Dynamite
Date: February 15, 2023
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Revolution and as of last week, we officially have a main event. Bryan Danielson earned his title shot against MJF, which will come in the form of a sixty minute iron man match. With that out of the way, the rest of the card needs to be built up so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Jerry Jarrett.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh vs. Orange Cassidy/Billy Gunn/Acclaimed

Bowens runs Lethal over to start and it’s off to Caster for two off a powerslam. Jarrett comes in and drops Caster before handing it off to Singh. Gunn, who almost a foot shorter than Singh, wants to come in but it’s Cassidy coming in instead. Actually it’s Dutt getting Cassidy instead……or actually make that Billy vs. Jeff.

Cue the Gunns to mock the scissoring before telling various people to suck it. Lethal gets in a knee to the back to take Billy down and Lethal grabs a front facelock. Jarrett comes back in as commentary questions Gunn’s parenting skills. Everything breaks down and Singh cleans house until he gets dropped with a Fameasser. Caster loads up Scissor Me Timbers to Dutt and, after various switches and saves (including Cassidy giving Dutt the lazy kicks), Bowens drops the leg for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C. This was a bit slow for an opener but the Acclaimed get some momentum back. In addition to that, you have Cassidy there to pop the crowd so they had the right pieces in place. Jarrett wrestling the match is no surprise as he is an old pro at heart, but dang it must have been a hard one out there for him.

We look back at MJF attacking a bloodied Bryan Danielson last week.

Danielson is ready for MJF at Revolution.

Rush/Preston Vance vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Jon Moxley

Tornado tag and the fight starts in the crowd before the bell. We take a break and come back with Moxley and Vance getting inside for the opening bell as Rush and Castagnoli are brawling on the floor. Rush gets inside for a basement dropkick on Moxley but Castagnoli comes in to even things up.

Rush is sent outside and Vance is whipped into the buckle to put him down. A double big boot (came close to landing too) send Rush back to the floor and Moxley hits a dive. Everyone heads outside with Rush cracking a chair against a chair against Castagnoli as we take a break.

Back with Moxley getting beaten up with a chain. Castagnoli takes it away and unloads on Rush in the corner before Swinging the bloody Vance. Jose the Assistant comes in for a cheap shot on Moxley so Wheeler Yuta comes out to take care of him. Castagnoli and Rush brawl, leaving Moxley to elbow Vance in the face over and over. The cross armbreaker makes Vance tap at 14:49.

Rating: C. This match felt like violence for the sake of violence and that is not a good thing to see. Moxley bleeding is a running joke now and it lost its impact a long time ago. At the same time, why is it taking two World Champions to beat Rush and Preston Vance? It went too long and wasn’t interesting in the first place, making this a bad combination.

Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade jump Hangman Page, who had been watching the match in the back.

Jim Ross had a sitdown interview with Wardlow, who talks about his dad helping raise him, then leaving, but then coming back. Then he left again and the next time Wardlow saw him was when he was in hospice care. The last thing he told his dad was he was going to be a better man and that’s when he grew his hair out. Samoa Joe knew this and cut it off anyway, so now Wardlow must end him. That certainly got intense in a hurry but it gives Wardlow a more personal reason to come after Joe so well done.

Mark Briscoe vs. Josh Woods

Mark Sterling, Tony Nese and Ari Daivari are here too. It’s a brawl to start before Nese and Daivari get involved, only to have the returning Lucha Bros come in for the save. Mark looks confused and gets suplexed from the apron to the floor by Woods as we take a break. Back with Mark sending him outside and using a chair to dive onto Woods. Back in and Woods goes with more grappling to take over, leaving Briscoe having to escape a waistlock. An exchange of kicks to the head, setting up a Death Valley Driver to Woods. The Froggy Bow gives Mark the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C+. Getting Briscoe on the show is a good thing as he is going to need to get used to being a singles wrestler. Giving him wins is the right way to go as well and even if Woods isn’t the biggest star, he is a former champion in Ring Of Honor so there is some value there. Best match of the night too, possibly because it was (mostly) clean throughout.

We get a sitdown interview with Adam Cole, who talks about how his body is healing after the horrible concussions, including being able to look around without being in pain anymore. He’s been looking around at the roster and knows he has to be better than ever and he’ll be ready. Cole as a full on face is a direction that should have been explored before so this should work well.

Here is MJF for a chat. After insulting the Spanish speaking fans, MJF talks about how he is the Devil and until recently, these people were Devil worshippers. We’ll move on to Bryan Danielson, who is called the best in the world, but what matters is the title. MJF will win at Revolution because he is the best in the world and he’s better than Danielson. In case you want proof, MJF brings out one of Danielson’s mentors: Christopher Daniels.

Now Daniels makes one thing clear: MJF paid Daniels a bunch of money to come out here and badmouth Danielson. This time though, he’s going to talk about how great Danielson is, including when Danielson chopped him so hard he thought he would die. Danielson won the King of the Indies tournament, which led to the creation of Ring Of Honor.

Danielson is going to beat MJF, who doesn’t seem happy with any of this. Daniels goes to leave but MJF spins him around, earning a slap to the face. MJF kicks him low and grabs the Salt of the Earth until Danielson makes the save. This Danielson vs. MJF build has been meh at best and this really didn’t help things.

The Gunns brag about winning the Tag Team Titles without having to work on the indies for $10 and a handshake.

Brian Cage vs. Jungle Boy

They go to the floor to start with Cage dropping him on the apron. We take a break (less than a minute in, because that’s something AEW needs to copy from WWE) and come back with Jungle Boy fighting out of trouble. An F5 gives Cage two but Jungle Boy takes him down again. A splash gives Jungle Boy two and a Death Valley Driver gets the same. Cage gets fired up so Jungle Boy superkicks him into a crucifix bomb. The running elbow to the back of the head sets up a rollup to give Jungle Boy the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. When did Brian Cage become the AEW MVP who had to be out there every week? Jungle Boy getting a win is a good thing as it keeps him strong, which he’ll need until he gets a real feud. The match was nothing great and a lot of it was during the break, but at least the right person won.

Post match Christian Cage returns, with his arm still in a sling, to mace Jungle Boy. The sling comes off to reveal that Christian is fine, setting up the Killswitch on the stage. So now we can finish that off…..several months after it was dropped due to the injury.

Renee Paquette announces that the Gunns will defend their Tag Team Titles at Revolution in a triple threat match. Those opponents will be determined by TWO tag team battle royals, one traditional and one casino, with the winners getting the title shots. The Acclaimed come in to say they’re invoking their rematch clause, so we’ll make it a four way. Sure, why not. It’s not like we haven’t seen battle royals done to death around here.

The Elite, with basketballs, are in the back when Top Flight/AR Fox, also with basketballs, come in for the challenge for Friday’s Rampage: Slam Dunk. It’s on, with Brandon Cutler taking a basketball low blow. During the exchange, the video blipped with a shot of the House Of Black appearing. Is there another viable trio to challenge for the titles at the moment?

Hangman Page vs. Kip Sabian

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian. They start fast with Sabian hitting a Stundog Millionaire and a reverse Cannonball in the corner. A big boot gets Page out of trouble so Sabian bails to the floor. They trade places so a Ford distraction sets up a Sabian baseball slide. An Arabian moonsault drops Page and we take a break. Back with Page whipping Sabian into the barricade and taking him back inside for the Deadeye and the pin at 6:39. Not enough shown to rate but it wasn’t as much of a squash as it should have been.

Post match here is the Blackpool Combat Club to talk to Page, with Moxley saying their issue is over. Page doesn’t think so, and says it should end at Revolution when one man can’t stand. Moxley says Page has no friends so here is the Dark Order, with Evil Uno getting in Moxley’s face. Moxley challenges Page to a Texas Deathmatch and leaves. Page isn’t happy with the Dark Order for getting involved. The crowd didn’t seem to care, and Dark Order feels like a holdover from the old days that Tony Khan forgot to release.

The Jericho Appreciation Society says Ricky Starks isn’t facing Chris Jericho again. Instead, he can face Daniel Garcia on Rampage.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Stokely Hathaway is furious about Hook injuring him and has talked to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Matt Hardy thinks it could lead to a big match but we get word that Hook has been suspended pending an investigation.

Penelope Ford vs. Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho

Saraya and Jamie Hayter are here too. Before the match, Saraya and Storm attack a fan at ringside and rip up her sign. The bell rings and Soho isn’t interested in a quick alliance offer, instead clearing the ring without much trouble. Soho doesn’t go after either of them though, allowing Storm to come back in and elbow her in the face.

We take a break and come back with an exchange of shots to the face until Storm loads up the running hip attack to Baker. Storm grabs a German suplex on Soho, with Baker rolling Storm up at the same time to make it worse. Baker hits the fisherman’s neckbreaker on Storm but gets sent into the corner off a Downward Spiral.

Soho gets knocked out of the air to set up the Texas Cloverleaf, with Baker trying to add the Lockjaw. Saraya makes the save and Storm goes after Hayter, leaving Baker to get caught with the hip attack (complete with said hips being spray painted by Saraya). Soho sends Storm into Saraya on the floor though and rolls Baker up for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C-. So not only was the match a mess with people running in, but it also accomplished/changed absolutely nothing. This whole story has only been so interesting in the first place and having it be a three way feud between the homegrowns, the imports and whatever Soho is isn’t going to make it that much better.

