downward Spiral gives Angelico a breather and the comeback is on. Another modified abdominal stretch lets Angelico slap him in the back of the head, followed by a half crab. Ricochet makes the rope and is right back up with a springboard clothesline, followed by the Spirit Gun for the win at 9:23.

Rating: C+. Angelico is someone who can work an entertaining style and make anyone look good, which was the case with Ricochet here. That’s something Ricochet can use and it made for a nice opener here. It’s not like this was ever in any serious doubt, but it could have been far worse.

Post match Ricochet mocks the fans, who should be cheering for him. He’s only been here for less than a year and has already beaten most of the AEW favorites. Ricochet sees Zack Gowen in the crowd and remembers being a big fan growing up. We get some one legged jokes and then beats up security, offering commentary at the same time. Ricochet whips out the scissors and cuts one of the guards’ hair, which brings Gowen into the ring. Gowen takes the scissors but gets dropped as well, with Ricochet ripping off the prosthetic leg. Ricochet mock limping using the leg is quite the heel move.

Don Callis Family/RPG Vice vs. Outrunners/AR Fox/Bandido

Bandido and Fletcher start things off with Fletcher shrugging off some chops and running him over. A headscissors and dropkick work a bit better for Bandido but Beretta comes in to take Bandido down. Romero comes in and gets taken down by Fox, who gets to clean house. The Outrunners get in their double teamings as well but Archer plants both of them with a double chokeslam as we take a break.

Back with Floyd fighting out of trouble and grabbing a small package for two. Bandido comes in and gets taken down by RPG Vice as everything breaks down. Fox comes back in and steps onto Magnum’s shoulders for a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the Mega Powers Elbow hits Fletcher, with Bandido’s frog splash getting two as Archer makes the save.

Fletcher plants Bandido for the double down and it’s back to Fox to pick up the pace again. A hanging DDT drops Archer and a skinning the cat into a slingshot dropkick hits Beretta in the corner (that was sweet). RPG Vice is back up with a double jumping knee to Bandido and Archer chokeslams Bandido off the top. A Jackyl Driver (something like a double piledriver) from RPG Vice finishes Fox at 10:42.

Rating: B-. This was quite the lineup for a match and at least Bandido didn’t lose. I could absolutely see Bandido defending against one of the members of the Family at Supercard Of Honor and there are far worse ideas. Maybe this is just a one off match, but at least we got to see that rather cool finish from RPG Vice. It’s not like they have much else going for them so maybe it’s a new way for them to go.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley next week on Dynamite.

Moxley is ready to fight inside the cage. There is no one on the planet better at taking a beating than him. How long will it last? Moxley can take it and he’s coming out as the champion because he isn’t like the rest of the world.

Anthony Bowens vs. Lee Johnson

Billy Gunn and Blake Christian are here too. Johnson doesn’t seem to think much of Bowens to start, earning himself a bunch of chops in the corner. They go outside where Johnson backs into Gunn for some fear. Bowens strikes away again and a top rope Fameasser connects back inside. A Christian distraction lets Johnson get in a running flip dive though and a superkick back inside takes Bowens down again. Bowens fights back but gets distracted by Christian, allowing Johnson to get two off a rollup. That doesn’t seem to matter though as Bowens hits the discus forearm for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, but Bowens stacking up wins is a good way to go. I’m not sure if he’s going to be a star, but he’s certainly at least worth seeing what’s there. He has a good look and is solid enough in the ring so maybe there’s something around. Just give him a slightly better caliber of opponent.

Post match Christian goes in to go after Bowens and gets tossed by Gunn. Bowens talks about his five tools and we get an old school scissoring.

Here are the Gates Of Agony for a chat. They waste no time in calling out Big Bill and Bryan Keith for the fight, which is on in a hurry. Liona misses a charge and goes over the barricade but Kaun crucifix bombs Keith off the ramp and through some tables. Security comes out but Kaun spears Bill off the ramp through some more tables to wrap it up.