Post match Saraya and Hayter yell at Soho before going to check on their friends. Soho motions that she wants a title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a weird show in that it wasn’t bad but it was just kind of there. Not much seemed important and it felt like something that they threw together at the last minute after forgetting they had a show this week. There are two more Dynamites before Revolution and AEW has a lot of work to do to make the show feel important. This didn’t really come close to doing that, but AEW knows how to make up for lost time in a hurry. Not a terrible show, but it was bad for a Dynamite.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh – Scissor Me Timbers to Dutt
Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli b. Rush/Preston Vance – Cross armbreaker to Vance
Mark Briscoe b. Josh Woods – Froggy Bow
Jungle Boy b. Brian Cage – Rollup
Hangman Page b. Kip Sabian – Deadeye
Ruby Soho b. Britt Baker and Toni Storm – Rollup to Baker

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

AND

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

Rampage
Date: February 10, 2023
Location: County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We are still in Texas with less than a month to go before Revolution. That should make for a few interesting weeks but this week’s lineup doesn’t exactly offer much in the way of hope. The Blackpool Combat Club is here though and that is one of the better things Rampage could do. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian

Sabian drives Yuta into the corner to start but a sunset flip gets Yuta out of trouble. Yuta is sent outside and Castagnoli comes in, with Butcher getting to come in as well for the power staredown. They yell at each other and slug it out, with both of them staggering. Moxley and then Yuta come in to take turns on Butcher as Jericho talks about the Impractical Jokers cast stealing his baseball bat.

Sabian is able to grab a flipping Stunner on Yuta for a breather and Blade gets to stomp away. That doesn’t last long and it’s Moxley coming back in to bite Sabian in the head. Moxley goes for the Kimura and elbows at the head, only to get kneed in the face. Sabian sends him outside and we take a break.

Back with Moxley fighting out of trouble and handing it off to Castagnoli for the running uppercuts in the corner. A running dropkick puts Blade down and Sabian has to save him from the Swing. That means the Swing has Sabian in trouble and the Blade gets caught in the Sharpshooter. Butcher makes the save but gets cuttered and we hit the parade of big shots to the face. Castagnoli plants Blade for two with Sabian making the save. Moxley cutters a springboarding Sabian out of the air and Castagnoli finishes with the uppercut at 13:27.

Rating: B. This was similar to last week’s Elite match, as there was no reason to believe there was an upset coming, but it was a lot of fun to watch. That’s the kind of no pressure match that could do a lot of good around here as you get star power, entertaining action and nothing that really matters. Very fun stuff here and it’s not like Sabian and company are hurt by the loss.

Darby Allin promises to not go after the TNT Title again as long as Samoa Joe is champion. He and Sting have something planned though.

We get a short sneak preview of a sitdown interview with Adam Cole. He’s interested in facing some people on the roster.

Ricky Starks wants Chris Jericho again and he’ll beat up Daniel Garcia to take his first step there.

Here are the Impractical Jokers with Chris Jericho’s bat. It’s a lot smaller than they were expecting but here is the Jericho Appreciation Society to beat them down. One is put on a table, with Hager powerbombing the other through him.

Dustin Rhodes says Swerve Strickland crossed the line by mentioning his family. Rhodes has been doing this longer than Strickland has been alive. Rhodes: “What are those three triangles on your chest? They look like Doritos, and I like Doritos!” He’s coming for Strickland’s blood and soul so here are Parker Boudreaux and Trench to beat him down. Strickland comes in to say the match is on for next week.

Ruby Soho vs. Marina Shafir

Vickie Guerrero is here with Shafir. They go to the mat to start with an exchange of arm cranking. Back up and Soho hits a running forearm as we take a break. Back with Soho hitting a kind of reverse fisherman’s suplex but missing a top rope something. No Future is countered so Soho hits some headbutts. Destination Unknown finishes Shafir at 6:40.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do anything here, especially with half of the match in the commercial. Soho continues to be the What If in the originals vs. newcomers feud and odds are we’ll get to see something develop there soon. Shafir is fine in this role and Soho beating her feels like a bit of an accomplishment. Granted Soho beating anyone at this point is a bit of a surprise.

Post match Saraya and Toni Storm come out to talk to Soho but Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter run in for the big brawl as Soho looks on.

Mark Briscoe is feeling real good about wrestling again on Dynamite next week. Mark Sterling comes in to offer his services but Briscoe “will be flying solo on this excursion.” The brawl is teased but Josh Woods comes in for the staredown, saying this isn’t Sandy Fork.

Jungle Boy vs. Ryan Nemeth

Jungle Boy knocks him outside for a suicide dive in less than ten seconds. Back in and Nemeth rolls through a high crossbody for two, setting up a DDT. Nemeth gyrates a bit so Jungle Boy hits a sliding forearm to the back of the head for the pin at 1:24. Well that was efficient.

Post match Brian Cage comes out for the staredown.

Ortiz isn’t going to let Eddie Kingston become a follower of the House Of Black.

Stokely Hathaway and Danhausen are ready for Lee Moriarty vs. Orange Cassidy.

Hangman Page is livid over losing to Jon Moxley again and says it’s not over yet. Kip Sabian comes in with Penelope Ford to mock Page, who lunges at him before walking away.

All Atlantic Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Lee Moriarty

Cassidy is defending with Danhausen and Stokely Hathaway here too. Moriarty grabs a hammerlock to start and even steals Cassidy’s glasses. As Cassidy slips out, JR sends best wishes to Jerry Lawler, with Jericho immediately talking about how much he loves Lawler. Cassidy uses the hands in the pockets to escape but gets shouldered down. That means some lazy kicks from the mat (Jericho: “Like Inoki against Ali!”) before Cassidy is sent to the apron.

Some rams into the buckle rock Moriarty but Cassidy misses a top rope clothesline. A European Clutch gives Moriarty two and he slams the arm onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Cassidy hitting the top rope clothesline, allowing Excalibur to rapid fire off the preview for next week’s shows. The Stundog Millionaire rocks Moriarty but he blocks the tornado DDT. Cassidy grabs a sleeper but Moriarty drops backwards for the break.

The Border City Stretch is blocked so Moriarty elbows away at the shoulder instead. With Cassidy on the floor, Danhausen goes for his low blow on Hathaway, who blocks it with the cast on his left arm. Cassidy hits his dive onto Moriarty and grabs the top rope DDT back inside. The Orange Punch is countered into a hard lariat but Cassidy Beach Breaks him for two. Now the Orange Punch can connect but the arm is too banged up. Moriarty gets the Border City Stretch, only to have Cassidy roll him up to retain at 11:27.

Rating: C+. Rampage as something like the Orange Cassidy Show isn’t the worst idea, as the fans love him and he holds the most worthless of the AEW titles. It really only has value to Cassidy and having him beat one midcard challenger after another is a fine way to go. That was on full display here and the formula still works.

Post match Satnam Singh comes in for the staredown but Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal run in from behind. Lethal hits Cassidy and Danhausen with the Golden Globe. The Best Friends try to come in but get beaten down as well. Jarrett loads up the guitar….but the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn run in with chairs to end the show. What an odd choice for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here, though the ending was more than a little head scratching. What matters is that Rampage is starting to find itself again. AEW has made it pretty clear that they have no long term interest in making Rampage important so just do something like this every week: a few big names, feature the people who aren’t on Dynamite that often, and just have a good time. If that’s all Rampage is going to be, I can think o worse uses for the hour.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade – Uppercut to Sabian
Ruby Soho b. Marina Shafir – Destination Unknown
Jungle Boy b. Ryan Nemeth – Sliding forearm
Orange Cassidy b. Lee Moriarty – Rollup

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: January 25, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

This is going to be an emotional one as the main event will feature the Jay Briscoe Tribute match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. If that’s not enough, we’re still on the way to Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson gets to wrestle again. This time he has to find a way around Brian Cage, which is quite the different opponent than he has had in recent weeks. Other than that, the Gunns and the Acclaimed are going to have family therapy, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, looking almost across from the big screen (Much appreciated on the early birthday present Jacob.).

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti/Ricky Starks

We are joined in the middle of Jericho’s entrance (including Daniel Garcia), which came after Justin Roberts asked if we should start early. Andretti and Guevara start things off and exchange some flips without being able to make a ton of contact. Andretti’s standing moonsault misses and they stare at each other for a bit. Guevara offers a handshake and then superkicks him in the face to take over.

A headscissors sends Guevara outside though and it’s time for a breather, leaving Andretti to do Guevara’s pose. Back in and a dropkick sends Andretti outside for a change but they change places, with Andretti diving onto Garcia (who Guevara pulled in the way). Guevara is right back in for his own dive to take over again but Andretti sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana back inside. It’s off to Starks vs. Jericho with Starks countering a dropkick into a catapult.

Starks tries his rope walk but Guevara springboards in to cutter Starks down (it would be a bit more heelish to just shake the ropes but that doesn’t work as well on a highlight reel). The villains take turns slamming Starks (Jericho: “Sammy, watch this!”) before hitting their required double pose. That takes a bit too long though and Guevara dives over for the hot tag to Andretti to clean house with a pair of backbreaker/neckbreaker combinations.

Back to back dives have Jericho and Guevara in trouble and Starks adds a tornado DDT to take Guevara down. Starks counters the Codebreaker into a sitout powerbomb for two on Jericho and it’s back to Andretti. Everything breaks down and Andretti hits Guevara with a poisonrana into a torture rack neckbreaker for two more. Starks Roshambos Jericho on the floor as Guevara goes up, only to have his cutter caught in a torture rack (dang). Garcia is right up with a bat shot though and the GTH finishes Andretti at 12:46.

Rating: B-. Here is where things get tricky with something like having Andretti beat Jericho: at some point he has to lose, and now Guevara has beaten someone who only had one or two wins. This cuts off a lot of Andretti’s momentum and doesn’t do much for Guevara, but it had to happen at some point. At least Jericho didn’t get the pin to get his heat back, but odds are he’ll find another way to do that. The match itself was entertaining with Andretti doing all of his dives and Starks adding his charisma, but Andretti had to lose at some point so it might as well be here.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We get a rather touching Jay Briscoe tribute video. They aired this twice in the arena and it’s still incredible on a third viewing.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Buddy Matthews

Allin, with his bad leg, is defending and has Sting in his corner to counter Julia Hart. They stare at each other to start until Julia’s distraction lets Matthews send him outside for a ram into the barricade. Allin fights up and tries a suicide dive, which is pulled out of the air for some drops onto the barricade. A running powerbomb into the barricade is countered into a hurricanrana to send Allin in instead.

Back in and the flipping Stunner drops Matthews, setting up the Coffin Drop from the top to the floor. Then the lights go out and we have the rest of the House Of Black to stare down Sting. Cue Ortiz from behind with a kendo stick and everyone else brawls to the floor. Matthews hits a sitout powerbomb for two more and we take a break.

Back with Allin spiking him with a poisonrana and they go to the floor again. A crucifix bomb gives Allin two and they’re both down for a breather. Matthews hits a Buckle Bomb into a Stomp for a freakin two but Allin’s Code Red gets the same. Allin goes up but gets caught, only to reverse a superplex into a super Coffin Drop for two. With Matthews draped over the middle rope, the Coffin Drop to the back retains the title at 12:50.

Rating: C+. Shenanigans aside, this was another good effort from Allin, who has that underdog charisma that you want to see no matter what he is doing. Allin knows how to take the fans on a ride with him and you want to see him fight back and survive in the end. Good enough match as Allin racks up another defense before he gets to whomever his next big challenger might be.

Post match Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to talk to Allin but Samoa Joe interrupts on the screen. Joe talks about how Allin stole the TNT Title and in some kingdoms, that means cutting off hands. In Joe’s kingdom, it means a beating, which is what happens when Joe comes to get his title back. There’s your big challenger.

Video on Adam Cole’s recovery as he is in the ring training. I don’t think this aired in the arena.

Matt Hardy/Ethan Page vs. Jungle Boy/Hook

Stokely Hathaway and Isiah Kassidy are here with Hardy/Page. Before the match, Page insists on his own music being played, much to the fans’ annoyance. Jungle Boy works on Page’s arm to start but it’s quickly a four way standoff. Page shoves Hook and then bails, meaning he has to run from Hook on the floor. The t-bone suplex is broken up but Jungle Boy breaks up an Ego’s Edge. Page takes over on Jungle Boy back inside and we take a break.

Back with Jungle Boy diving through the legs and bringing in Hook for the suplexes. Everything breaks down and Jungle Boy gets two off a small package to Page. Matt comes in for the Side Effect but Page wants in before the Twist of Fate. Jungle Boy pulls him down into the Snare Trap for the tap at 7:01.

Rating: C. The Page/Hardy stuff still isn’t doing anything for me but the fans were way into Jungle Boy and Hook. As annoying as the “combine two names to make a team name” can be, the fans are digging them and Hook is moved into his first serious deal. You could only have him squash people on Rampage for so long and now he is handling this part well enough so far.

We go to family therapy with the Acclaimed/Billy Gunn and the Gunn Club. Billy, who called for this, asks when his sons became so entitled. The Gunns talk about how their dad was never there for them and they want the titles. Bowens thinks they are pieces of s*** and would have been fine enough with Billy. They just wouldn’t have been the Acclaimed because no one can be. Austin says that their issues as sons are Billy’s failures as a father. They want the titles, wrapping up a not very interesting segment.

Hangman Page says he and Jon Moxley are 1-1 and he wants to knock Moxley out next week in Dayton, Ohio and win their series. Wheeler Yuta comes in and isn’t happy with Page going after someone not medically cleared. They can fight on Rampage before Moxley is back next week. Deal, with Page threatening to knock him out next week too.

Brian Cage vs. Bryan Danielson

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who shoves Danielson around without much trouble. Danielson strikes away but gets taken into the corner for the hard chops. Cage gets rolled over and elbowed in the head but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock. Danielson sends him outside instead and hits a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody. Back in and Cage gorilla presses him into the corner before hitting a suplex onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Danielson headbutting him out of a bearhug but the moonsault out of the corner is pulled out of the air though and a shoulderbreaker works on Danielson’s arm. Cage sends him to the apron, setting up the apron superplex and apron German superplex (cool) for two.

They go up top where Danielson blocks a powerbomb and starts firing off kicks, setting up a superplex of his own. A triangle choke has Cage in more trouble but he rolls out, only to have Danielson grab an ankle lock. Danielson pulls him back for a German suplex (cool) before trying the running knee. That is countered into a powerbomb but Danielson rolls through and stacks him up for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Watching Danielson has become such a treat as you see him figuring out his weekly puzzle. Some of them are easy like Takeshita, but he managed to get a good match out of Cage here. That is quite an amazing talent to have and it is so much fun to watch him do this week in and week out while making it look effortless.

Post match Cage goes right after the arm and crushes it against the post with a chair. Cue MJF as Cage loads up the Pillmanizing on the arm. Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the save as Danielson gets to extend his world record of “most times selling an arm injury”.

Post break, Danielson is getting his arm checked out and has a pretty serious injury. He doesn’t care though because he is coming for MJF and the title. MJF has done a lot to Danielson and now Danielson is coming to take what matters most to MJF in the world.

Ruby Soho vs. Toni Storm

During the entrances, Storm mocks the homegrown AEW women while Soho says the only thing that matters is how hard you work. Soho knocks her to the floor to start but gets knocked down back inside. A tornado DDT is blocked and Soho strikes away so Storm pokes her in the eye. The running hip attack knocks Soho hard to the floor and Storm whips her into various things until we take a break.

Back with Soho hitting a German suplex, setting up No Future for two. Soho gets in a shot to the face and hang on as Storm’s face is messed up (allegedly). The goldbricking Storm snaps off a German suplex and hits the running hip attack in the corner. A tornado DDT gives Storm two but here is Britt Baker for a distraction. Soho grabs Destination Unknown for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C. This was more about advancing the outsiders vs. insiders feud and as a result, it was nice to have it go short. It’s also nice to see Soho getting a win, as she is still trying to get and keep herself on the right track for once. Beating a former Women’s Champion always helps and maybe this is the start of her first better run around here.

MJF is sitting in what looks to be a closet, saying he isn’t “the first Jew to have to hide from a man with blue eyes.” He likes Konosuke Takeshita’s abilities but either stay out of his business or face the consequences. As for Bryan Danielson, he was talking about wanting this title, which is the thing that proves that he is the best. Danielson is a legend but he needs to chase the title. Danielson’s shoulder is hanging on by a thread so MJF has made a phone call. Next week: Danielson vs. Timothy Thatcher.

Video on Thatcher. This has potential.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Jamie Hayter vs. Emi Sakura, who face off on Rampage.

Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe

This is the Jay Briscoe tribute match on what would have been his 39th birthday. Jay is crying on his way to the ring (alone) and Mark has both Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles. We get the Big Match Intros and a rather emotional handshake. They trade takedowns to start and that’s an early standoff. An exchange of chops goes to Mark so he clotheslines Jay down and hits a running boot to the face. Lethal is right back with the Lethal Combination but Mark hits grabs his brother’s hangman’s neckbreaker for two.

We take a break and come back with Mark Iconoclasming him down for two but Jay blocks a Jay Driller. Another Lethal Combination looks to set up a Figure Four but Mark rolls him up for two. The Lethal Injection connects, only to have Mark roll outside. A ram into the barricade lets Jay put him on the table but Mark is right back up.

Lethal is knocked to the floor for the running apron Blockbuster as the fans are rather pleased. Mark puts him on the table and hits a huge Froggy Bow to drive Jay right through it. That’s good for two back inside so Mark hits him with a hard running clothesline. Another clothesline sets up the Jay Driller to give Mark the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B. I thought about not rating this one and that still might have been the right move. This was about letting two people who meant a lot to Jay Briscoe go out there and have a good match in his honor. They did their jobs well, with Mark showing that he could more than hang at this level. It would be nice to have him around if he wants to be, but taking some time away would not be a surprise either.

Post match the locker room comes out, many of them in Jay Briscoe shirts, for the big tribute. Lethal and Mark both go up the ramp and have quite the tearful embrace.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t the greatest show, but they made what they had work pretty well. That’s as much as you can ask for with a bit of a weak card, as we start to head towards Revolution. They’re doing a nice job of setting the show up as you can see a lot of the card, but there is still a lot of work to be done. That being said, this is going to be remembered for the main event and honoring Jay Briscoe, which is a lot more important than building to a show in a month and a half. This was an emotional night and that is what made it special, so good for them for making it work.

Results
Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara b. Action Andretti/Ricky Starks – GTH to Andretti
Darby Allin b. Buddy Matthews – Coffin Drop
Jungle Boy/Hook b. Matt Hardy/Ethan Page – Snare Trap to Page
Bryan Danielson b. Brian Cage – Rollup
Ruby Soho b. Toni Storm – Destination Unknown
Mark Briscoe b. Jay Lethal – Jay Driller

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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night One
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Gill, Lenny Leonard

This is probably the crown jewel of the indy shows over Wrestlemania Weekend, just because of how insane it can get. Janela’s shows have a tendency to be completely nuts with some incredibly fun stuff and surprises. I’m actually looking forward to this one just for the atmosphere so let’s get to it.