Video on Megan Bayne vs. Anna Jay, with Harley Cameron and Penelope Ford there too.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale. They were friends, then they were fighting, now it’s kind of in the middle.

Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale powers out of a headlock to start and throws Statlander down without much trouble. Statlander takes out the leg and hits a basement crossbody before it’s time to trade big chops. A pinfall reversal sequence gets two each until Statlander knocks her down for two. Nightingale sends her outside and hits a Cannonball off the apron to send us to a break.

Back with a double clothesline putting both of them down for a double breather. The fans think it’s awesome as Nightingale spinebusters her down for two, followed by the rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. Statlander’s ax kick gets two and Nightingale’s Death Valley Driver gets the same. Statlander grabs a top rope superplex and they’re both down again. One heck of a clothesline takes Statlander down and she gets knocked outside. Cue Marina Shafir to choke Nightingale with a chain (Statlander didn’t see it) so Staturday Night Fever can finish Nightingale at 12:21.

Rating: B. Dang this was starting to get good when one of the Death Riders managed to screw it up. That’s the story of AEW over the last few months and Shafir did it again here. Hopefully one of these two (or both) gets to move up the ladder, because they’re far too talented to be stuck in the middle of the pack for so long.

Skye Blue is back next week.

We look at Hangman Page and Will Ospreay’s face to face meeting last night on Dynamite.

Don Callis Family vs. Dark Order

The Family jumps them before the bell and the destruction is on fast. Even Callis himself gets in some choking on the floor, leaving Reynolds to get dropped face first onto the apron. Alexander’s running crossbody to the back sends Reynolds to the floor. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb is broken up and Reynolds dives over to Uno for the tag. That earns him an electric chair toss into a flying knee from Takeshita and the C4 Spike finishes for Alexander at 2:30. Total destruction.

Video on MJF trying to join the Hurt Syndicate.

Mike Bailey vs. Dralistico

Dralistico slaps away in the corner to start before Bailey jumps around a lot and kicks him in the chest. Bailey knocks him to the floor for an Asai moonsault but Dralistico grabs a running hurricanrana into the steps. We take a break and come back with Dralistico choking him on the ropes. Bailey strikes away in the corner but Dralistico is right back with his own forearms.

The bouncing kicks rock Dralistico and a superkick puts him down, with Bailey needing a breather. The running shooting star press gives Bailey two but Dralistico kicks the leg out and gets two off la majistral. A crucifix bomb puts Bailey down but he pulls himself up and hits a quick Canadian Destroyer. Dralistico sends him to the apron, where Bailey is right back with the moonsault knees to the ribs. Back in and the tornado kick finishes for Bailey at 9:00.

Rating: B-. This was the video game match of the show, with both of them getting to do their rather ridiculous spots. Dralistico is someone who can be put out there without losing his status so it works well for Bailey. Odds are Bailey is going to be getting a bigger spot in the near future, which makes sense as he’s perfect for AEW, even if his style can be a bit tough to buy at times.

Post match Rush comes out to stare Bailey down.

Daniel Garcia vs. Dax Harwood

Cash Wheeler and Stokely Hathaway are here with Harwood. Garcia drives him into the corner to start for a mostly clean break before Harwood does the same to him. This time it’s a right hand to drop Garcia, who tackles him down and hammers away. A running neckbreaker cuts Garcia off again but the piledriver is blocked. Another attempt on the floor gets the same result, but this time Garcia catapults him into the post.

Harwood is busted open and Garcia hammers away, setting up the running shots against the barricade. Wheeler offers a distraction though and Harwood is back up with a clothesline for a breather. Back in and Garcia grabs a quick Dragontamer but Hathaway offers a distraction, allowing Wheeler to hit a quick DDT on the floor. Cue Matt Menard to chase Wheeler to the back and we take a break.

Back with Garcia firing off a bunch of chops against the ropes and hitting a running clothesline. Some right hands in the corner rock Harwood but the turnbuckle pad gets pulled off. Another Dragontamer attempt is cut off and Garcia is kicked into the corner, setting up the slingshot powerbomb to give Harwood two. For some reason Harwood goes up top so Garcia superplexes him from the top, then rolls his hips and takes Harwood up for two more top rope superplexes for two, with Harwood getting his foot on the rope.

A fired up Garcia kicks him out to the floor and they fight out into the crowd. Harwood goes over to the commentary desk and slaps Nigel McGuinness’ headset off. Nigel gets up and teases fighting but backs down, saying he isn’t a wrestler anymore. Harwood shoves him into his chair and leaves, which is enough for Nigel to get in the ring. Wheeler is back and the big brawl is enough for the match to be thrown out at 17:39.

Rating: B-. Much like the women’s match earlier, they were having a good match but then it kind of fell apart at the end. What matters the most is that the ending keeps things going and the story has a few ways to go. It might not be the most thrilling story in the world, but Nigel being involved does make things more interesting.

Nigel, Garcia and Menard clear the ring to end the show, giving us one of the weirdest trios I’ve seen in a good while.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to make of this show. The action was good and a bunch of stories were advanced, but there was pretty much nothing on this show that felt important. You had matches involving Angelico, RPG Vice/AR Fox, Lee Johnson, the Dark Order and one half of FTR. That’s not exactly a top level lineup and I’m not sure why you would keep things that low level when you have such a better time slot than usual. It’s not a bad show, but I was expecting a lot more given the opportunity that they had.

Results
Ricochet b. Angelico – Spirit Gun
Don Callis Family/RPG Vice b. Outrunners/AR Fox/Bandido – Jackyl Driver to Fox
Anthony Bowens b. Lee Johnson – Discus forearm
Kris Statlander b. Willow Nightingale – Staturday Night Fever
Don Callis Family b. Dark Order – C4 Spike to Reynolds
Mike Bailey b. Dralistico – Tornado Kick
Dax Harwood vs. Daniel Garcia went to a no contest

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

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

Collision
Date: May 3, 2025
Location: Adrian Phillips Theater At Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Adam Cole

We’re just a few weeks away from Double Or Nothing and the card is starting to come together. A lot of that was done earlier this week on Dynamite, but tonight is going to be focused more on the in-ring side of things. This week featured a 2/3 falls match between FTR and the Paragon, which should be rather snazzy. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Adam Cole joins commentary.

Toni Storm vs. Lady Frost

Non-title. They fight over a headlock to start until Frost headscissors her out to the floor. A flip dive off the apron hits Storm and they go back inside as the camera is a bit lower than usual. Storm hits a backbreaker but a chokebomb is countered into a rollup for two. Frost cannonballs her in the corner and a spinning crossbody gets two more. Storm chokebombs her out of the corner for a near fall but gets caught with the Chiller Driller for another near fall. Back up and Storm sends her into the corner for the hip attack, setting up the TCM Chickenwing (oh dear) for the win at 5:37.

Rating: C+. Storm having a new hold to use is a fine way to go and it’s nice to see Frost getting in some ring time. She’s not likely to be a top star but the athleticism and unique look are enough to warrant a few more shots. This was little more than a way to keep Storm warm before her eventual next title defense and that’s a fine use of a few minutes.

Post match Storm says a lot of people are coming for her but she comes for everyone. She runs outside and says she’s out here on the Boardwalk, seemingly inviting challengers. Well that was different.

Jon Moxley, with Marina Shafir, says the people around Samoa Joe are dropping like flies. Joe is beyond reproach in wrestling but so was Bryan Danielson. If you want to lock Moxley inside a cage go ahead, because he’s good at his job. Joe better know what he’s doing.

Sammy Guevara vs. Rush vs. Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox

Dustin Rhodes is here with Guevara (who is in his first AEW match since October) and the winner of this gets $100,000. Rush and Knight clear the ring to start and slug it out with Rush taking over off a headbutt. Back up and Knight grabs a slam before stereo dropkicks give us a standoff. Fox and Guevara come in with Fox hitting a slingshot hilo for two as we take a break.