Tag Team Titles: Second Gear Crew vs. Briscoes vs. Nick Gage

Gage is defending on his own as his partner, Matt Tremont, couldn’t make the show. Like him or not, Gage continues to be over like free beer in a frat house. It’s a big brawl to start and the doors are already brought in. The Briscoes bring in some chairs as well but Warner chokeslams Jay through a door for two. Mark is back up and Swantons Warner, sitting in a chair, down for a big crash.

Gage grabs the broken door and drops a twisting Vader Bomb onto Warner before stopping for the MDK chants. A piece of the table is used to carve up Warner’s head….and here is Slade to throw Gage a pizza cutter. Apparently Slade is Gage’s partner and he’ll carve up Warner’s head as well. Then Slade cuts himself because these people are not normal. Jay is back up to clean house, including Redneck Boogie to Slade.

Justice comes in with some chair shots and let’s bridge a door over some open chairs. Gage is up with some chair shots and now it’s time for a staple gun. Warner’s tongue is stapled to the door (good grief) but a piledriver through the door rips it free. Back in and Jay hits a Jay Driller into a Froggy Bow to give Mark two, with Slade making the save. Slade tries to fight off the Briscoes but it’s a Doomsday Device to give Jay the pin and the titles at 11:15.

Rating: C+. The nutty violence aside (hopefully far aside), this was an energetic match with the Briscoes adding some credibility to the whole thing. As much as I can’t stand Gage, he is the biggest star in the world to this audience and starting the show with him is a smart thing to do. Let him go out there and pop the crowd like no one else in GCW and get the show off to a hot start, especially if he is going to lose the titles with an out.

Post match the Briscoes celebrate before leaving Gage to get a hero’s applause.

Allie Katch is sitting in a room with candles around. Tonight she is facing Mickie James, who isn’t her dream match, but rather her fantasy. We get the infamous Mickie finger lick from the Trish Stratus match as this took a sharp turn.

Jeff Jarrett gets in his car, thinks he sees someone behind him, gets out to check, finds nothing, and gets back in.

AR Fox vs. Blake Christian

This should be fun and Fox’s wife Ayla is here with him. The fans are behind Christian as he flips out of a headscissors to start. Fox kicks him away and we get a staredown into a handshake. A dropkick sends Christian into the corner for a running clothesline but Christian picks the pace right back up. Christian’s dropkick into a nipup but Fox sends him outside for a heck of a running dive.

Fox gets a running charge for a boot to the face in the chairs but Christian drops him with a hard shot of his own. Back in and Christian hits a low superkick but can’t get a Border City Stretch. Instead Fox bails to the floor, allowing Christian to take him down with a dive of his own. Fox is fine enough to hit a twisting suplex for two and it’s time to slug it out.

Both of them try a cutter at the same time and we get a double breather. It’s Fox up with a rolling cutter into a rolling cutter for two but Christian hits Three Amigos, because Eddie Guerrero. A frog splash, also because Eddie Guerrero, gives Christian two but Fox is back up with Lo Mein Pain (middle rope Spanish Fly, which I’m guessing is somehow connected to Eddie Guerrero is well). Fox hits a 450 for two but Christian grabs a Spanish Fly into a wind up double arm DDT (that’s different, and called the Golden Trident) for the pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was a fun one as Fox is about as much of a guaranteed good match as you’ll find on the indies. He’s just smooth in the ring and works well with anyone so this couldn’t have gone much better. Christian has been popping up more and more lately and you can see the talent in him. He’ll need something to make him stand out more but so far so pretty good.

Mickie James vs. Allie Katch

Effy is here with Katch. They fight over a lockup to start as we talk about what James has done so far this year. Katch takes her down but James flips up and we have a standoff. Mickie grabs a snapmare to set up a running kick to the chest but Katch is right back for the chop exchange.

The hurricanrana out of the corner is countered with a (rather enthusiastic) Katch powerbomb for two so Mickie kicks her low. Katch is fine enough to kick her down in the corner for a Cannonball and let’s bring in a door. Instead of, you know, using it, Katch knees her in the face to knock Mickie silly.

That means it’s time to load up two chairs and a door over them but Mickie flapjacks her through it instead. The top rope Thesz press gives Mickie two but the MickieDT is broken up. With neither going anywhere, they trade crotch grabs until a headbutt drops Mickie for two more. Back up and Mickie kisses Katch, kicks her in the face, and grabs the MickieDT for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: C+. Katch is someone who shows her potential every time she’s in there and it’s good for her to work with a legend like James, who can make her that much better. The match was pretty good as well, with the two of them hitting each other rather hard, though the violence was out of place. They also went a bit too far with the callbacks to Mickie vs. Trish Stratus, but the good parts were good enough to carry this far enough.

Post match Katch gets on the fans for booing James, because there is no Katch without James. Oh and that was the first ever women’s match at Spring Break. How is that possible?

Ninja Mack vs. Alec Price vs. Gringo Loco vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jordan Oliver vs. Nick Wayne

One fall to a finish because we need a scramble match. They stare each other down to start and lock knuckles before going into the big series of kicks to the head. Everyone misses some kind of running splash and it’s another seven way staredown a minute in. The dives to the floor take some people down, setting up Loco’s big dive onto everyone else. Back in and Price hits an Alberto double stomp on Loco, followed by Cartwheel sweeping Lloyd’s legs.

Wayne tries to flip back in but gets sent ribs first into the corner by Lloyd. We settle down to Wayne vs. Oliver in a slugout until Oliver blocks a moonsault with raised knees. Cartwheel comes in to clear the ring but gets taken down by Mack for a twisting moonsault. Loco dives onto a bunch of people, leaving Cartwheel to knock Price outside as well. Cartwheel hits his own dive and Wayne is back in with a springboard Ace Cutter for the pin on Lloyd at 8:11.

Rating: C+. This was every scramble match you’ve seen in a long time, as there is little that anyone can do to make themselves stand out in a match like this one. There are seven people in a match that got just over eight minutes. Wayne is someone I’ve heard a good deal about for the last few months and I haven’t seen much of him. After this, I still haven’t as he barely got any time to shine with everyone else in there at the same time.

Joey Janela vs. X-Pac

This should be….something. X-Pac looks great and Janela is in Razor Ramon style gear, as a rather horrible way to get into X-Pac’s head. Janela knocks him into the corner to start and chops away but has to duck a spinning kick to the head. The Bronco Buster misses as well so Janela heads outside, where X-Pac hits a running seated senton off the apron.

Janela is fine enough to post X-Pac seems rather pleased with the fans hating him (makes you wonder why they bought tickets to JOEY JANELA’S Spring Break but oh well). The boos turn into dueling chants as Janela grabs a chair and pulls X-Pac back inside. X-Pac fights out of the chinlock and grabs a tornado DDT for a much needed breather. Now the spinning kick to the head connects and they head to the apron, where Janela is fine enough to grab a Death Valley Driver.

It’s time to set up a door over a pair of chairs but Janela takes too long, allowing X-Pac to come back with a slingshot flip dive to put him through the door instead. The X-Factor gets two back inside but Janela pulls him into a Crossface. With that broken up, Janela pulls in a bunch of other plunder, meaning it’s another door bridged over two chairs, because that worked so well earlier.

Janela takes WAY too long setting that up and going to the top, meaning it’s a super X-Factor through the door….for two as Janela gets a foot on the rope. Back up and Janela hits a super brainbuster for two and a double stomp through the door gets two more. Janela goes up again and gets shoved off the top and through another door at ringside. Back in and X-Pac chairs Janela down but a low blow and superkick lets Janela get the pin at 19:23.

Rating: C. This match just got on my nerves as X-Pac was doing his thing and trying to have a match while Janela was doing every stupid stunt that he could, none of which he bothered to sell. I know Janela is a big deal around here but you could see the difference in quality here and it was annoying seeing this be all about Janela. X-Pac might not be some all time legend (though he was very good), but he deserved better than this.

Post match X-Pac thanks the fans and puts over GCW, which he says is his family today. If you’re not down with X-Pac and GCW, he has two words for you.

GCW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. AJ Gray

Moxley is defending and Gray’s Extreme Title isn’t on the line. They start a bit slowly with Moxley taking him into the corner but getting shoved away. Gray takes the leg out and nails a spinwheel kick to the face to drop the champ (at least the one defending). A slugout goes to Gray and they head outside where Moxley suckers him in and takes the fight into the crowd.

You can’t actually see what they’re doing for a bit until Moxley gets into an open space and poses a bit before being knocked back to ringside by a bloody Gray. Moxley is fine enough to suplex Gray at ringside and it’s time for a barbed wire door. A release suplex drops Gray onto said barbed wire onto said door before Moxley stabs him with some barbed wire sheers. The barbed wire is used for a low blow and then wrapped around Gray’s face to make it worse.

A neckbreaker, with barbed wire, gives Moxley two and it’s off to an STF, complete with more barbed wire. Since that isn’t violent enough, Moxley puts the barbed wire door up in the corner and is speared (or kind of shoved) through it, due to wrestling rule #37. Gray hits a moonsault, mainly on Moxley’s face, for two and it’s ladder time, because of course it is. That’s not enough so here’s a door to go with it, with the ladder set at ringside and the door on some chairs close enough to it.

An STO on the apron rocks Moxley again and Gray elbows him off the ladder through the door. Back in and they get up to slug it out, because that kind of a spot is just there in a match like this. Gray blasts him with a lariat for two and it’s time for some….light tubes wrapped in barbed wire. That’s so stupid it even has Moxley backing up, only to come back with a jumping cutter onto the tubes for two. That and a piledriver get two, followed by a Death Rider onto more light tubes to retain the title at 22:18.

Rating: C. The match felt big, but every time they started to get something going, the violence got to be too much. The bigger thing here though was Moxley’s star power, which was more than enough to carry the match. Gray is someone who has impressed me just about every time I’ve seen him and he was good here, but as usual, the light tubes and doors were too much for it to be that great.

Post match they shake hands and respect is show.

Ultraviolent Title: John Wayne Murdoch vs. Alex Colon

Murdoch is challenging and Colon has beaten him a few times before. Colon has a bunch of belts around his waist and shoulders, most of which aren’t identified. Murdoch isn’t about to wait and hits him in the head with some light tubes during the Big Match Intros so we’re starting fast. Some whips send Colon into a variety of things in the corner and against the ropes before tossing him off the top, through a table covered with more light tubes.

Colon is already busted so Murdoch drives more glass into the head. Back in and Colon whips him through a door in the corner, followed by a running knee to drive light tubes into Murdoch’s chest. Then Colon stabs himself with broken tubes, which he then drives into Murdoch’s head. They headbutt it out on the floor before coming back inside, where Colon hits him with another light tube.

More light tubes do the same thing as the previous light tubes but Murdoch pops up and hits a piledriver. Colon pops back up and sends Murdoch outside, setting up a suicide dive with a light tube. Murdoch avoids a charge into the post and we pause as Colon might be seriously injured. Colon’s bloody arm is covered in a towel so Murdoch suplexes him onto more light tubes for two. A board to the arm sets up a cross armbreaker to give Murdoch the title at 13:48.

Rating: D. I can’t stand this kind of match as it’s the same stuff over and over. How many times are you supposed to hit someone with a light tube before it stops meaning anything? In this case it would be about two out of the thirty or so tubes they probably used before a dumb ending. What is there to say here? You had two guys hit each other with light tubes over and over until someone won. Rather downer of a main event and that’s never a good thing.

Post match Murdoch talks a lot of trash and tells Colon to get out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was actually pretty ok for the most part, save for a terrible main event. Swap in Moxley, who felt like a much bigger star, into that spot and the show is better, but still not great. Spring Break has always been one of the more fun shows over Wrestlemania weekend and that really wasn’t the case here. It’s not an awful show, but there is nothing memorable or overly fun here and that hurt things a lot. Mickie James and X-Pac are cool, but they aren’t enough to make the show feel all that important. Hopefully night two is better though, because this was the least memorable Spring Break show to date.

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WrestleCon Supershow 2022
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Veda Scott

This is one of the biggest and most interesting shows of Wrestlemania Weekend as you do not know what you are going to get on any given show. Some of the matches are going to be announced in advance, but sometimes you are just going to get some wrestlers without opponents. This is the non-WWE ticket I make sure to get every year and this was no exception. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting opposite the main screen about five rows back.

One more note: after the show was over, the fans would be allowed to vote on their choice for best match. The wrestlers in that match would split $5,000, which seems to be a legitimate prize. It worked for Kip Allen Frye and it should work here too.

We open with the traditional graphic for the show as we wait on the feed to start. The music that was being played in the arena still going on in the background does help a bit.

The video starts with a look at Mark Hitchcock, a graphic designer who worked for WrestleCon but passed away on his honeymoon. The show is named in his honor, though the introduction of the tribute isn’t included here.

Mike Bailey vs. Bandido

Bad start to the show: ignore Bret Hart’s music starting for no apparent reason, plus the ring announcer introducing Bandido as Bailey’s video plays on the wall. Commentary talks about how they’re supposed to be impartial, but Veda might be about to marry Bailey in a few months. They start with the handshake but then start the fast pace with neither being able to hit much of anything.

With that not working, they wind up on the apron less than a minute in with Bandido missing a baseball slide, allowing Bailey to jump to the top for a moonsault out to the floor (that was some sweet timing). They walk around the ring with Bailey firing off some kicks to the chest. Back in and they chop it out until Bandido drops back to avoid a shot to the face, allowing him to nip up in a great looking sequence.

Bandido grabs a delayed vertical suplex….and by delayed I mean he holds Bailey up for 64 seconds before dropping him for a double knockdown. Back up and Bailey hits a running shot to the mask but Bandido grabs Three Amigos into the Eddie dance. There’s the frog splash to give Bandido two but Bailey counters the X Knee. The bouncing kicks rock Bandido, who is right back with a pop up cutter to put both of them down again.

They go to the floor and trade back to back to back to back dives (because of course) and they need a breather. It’s time for the required fight on the apron, including the chop off. Bailey takes him down and hits the moonsault double knees on the apron, only to miss the Ultimate Weapon (taking a rather hard landing on his knees). A big spinning faceplant sends Bailey out to the apron again, where a pop up cutter kind of drops Bailey face first.

Back in and the 21 Plex gives Bandido two and the kickout leaves him stunned. Bailey kicks him down and misses the Ultimate Weapon but settles for moonsault knees to the ribs. Shooting star knees to the ribs gets two and the Flamingo Driver (similar to the One Winged Angel) gives Bailey the same. Bandido is back up with some running knees and a release 21 Plex, setting up the super moonsault World’s Strongest Slam for the pin at 16:21.

Rating: B. This is a show where I’m going to be a good bit lighter on the ratings as this is all designed to be a bunch of one off matches. That was on display here, as they were doing everything they could and trying to fit in a bunch of spots. In that regard, they had a heck of a match here that had the crowd fired up, even if Bailey’s idea of selling his knee is grabbing it in between flips. Bandido continues to be amazing in just about everything he does and this was a lot of fun.

Post match fans throw money in the ring and, after seemingly realizing that it is cash instead of garbage, Bailey seems really taken aback. They split the money and show respect as Veda Scott takes some jabs at how expensive everything is at the hotel (hence why I stayed out of the restaurant).

And now, here is Bret Hart as a special ambassador. Bret comes to the stage, thanks the fans for being here, and wishes us a good night. He might have been out there for thirty seconds.

Mia Yim vs. Athena

Athena is better known as Ember Moon and is the hometown girl. We get a dueling chant before the bell with Athena dancing to her own chants. They mirror each other to start before going to a test of strength with Athena taking her down. Yim’s bridge holds up so they go to an exchange of wristlocks instead. Athena hits some cartwheel knees to the ribs and we’re already in a chinlock.

That’s broken up and Yim drives her into the corner before hitting a dropkick out to the floor. Athena has a seat at ringside and the chase lets her post Yim rather hard. Some right hands set up something like a standing Crossface, followed by Athena’s running forearm in the corner. Yim is back with the Tarantula but Athena breaks that up and hits a quick Downward Spiral.

The Koji Clutch goes on and is broken up just as fast, setting up a Boston crab from Yim. Back up and they hit stereo crossbodies for a quick double down. Yim is fine enough to hit a running big boot in the corner, setting up a Cannonball for two. The package piledriver is countered into an Alabama Slam so Athena goes up.

That’s broken up with a super hurricanrana attempt, which is countered into a super hurricanrana, which is countered into a super sitout powerbomb for two. The stunned Athena shoves Yim into the referee, meaning it’s time to grab a chair. That’s taken away and the distraction lets Yim hit the package piledriver for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. Athena isn’t someone who has been around very much lately but she can still go in the ring. Yim would fit the same description, as she can have a good to quite good match with anyone but for some reason neither are in a major promotion at the moment. I could go for either of them somewhere else, as this was a good, back and forth match that kept me interested.

Post match Athena gets a nice show of respect.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

This is going to hurt. Feeling out process to start with Thatcher using the height advantage to grab a quickly broken nerve hold. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Thatcher but Ishii is back with a Kimura, sending Thatcher straight to the ropes. They forearm/uppercut it out until Thatcher snaps off a belly to belly for two. A short armscissors keeps Ishii down as Scott puts over Thatcher’s abilities to hurt people in so many ways.

Thatcher kicks him to the apron but Ishii is back in with a suplex (not the brainbuster for some reason) for two. We get the big slugout until Ishii punches an enziguri out of the air. Thatcher is fine enough to snatch an ankle lock, which is reversed into another ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and now the enziguri can connect, setting up a cross armbreaker to put Ishii in more trouble.

A Fujiwara armbar sends Ishii over to the ropes again (you don’t see him do that very often) but he’s back with a clothesline into an enziguri. The sliding lariat gets two but the brainbuster attempt is countered into the Fujiwara armbar. Ishii counters that as well, setting up the brainbuster for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match where you know what you’re getting when you sign up for it and that is what we got here. Ishii and Thatcher know how to hurt people and they make it look really easy to do so. I could go for Thatcher showing up somewhere else as he is the kind of person wrestler that can always be added to a roster for some depth. Ishii is long established and he gave you what you’re needing here. Good, hard hitting match.

Scott talks about how there are matches that make her want to get in the ring and compete, whereas that one makes her glad to have this comfy chair.

Johnny WrestleCon vs. Taya Valkyrie

This is a Dirty Dishes match with the loser having to do the dishes for the rest of their lives. Before the match, Taya says they have been married for about five years and when they first got married, Johnny was so nice. Shopping trips, nice dinners, even making the bed. So what happened? Johnny has gotten so lazy that he can’t clean up after himself and can’t even, ahem, clean himself in certain areas.

As proof of how much of a slob he is, Taya has brought THEIR DIRTY DISHES to the show, with a bunch of people bringing them out. Johnny: “YOU BROUGHT OUR DISHES TO DALLAS???” Johnny laughs at the idea of Taya having to be right all the time and says ring the bell.