Back with Fox DDTing a charging Knight onto the apron as Hologram is watching from the rafters. Fox dives onto Knight but Rush is back up to send various people into various objects. A charging Knight is sent crashing onto the ramp and the two of them brawl to the back. Back in and Fox gives Guevara Lo Mein Pain into a 450 for two. The Swanton misses though and Guevara hits the GTH for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Well ok then. Guevara hasn’t been around in over six months and just pops up to win a match here. This feels like the kind of match designed for Knight, who could use a spotlight, to win but instead we’ll go with Guevara. I’m not opposed to having Guevara around more often, but bringing the ROH Tag Team Titles up with him isn’t a great thing to see as there are already way too many belts floating around.

Post match Guevara points to Adam Cole, who seems interested.

Samoa Joe wanted the title match to be in a cage because he knows Jon Moxley doesn’t have the heart to face him man to man.

Video on FTR vs. the Paragon.

Megan Bayne vs. Harley Cameron

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne. Cameron jumps her to start and hammers away in the corner, which doesn’t get Cameron very far. A step up enziguri connects for Cameron but Bayne is right back with an overhead belly to belly. Another suplex has Cameron in trouble but she comes back with Eat Defeat. Bayne runs her over though and we take a break. Back with Cameron biting the neck (ok then) and hitting a tornado DDT for two. Bayne’s Falcon Arrow gets two and a sitout powerbomb cuts off the comeback attempt for two. Cameron slugs away but dives into Face’s Descent for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C. This was about all it needed to be, as Bayne gets to look like a dominant monster and crush the popular star in Cameron. The fans aren’t going to be happy with seeing one of their favorites lose and it’s going to take someone more special to stop Bayne. Good thinking here, even if the match was just ok.

Post match the beatdown continues so Anna Jay runs in with a 2×4 to Bayne’s back. It doesn’t seem to hurt her but Bayne does at least leave.

Here are Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir for a chat (rather than the scheduled match). Moxley isn’t sure what Samoa Joe is talking about because Joe thinks he’s going to beat Moxley up. The reality is that Moxley has faced every supposed tough guy in wrestling from every promotion. Those people realize they’re in a war, but the reality is Moxley and the Death Riders know they have been in a war the entire time. I have no idea why Moxley needed a second promo.

The Outrunners are ready for Roppongi Vice.

Josh Alexander vs. Brody King

Alexander grinds on a headlock to start but King sends him into the corner and unloads with some chops. They head outside with King hitting a Death Valley Driver, followed by a suplex. Alexander moves before he can get crushed against the barricade but gets punched out of the air. Back up and Alexander drops him onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with the two of them chopping it out, with King getting the better of the beating. Alexander takes the straps down and tells King to chop harder, which is fine with King. That earns King a torture rack slam but King is back with a swinging Boss Man Slam to put Alexander down again.

King Cannonballs him in the corner, setting up a top rope superplex to drop Alexander for two as we have one minute left. Alexander starts going after the leg but can’t keep the ankle lock. King is back up with a German suplex and the Ganso Bomb but Alexander rolls outside for the time limit draw at 15:00.

Rating: B-. This was pretty close to a hoss fight, though I’m a little surprised to see the draw. Alexander is still new around here and needs a few big wins, while King is mostly used to put others over. That being said, I do like seeing King avoid another loss, as he’s had WAY too many of those in the last few months. Let him look better, but maybe try it with a bigger win next time.

Post match King goes after Alexander and gets in a brawl with Lance Archer for a bonus.

Video on Cru.

Here is Max Caster, who says we just got a fifteen minute draw but no one could hang with him for five minutes. Tonight’s challenge has a five minute time limit and, after Caster nearly cracks up doing his chant, we’re ready to go.

Daniel Garcia vs. Max Caster

A fisherman’s neckbreaker and a piledriver finish Caster at 59 seconds.

Post match Garcia says he’ll deal with FTR after their match.

Anthony Bowens is ready to move on but Blake Christian and Lee Johnson come in to say they’re both better than Bowens. That’s fine with Bowens, who is ready to mollywop either of them.