Feeling out process to start as the fans shout about JOHNNY DISHES. Johnny chills on top and they shout at each other until Taya hits a heck of a chop. Taya gets shoved down into the corner but she knocks him into another corner for some running knees. And now, it’s time for some dirty dishes (Ian: “Can’t they just hire someone to clean them?”) but Johnny smashes a plate over Taya’s head.

The flipping neckbreaker gives Johnny two as the fans dub him JOHNNY DOGHOUSE. A coffee cup is broken over Taya’s head but she kicks him to the apron. Johnny knocks her down again and busts out some sponges to rake the skin off of Taya’s back. Some Clorox to the back makes it even worse but Taya is back up with a spear. Two bottles are broken over Johnny’s head for two (Scott: “Why is he kicking out??? JUST DO THE D*** DISHES JOHNNY!”) and it’s time to spray some more cleaning stuff in Johnny’s face.

The cookie sheet is brought in but Taya hits La Mistica into the broken glass. Johnny blocks a kick and knocks Taya down into the splits, setting up some hip gyrations. That doesn’t do much for Taya, who hits him low and puts a bucket on his head for a DDT. A Canadian Destroyer with the bucket on Johnny’s head gets two but the referee gets taken down. Therefore the Road To Valhalla gets no cover, allowing Johnny to hit him in the face with a glass.

Johnny puts the bottles on her stomach and hits Starship Pain, which winds up being a rather bad idea. Hold on as Johnny grabs a mic and asks for a kitchen sink to be brought in. We get a rather large sink brought in but a Skull Crushing Finale (nice) onto the sink is countered with a Stunner. Taya hammers away and hits him with a bunch of plates, setting up the curb stomp onto the sink for the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B. This one is much more about the fun than the quality and that is the kind of match you need to have at the WrestleCon Supershow. Seeing the two of them go completely over the top and have that much fun with a match is all you could expect here. It was a novelty match but I had a blast with it both live and watching it back. Good stuff here that didn’t take itself seriously in any way.

Johnny: “I HATE DISHES! But I love you.”

The ring announcer explains how to vote on the Match of the Night and the $5,000 prize.

We have another WrestleCon ambassador: Jushin Thunder Liger, and yes the fans seem to like him. I met him earlier in the day so this was a cool surprise again. Liger shows up, takes some bows, and leaves.

Michael Oku/Laredo Kid/Rey Horus vs. Josh Alexander/Black Taurus/Ace Austin

Lucha rules and Ring Of Honor’s Cary Silkin is on commentary but I can’t hear a word he’s saying. Taurus misses a charge to start and gets armdragged down by Kid. A headbutt into a snap powerslam drops Kid and it’s off to Horus, who gets smacked in the face. Horus knocks Taurus (and yes commentary plays up the rhyme) to the floor for the big dive, meaning it’s off to Oku for a running kick to Austin’s face.

Alexander comes in and kicks Oku in the face to even things up, setting up a powerbomb onto the knee. Everything breaks down and Alexander and company clean house, leaving Taurus to hit a pop up Samoan drop on Oku. Silkin’s mic is fixed as Oku manages to stack up all three opponents and half crab (his finisher) all of them at once). Horus is back in with the satellite DDT on Taurus, setting up the huge dive over the post to take out Austin.

That doesn’t keep Austin down as he’s back up with some flips on the apron to kick away at Horus and Kid. Oku takes Austin down so Taurus hits a huge corkscrew suicide dive. Back in and Taurus hits a running crucifix bomb (cool) on Kid as commentary actually tries to keep track of who is legal. Alexander Death Valley Drivers Kid and Horus at the same time but Oku dives in with a top rope splash.

Austin hits Oku with a spinning slam but Horus catches him with a Spanish Fly for two. The Tower of Doom is loaded up but the people come crashing down instead (on purpose), leaving Taurus to hit a super gorilla press on Horus. Oku makes the save though and it’s back to back to back top rope splashes to finish Taurus at 13:08.

Rating: B. Much like the previous match, this is what you should have expected when you saw this match added to the card. They didn’t bother with the tagging and such and it would have been ridiculous to try and do so. I haven’t seen much of Oku but he seems to be pretty good at this wrestling thing. The other five were all awesome and it was a treat to see Alexander live, even if he was replacing Jonathan Gresham. Heck of a match here, again.

BUY THE HIGHSPOTS VIDEO NETWORK! No really, it’s a heck of a deal for about $10 a month.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick

This is going to hurt too. You might remember Busick as Oney Lorcan from NXT but he’s a bit more fun outside of WWE. They start slowly as Scott talks about Busick being busted open in a match earlier today. Suzuki grinds away on a headlock before switching over to a leglock as he has a thing about hurting limbs.

The threat of a Kimura doesn’t quite click as Suzuki gets caught in a headscissors, which is broken up for a standoff. Busick grabs a slam but has to escape an armbar over the ropes. They head outside with Busick being sent face first into the announcers’ table as Busick is busted open (again).

Back in and Suzuki drives an elbow into Busick’s head, setting up the Kimura. Suzuki switches to another armbar, allowing Busick to make it over to the ropes. The running elbows stagger Suzuki and it’s a half and half suplex into a half crab. Make that an STF as Busick goes Samoa Joe. Suzuki gets the legs free and makes the ropes, setting up a running kick to the chest. The chop off is on, with Busick staggering a lot more than Suzuki. Busick’s half and half doesn’t mean much as Suzuki hits another chop, setting up the Gotch style piledriver for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: B-. This was another good one but it felt a bit too much like the Ishii vs. Thatcher match. That being said, it was a hard hitting fight as Suzuki hurting people is always worth a look. Busick is someone else who didn’t quite get to be himself in WWE, though the lite version was still pretty good while it lasted. Another hard hitting match here and I had fun with it.

Team PCO vs. Team Onita

PCO, NZO, Jimmy Wang Yang, Barry Horowitz, Dirty Dango
Atsushi Onita, Rock N Roll Express, Juice Robinson, Colt Cabana

So this is….a choice. The ten person tag is the signature WrestleCon Supershow match as the captains get to pick their teams. Before the match, NZO gets in his catchphrase because…well why else is he here? Horowitz, who looks even more ancient than he is, comes out to We Are The Champions for a nice touch. Ian would also like to know how PCO could possibly know Dango but forgets all about that when Cabana comes out, turning Ian into a cheerleader for his former broadcast partner. Onita also has his chainsaw carrier with him for a bonus.

Cabana and Horowitz start things off with Cabana hugging one of his heroes. Horowitz tries to lock up but Cabana grabs the hand for a pat on the back instead. Robinson and Dango come in with Robinson working on a wristlock. A sunset flip gives us a crazy balancing act from Dango, who manages to turn it into some dancing. Cabana isn’t having that and comes in to catapult Robinson’s head up for a low blow (always funny) to take over.

It’s off to NZO to take Dango down and walk on his back, before handing it off to Yang for some COWBOY S***! Yang hammers away with some right hands in the corner and it’s off to PCO. Robinson tries to chop with him for some bizarre reason before handing it to Onita. The mist staggers PCO and they brawl to the floor for a pretty horrible DDT (with Onita losing him on the way down). Back in and Morton gets the tag, only to have NZO break up the double….uh, something.

Dango gets to pound Morton into the corner and hip grinds on his head for a bit. NZO misses a charge into the post though and the hot tag brings in Gibson so everything can break down. PCO cleans house and hits some suicide dives, setting up the Deanimator for two on Robinson. The chair is brought in but the PCOsault only hits mat, meaning Onita can come in. They mistime…something, until Onita kicks the chair into Dango’s face. The mist sets up a Stunner to give Onita the pin at 12:18.

Rating: D+. I know the match looked good on paper and was probably a funny idea, but this didn’t work whatsoever in execution and it was a huge misfire. A bunch of the people were either so broken down that they couldn’t move or just looked sad out there. This match tends to be the big showcase of the WrestleCon Supershow but this came off like a joke and that was more disappointing than anything else.

Post match Onita mists Yang and beats him into the crowd. That leaves Dango to get the Fandango music….and Summer Rae of all people comes to the ring to dance with him for some old times’ sake.

Rottweilers vs. Briscoes

You really can feel the energy when the Briscoes come out, as they are one of the most charismatic teams you will ever find. Hold on though, as we need to get to one of the most infamous moments of the weekend. Homicide seems to flip off a fan at ringside (though he might have been aiming at the Briscoes) but then Low Ki starts shouting at the fan. Said fan (in the front row) slams something against the barricade and Low Ki drops to the floor to get in his face.

The referee has to hold Low Ki back and Low Ki threatens to f*** the fan up. The rest of the fans egg Low Ki on and he goes outside again as the fan is taken out by part of the production team. With the fan gone, Low Ki sits in his front row seat before getting back on the apron. The bell FINALLY rings and commentary gets to talk again, as they were mostly silent during the whole thing.

Hold on again though as Homicide grabs the mic and says put that CENSORED in the front row. Homicide: “I F***** YOUR GIRL LAST NIGHT!” Low Ki says put him in the front row and adds an “oh good you’re back.” The fan shouts something else at Low Ki, who points out that he’s the one in the ring (though he’s on the apron at the moment) while the fan is the one paying to watch (fair point).

I actually got to talk to Low Ki the next day and he said that the whole thing was real, to the point where even the locker room wasn’t sure what happened after the show. Apparently the fan flipping him off was the point of no return and while Low Ki was working a bit, he was still mad about the whole thing.

With ALL of that out of the way, Mark and Low Ki trade arm control to start. Low Ki tries to roll out but Mark holds back, only to get pulled into an armbreaker over the ropes. With that broken up, Low Ki kicks him out of the corner and it’s Jay coming in for a running big boot. The Rottweilers are sent outside where they throw in a bunch of chairs. Jay likes this idea and grabs the mic, saying let’s make this No DQ. Doesn’t work for Homicide (brother) so Mark gets a running start and flip dives onto the Rottweilers on the floor.

The bell is rung on Low Ki’s head (right in front of the unruly fan) but Mark chairs Jay by mistake. We settle down to the Rottweilers elbowing Jay until Mark makes the save with a chair (as we seem to have hit No DQ by default). Everything breaks down and Jay superkicks Low Ki, who might have lost a tooth. The Doomsday Device is broken up but Homicide is sent to the floor, leaving Low Ki to have his Jay Drilled. The Froggy Bow gives Mark the pin at 12:00.

Rating: B-. Once we got all of the insanity out of the way, the match wound up being the pretty good stuff that you would have expected. You don’t see a bad Briscoes match and they were doing their usual stuff here, albeit against a team that you have to be an old school ROH fan to remember. The problem with that was the thing at the beginning, which took me completely out of the match and is all I could remember about the thing. Kind of a shame, but if Low Ki was going for memorable, he certainly got it.

Overall Rating: A-. Ten man tag and pre-main event fiasco aside, this was a heck of a show that did exactly what it was supposed to do. We got a bunch of solid wrestling with a nice mixture of things to make it work. The WrestleCon Supershow is designed to be a big mash up of all kinds of fun and wacky matches and that is what we had here. Heck of a show, but skip that ten man tag and the Low Ki stuff, as it really drags things down.

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Supercard Of Honor XV
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

Now this is a big one as we have the first new Ring of Honor show in about three and a half months. The catch this time though is that the company has been purchased by AEW President Tony Khan, which means there is likely to be a bigger AEW presence on this show. Most of the card hasn’t been announced, but we are getting the Briscoes vs. FTR, which should be pretty good. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about what it means to be a champion and looks at Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham. That’s the most important (singles) match on the card.

Commentary runs down the card.

Zero Hour: Colt Cabana vs. Blake Christian

The bigger Cabana backs him into the corner to start and counts his own four count to save the referee some work. They trade some wristlocks before Cabana cranks on both arms at the same time. Christian takes him down and gets two off a standing splash. Cabana sends him outside and blocks a wristdrag off the apron, sending Christian crashing down onto the floor.

Back in and Cabana listens to the crowd a bit too much, allowing Christian to send him into the corner. Cabana is fine enough to send him face first into the buckle, only to get caught with a handspring enziguri. Another enziguri sends Cabana outside, followed by a 450 for two back inside. Christian tries to take it up top but gets caught in the Chicago Skyline of all things for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: C. Cabana is a great choice for a spot like this as he isn’t going to do anything too ridiculous and is mainly there as a way to warm up the fans. He has been around Ring of Honor for so long that he is almost an institution in the place and the fans are going to react to him no matter what he does. Nice, safe match here and that’s all it needed to be.

Respect is shown after the match.

Zero Hour: AQA vs. Miranda Alize

AQA works on the arm to start and grabs a headlock takeover. La majistral gives AQA two and the armbar goes on. Alize finally fights up with some running knees in the corner, setting up a butterfly suplex for two. They fight over a suplex until a DDT gets two on Alize, leaving them both down.

Back up and a running dropkick into an ax handle drop Alize, setting up a Sling Blade for two. Alize pulls her off the top though and a ripcord cutter gets two, setting up a quickly broken Crossface. Some kicks to the head rock Alize though and a shooting star press gives AQA the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C-. The women’s division hasn’t exactly improved that much and this was another pretty weak example. No matter how you look at it, Ring of Honor’s women’s division has often been a problem and running two women out there in a cold match, when Alize was never a big star in the first place, isn’t going to help things. There is a way to make the division work, but they need something other than “I want the title” over and over.

Zero Hour: Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Gates of Agony

It’s Eli Isom/Cheeseburger (no longer The World Famous CB) for the Squad here. The Gates are Jasper Kaun/Toa Liona, as introduced by Tully Blanchard as his new clients. Isom gets planted by Liona to start but Cheeseburger gets in a superkick. Everything breaks down and the Gates clean house, setting up a fireman’s carry gutbuster to Isom. Kaun throws in an elevated Samoan Spike for the pin at 2:27. Almost total dominance.

Post match, Blanchard promises to introduce his new singles star tonight.

Zero Hour: Joe Hendry vs. Dalton Castle

Hendry continues to look great and Castle still has the Baby Chicks. The fans are happy to have Castle back, as they should be. They fight over some grappling to start until Hendry snaps off a headlock takeover. Back up and Hendry runs him over with a shoulder, sending Castle outside for some fanning from the Chicks. A lap around the ring lets Castle sneak back in to single leg Hendry, setting up a DDT. Hendry isn’t having that and powers Castle over the top for a crash/breather.

Back in and Hendry hits a hard clothesline for two but Castle catches him with a running boot to the face. Hendry cuts off a charge with a tilt-a-whirl slam and the cobra clutch goes on. Castle gets sent outside but he manages a hurricanrana on the floor to take over. Back in and a suplex drops Hendry for two but he’s back with a spinebuster for the same. Hendry hits a fireman’s carry drop, only to get punched in the face, setting up the Bang A Rang to give Castle the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. Castle is one of the most charismatic wrestlers around today and it is nice to see him back in the ring anywhere. He can mix up the weird nature with the amateur skills and it works out well most of the time. On the other hand, Hendry has transformed himself from a goof to a guy who looks great and can do some good things in the ring. I liked this one and it would be nice to see both of them getting back in the ring sooner rather than later.

No opening video for the proper show.

Swerve Strickland vs. Alex Zayne

They start fast with neither being able to get very far until Zayne hits a running headscissors to send Swerve into the ropes. That doesn’t matter as Swerve lands on his feet anyway so Zayne takes him down and hits a quick backsplash for two. Back up and Zayne sits him on the top to try a running hurricanrana, only to get caught in a swinging cutter onto the top rope.

A middle rope elbow to the back gives Swerve two and we hit the chinlock. Zayne fights up and hammers away before blocking the rolling Flatliner. Swerve can’t hit the JML Driver but can grab a half crab to crank on the leg. The rope is grabbed so they wind up on the apron, where Zayne snaps off a poisonrana to the floor in a huge crash. Back in and Zayne hits some shooting star knees to the back for two but Strickland grabs a German suplex. The rolling Flatliner connects and the Swerve Stomp gets…two, in a nice false finish. With nothing else working, Swerve kicks him in the leg and hits the JML Driver for the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Having Strickland on any given show is a good thing and that was the case here. He is going to get a reaction no matter what he does and the fact that he was in there against someone who can do the flips and the dives like Zayne made it better. This was a good choice for the opener proper and Strickland looked like a star (shocking I know).

We run down the card.

Ninja Mack vs. ???

Mack is a rather short masked man who can do a lot of flips. The mystery opponent is Tully Blanchard’s newest signing and that would be….Brian Cage. Mack flips at Cage to start but gets caught in the air and dropped onto the apron. The Drill Claw doesn’t work so Cage fires off the corner clotheslines instead. Mack manages a kick to the head but gets LAUNCHED with a release German suplex. Some kicks to the head stagger Cage but he’s back with the swinging release Rock Bottom. The Drill Claw finishes for Cage at 2:48. Mostly a squash, as it should be.

We recap Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty. Lethal likes what Moriarty can do but asks if Moriarty is ready for this kind of competition.

Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty

Matt Sydal, on crutches, is here with Moriarty. Feeling out process to start with Lethal getting the better of a battle of wristlocks. Back up and Moriarty grabs a rollup, sending a frustrated Lethal into the corner. The Lethal Injection is countered into another rollup and Lethal doesn’t like this.

Moriarty gets the better of an exchange of forearms so Lethal armdrags him into the basement dropkick for two of his own. The fans aren’t sure who they prefer as Moriarty shrugs off some forearms and springboard armdrags Lethal down. That’s too much for Lethal, who grabs a shinbreaker into a dragon screw legwhip to start in on the knee. Lethal sends him outside for a pair of suicide dives but Moriarty switches places before the third.

Moriarty’s dive is slowed by the knee though and Lethal is back in for some kicks to the leg. A superplex attempt is broken up as Moriarty goes for the wrist. Moriarty’s dive off the top misses though and the Lethal Combination gets two. Lethal hits the superkick into a cutter but Hail To The King is countered into la majistral for two more. More rollups get two each before Moriarty has to go to the ropes to avoid the Figure Four. The referee has to fix the ring skirt so Lethal hits him low and grabs the Lethal Injection for the pin at 14:52.

Rating: B. This was a rather good technical off until the end when they went with the storyline for Lethal instead. You can tell that they’re going with the AEW stuff here as this tied into everything that they have been doing on Dynamite and Rampage in recent weeks. Moriarty isn’t ready to beat Lethal in AEW or Ring of Honor, but they let him have time here and frustrate the star, which is a great sign for his future.

Lethal doesn’t look happy with himself but then goes full heel by attacking the injured Sydal. Sonjay Dutt comes out of wherever he has been to talk Lethal, his best friend, to the back.

Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale are ready to fight for the Interim Women’s World Title, because just stripping Deonna Purrazzo of the title apparently wasn’t an option.

Interim Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez

For the vacant title. Willow tries to go technical to start but gets hit in the face for her efforts. A rollup gives Martinez two but Willow blocks the third rolling butterfly suplex. Willow’s grappling still doesn’t work so Martinez grabs a double arm dragon sleeper (that’s a new one), followed by a big boot for two more.