Gates Of Agony vs. Ray Jazz/Goldy

Pounce, running shots in the corner, Open The Gates finishes Jazz at 1:17.

Post match Bryan Keith and Big Bill pop up on screen from the parking lot to call out the Gates Of Agony. Post break the Gates show up in the parking lot and the brawl is on. A local wrestler gets jumped as well…and we just leave with the fight continuing.

FTR vs. Paragon

2/3 falls and Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Wheeler slips out of O’Reilly’s choke to start before having to duck a kick to the head. Harwood comes in to chop away at Strong, which Cole would not recommend. It’s back to O’Reilly to fire off kicks at both of them as everything breaks down. A series of strikes takes FTR down and an ankle lock with a grapevine makes Harwood tap at 4:48.

We take a break and come back with FTR hitting a double clothesline for two on O’Reilly. Wheeler grabs a chinlock but O’Reilly fights up and hands it back to Strong to pick up the pace. The running forearms in the ropes set up the belly to back faceplant for two on Harwood. Everything breaks down and FTR are put in the same chair on the floor (and it breaks), allowing O’Reilly to hit a dropkick from the apron.

Harwood and Wheeler fight into the crowd but Wheeler is back in to take out Strong’s leg. We take another break and come back with O’Reilly cleaning house but Harwood breaks up an ankle lock. Harwood comes in and gets backdropped but is right back with the Shatter Machine to pin Strong and tie it up at 17:32.

Another Shatter Machine is broken up though and Paragon goes high/low on Harwood for the pin…but Wheeler puts the foot on the rope so it’s waved off. O’Reilly makes Wheeler tap to an ankle lock, which means nothing because Wheeler isn’t legal. Instead Wheeler rakes the eyes and Harwood grabs a rollup with trunks for two. Another Shatter Machine finishes O’Reilly at 20:02.

Rating: B. FTR has to be next for the Hurt Syndicate right? Or at least one of the next, as it isn’t like there are many dominant teams around here. It would be nice to see FTR getting the shot and this was a good way to build them up. Paragon looked good enough here as usual, which shouldn’t be a surprise, and it isn’t like they have anything important going on at the moment.

Post match Daniel Garcia comes out with a crowbar but says he respects FTR too much to do that. Now though, he’s stuck looking for answers and he wants to beat them out of FTR next week.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event was the boost that the show needed, but this was still one of the shows that didn’t feel overly important. It felt like a show that kind of came and went on the way to something bigger down the line. Some stuff was advanced or set up so it certainly didn’t feel like a waste of time, but it was very Collision-esque, in that it didn’t feel like a show you needed to see.

Results
Toni Storm b. Lady Frost – TCM Chickenwing
Sammy Guevara b. Rush, Kevin Knight and AR Fox – GTH to Fox
Megan Bayne b. Harley Cameron – Fate’s Descent
Brody King vs. Josh Alexander went to a time limit draw
Daniel Garcia b. Max Caster – Piledriver
Open The Gates b. Ray Jazz/Goldy – Open The Gates to Jazz
FTR b. Paragon 2-1

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 10, 2025
Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have a new World Champion as Bandido took the title from Chris Jericho at Dynasty. That’s a long time coming and now we get the second reign of Bandido. Odds are we’re going to need a new challenger. We’re less that a month away from Supercard Of Honor and maybe we’ll start getting ready for that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Bandido winning the World Title at Dynasty.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

MxM Collection/Johnny TV vs. Ryan Matthews/Jordan Kross/Drake Daniels

The Collection/TV have Taya Valkyrie with them and she is holding the stolen Six Man Tag Team Title, as we are apparently just moving that feud over to Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs. Sure. TV and Kross start things off with TV doing his spinning dance. Kross dances back at him, only to get taken down with a neckbreaker.

Taya gets in a slap from the floor and it’s off to Matthews, who gets taken down with a running hip attack to the face. Something like a Sidewinder hits Matthews but he slips out and brings in Daniels. Everything breaks down and Madden chokeslams Kross (Matthews: “THAT’S MY FRIEND!” He is promptly booted in the face.), setting up an assisted Centerfold for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C. So now I guess we’re moving on to a six man feud, despite Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara already beating the Collection. If that’s the best ROH can come up with after about nine months of inactivity from the champions, I have no idea why the titles are active. Then again that has been the case for a long time so this isn’t exactly a big change.

We look at Harley Cameron tapping out in a tag match on Collision.

Marina Shafir vs. Nixi XS

Shafir wastes no time in kicking her down and Nixi’s forearms just amp up the annoyance. Mother’s Milk finishes Nixi at 1:18.

The Von Erichs aren’t happy that the MxM Collection stole one of the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Dustin Rhodes calls the Collection stupid and the challenge is on for next week. And no, there is nothing referencing the Von Erichs and Rhodes being apart for EIGHT MONTHS and still being champions.

Preston Vance vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii’s running shoulders don’t do much to start and Vance manages to stagger him with a chop. Jakked Jameson gets in a cheap shot and Vance stomps away in the corner to take over. A snap suplex gives Vance two but Ishii is back with a belly to back suplex. Ishii hits a regular suplex for two and an enziguri rocks Vance again. Vance is right back with a discus lariat for two but Ishii headbutts him into the brainbuster for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: C. This was slightly more competitive than I would have expected and that was a fun thing to see. Ishii isn’t exactly doing much of note around here but the fans are going to approve of just about anything he does. Not a bad match at all, but it doesn’t feel like either of them are going anywhere right now.

Bandido is happy with his win and gives the title belt to his mom.

Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku/Davey Bang

Non-title (of course). Rhodes runs Ku over to start and hits the drop down uppercut. There’s the powerslam and it’s off to Ross for a dropkick. A hurricanrana gets two on Garrini but Ross gets pulled into the wrong corner for the triple teaming. Ross breaks out of that and brings in Marshall to clean house. Everything breaks down and Marshall claw slams Bang for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C. Yeah fine. I’m so glad that Rhodes is now part of two teams where he can brag about how amazing it is to be from Texas. The team hasn’t been around since last summer and they’re just picking up where they left off with pretty much no explanation or mention whatsoever. That’s why these titles are ridiculous and I’m sure we’ll get to see the champs defend the titles at All In (or on the pre-show at least) and then….eh it doesn’t matter.

Taya Valkyrie wants the Women’s TV Title but needs to go through Catalina first.

Jay Lethal vs. Bandido

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Lethal wins or lasts ten minutes, he gets a future title shot. They go to the apron rather quickly, with Lethal knocking him down to take over. Back in and it’s too early for the Figure Four so they trade chops, as is custom in AEW/ROH. Bandido hits a pop up cutter into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but the X Knee is blocked. Lethal gets a dragon screw legwhip into the Figure Four but Bandido powers out. The Lethal Injection is countered into the X Knee (that was nice) and the 21 Plex finishes Lethal at 5:16.

Rating: C+. This was another short match and it’s kind of weird to see a former World Champion losing in such short fashion. That being said, it makes Bandido feel like a bigger star so soon after winning the title so we’ll call that a good idea. Other than that though, not a bad match, but it felt tacked on, which is a weird thing to do with someone like Lethal, who could do a lot more.

Overall Rating: C+. Like last week, this show was a bit shorter than most (ran about 46 minutes) and I’ll absolutely take that. Ring Of Honor has a big problem with stretching its shows out for the sake of filling time and that’s not a good idea. If you don’t have much to offer the fans, just get out faster as it isn’t like there is some time requirement to fill. This show was easier to watch because it didn’t stretch itself out and that is nice to see. Not a particularly good show, but a lot less frustrating than most.

Results
MxM Collection/Johnny TV b. Ryan Matthews/Jordan Kross/Drake Daniels – Assisted Centerfold to Kross
Marina Shafir b. Nixi XS – Mother’s Milk
Tomohiro Ishii b. Preston Vance – Brainbuster
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Davey Bang/Kevin Ku/Dominic Garrini – Claw slam to Bang
Bandido b. Jay Lethal – 21 Plex

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

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