Martinez’s fisherman’s buster is blocked and it’s time to kick each other from the mat. Back up and a running clothesline drops Martinez to give Willow a needed breather but Martinez grabs the Air Raid Crash…for two. That’s a bit of a surprise. An Angle Slam gives Willow two of her own and the Pounce rocks Martinez again. Willow takes the straps down and hits the Cannonball for another near fall.

The Vader bomb is loaded up but Martinez reverses into a Razor’s Edge Dominator for the next two. Martinez tries a belly to back but gets knocked into the Tree Of Woe, with Willow forearming away. Willow’s moonsault connects (with a weird looking landing) for two but Martinez pulls her into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper (geez) for the tap and the title at 12:34.

Rating: C-. This felt like a styles clash as Martinez is the old classic power brawler while Nightingale is much more about the modern style and being the bigger woman who can move. They traded some good looking stuff here and Nightingale still feels like a prospect, but this didn’t exactly click.

We recap FTR vs. the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. FTR talks about how this is the match that people have been talking about, because we get to see two of the best teams of all time facing off. The feud started when FTR showed up at Final Battle back in December after the Briscoes won the titles but they haven’t had an actual match yet.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending (and FTR’s AAA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line) and the HOLY S*** chants are on before they even shake hands…which doesn’t happen. Well now it’s serious. Cash Wheeler and Mark start things off and the staredown is on as the fans are split (you can feel it with this one). Even the lockup gets a big pop and the fans think Mark’s headlock to the mat is awesome.

A fireman’s carry into an armbar puts Mark in a bit of trouble but he reverses into a front facelock as the technical off ensues (fans: “TAG TEAM WRESTLING!”). Dax Harwood and Jay come in and immediately go nose to nose, setting up the aggressive lockup. Harwood takes him down with a headlock but gets reversed into a headscissors without much effort. That’s escaped as well and Harwood spits in Jay’s face to make this a lot more serious.

A running hurricanrana and a kick to the head rock Harwood and a clothesline puts him on the floor. Harwood tries to throw in a chair but Jay catches it to show off. Wheeler comes back in and gets elbowed in the face, allowing Mark to come in for some shots in the corner. An uppercut drops Mark though and it’s back to Harwood for some clubberin (well you knew that was coming). The chop off goes to Mark, with Harwood realizing that he is in over his head and punching Mark in the face.

It’s back to Jay to take Wheeler into the corner though and the Briscoes clear the ring. That sets up Jey’s big flip dive and Mark adds the Bang Bang Elbow. The brawl is on outside, with FTR getting creative and catapulting Jay face first into the bottom of a table. Back in and Harwood pounds on Jay’s bloody head so hard that he hurts his own hand. The chinlock goes on (I think they’ve earned it) for a bit before Harwood hits the top rope superplex for a big bounce.

The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here but seem pleased as Jay rolls under a right hand and brings Mark back in. House is cleaned and an Iconoclasm gets two on Harwood. Redneck Boogie gets the same on Wheeler as the fans are somehow getting more into this. Harwood catches Jay in a slingshot powerbomb so Wheeler can add a top rope splash for two. Mark is back in to break up the Big Rig and the Briscoes hit one of their own for two on Harwood.

Jay hits Wheeler with a Death Valley Driver on the floor before suplexing Harwood over the top and out to the floor in a BIG crash. The medics come out to check on Harwood but everyone gets back inside (fans: “FIGHT FOREVER!”). We get the big forearm off in the middle until Wheeler is sent outside.

Mark goes up for a huge corkscrew dive to take him out again, leaving Harwood to slug it out with Jay. The hangman neckbreaker sets up the Froggy Bow for two and everyone is spent. The Doomsday Device is loaded up but Wheeler makes the save and sends Jay outside, leaving Mark to walk into the Big Rig for the pin and the titles at 27:24.

Rating: A+. If that isn’t the match of the year, I’m not sure what has beaten it to date. This had the atmosphere coming in and the fans were ready for it from before the bell. Then the match actually got started and things actually got even better. It was an instant classic with both teams blowing the doors off and leaving it all in the ring until one of them won clean.

Just seeing a match like this end without some kind of shenanigans is worth a boost and that was the case here. You’ve heard all of the accolades already and this was worth every one of them. It takes something special to have all the hype in the world and then completely exceed it but they managed to make it happen here. Check this out, as the Briscoes are great but FTR can do no wrong right now.

FTR looks spent after the match but get up to accept the titles. There is no handshake, because teams hug after something like that. The fans chant for the Briscoes as FTR leaves but here are the Young Bucks to superkick the Briscoes. FTR runs back in for the save and want the Bucks now, but they’ll have to wait until Dynamite.

TV Title: Rhett Titus vs. Minoru Suzuki

Suzuki is challenging and is in search of his first American title. Titus gets knocked down almost at the bell but manages a single leg takedown. An armbar into a half crab sends Suzuki over to the ropes, where Suzuki ties the arm over said rope. A trip to the floor goes badly for Titus, as Suzuki brings him back inside for a Fujiwara armbar.

Make that a chinlock, as Titus is getting overwhelmed here. Titus fights up and manages some running boots to the face, setting up a Saito suplex for two. The big dropkick connects for another near fall and Suzuki is mad. He knocks Titus down without much trouble and the Gotch style piledriver makes Suzuki champion at 5:52.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a squash win for Suzuki as he shrugged off everything Titus threw at him and took the title in short order. Odds are this was out there for the sake of giving the fans something shorter and easier to digest than the previous war. Suzuki is going to be over by definition so putting him in this spot was going to work no matter what, even if the match wasn’t that great.

We recap Wheeler Yuta challenging Josh Woods for the Pure Wrestling Title. Woods won the title at Final Battle and has defended it since, while Yuta is looking to prove himself for the first time.

Pure Wrestling Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Josh Woods

Woods is defending under Pure Rules. Yuta grabs a very fast rollup for two and they trade armdrags for a standoff. An armbar sends Yuta straight to the ropes for his first (of three) breaks but he slips out of an abdominal stretch attempt on his own. Yuta wins a grapple off on the mat and grabs a headlock before switching to a headscissors. That’s broken up and Woods starts stretching Yuta’s legs before a wristlock sends Yuta over for his second break.

Back up and Yuta hits a dropkick before tying up Woods’ legs for a change. A bridge into an Indian Deathlock sends Woods to the ropes for a change. Now it’s Woods going after Yuta’s arm and bending it back, complete with some finger cranking. They lock hands and forearm it out with Woods getting the better of things for a near fall. Yuta grabs a DDT but can’t cover, meaning it’s time for the forearm exchange.

This time it’s Yuta getting the better of things and hitting a top rope forearm to send Woods outside. A big dive takes him out on the floor as well but it’s Woods back in with a running knee. The TKO is blocked so Woods settles for a swinging suplex into the corner. That’s good for a near fall, with Yuta using his final rope break. Yuta reverses a Tombstone attempt and ties Woods’ legs up for a cradle and the title at 12:43.

Rating: B-. The Pure Wrestling division was one of the best things about the final days of Ring of Honor and it was still working here. Sometimes you need something rules based just to reset things a bit and it was nice to see again. That being said, you can absolutely see the new guard coming in to become the new Ring of Honor roster. I get why that is a sad thing for Ring of Honor, but it’s not like the company has anything else going on at the moment (literally in this case).

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite, which is bizarre to see here.

We recap Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham for the undisputed Ring of Honor World Title. Bandido was the champion but couldn’t be at Final Battle, leaving Gresham to beat Jay Lethal for the Classic Title. Since Bandido is still champion, it’s time for the big unification match. That’s how the card should go, but they have their work cut out for them after that Tag Team Title match.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham

Both are champions coming in, but Bandido being dressed as Zorro makes him cooler. Granted having Chavo Guerrero in his corner might even that out but dang I love myself some Zorro. This actually doesn’t get any Big Match Intros, but it does get a handshake. They stare at each other to start before we get the big lockup. The fans chant for EDDIE, which isn’t even a surprise at this point.

Neither gets anywhere so they go with a test of strength, with neither getting very far. Bandido takes him down but can’t send Gresham into the corner. Instead Gresham pops up and hits an armdrag out of an electric chair, giving us another staredown. Bandido gets a bit more intense with a knee into a dropkick and the posing is on. Gresham is fine enough to send Bandido to the apron for a dropkick to the back and it’s time for a breather on the floor.

Back in and Gresham works on an armbar before a crossface sends Bandido to the ropes. Bandido is right back with the surfboard but Gresham slips out and grabs the crossface again. With Bandido getting too close to the ropes, Gresham switches to an ankle lock to change things up a bit. Make that the Octopus but Bandido makes the rope again.

A corkscrew high crossbody drops Gresham again, so Bandido picks him up for a vertical suplex….for a completely ridiculous SIXTY THREE SECONDS. That’s one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a long time but it’s only good for (a delayed, as Bandido was spent) two. Gresham is back up with a running clothesline into a bridging German suplex for two more. A straitjacket German suplex gets two more and it’s time for some hammer fists.

The crossface goes on for the third time before Gresham switches to the second Octopus. That’s broken up as well so Bandido is sent outside, with Gresham loading up a dive. Chavo breaks that up with a shove to Bandido and the crash leaves Gresham laying. Back in and Bandido grabs a suplex for two, followed by a Shining Wizard for the same. Some more rollups give Gresham some near falls of his own and they’re both down for a bit.

They slowly forearm it out until the referee gets knocked down (good grief I’m getting tired of this), allowing Chavo to get in a belt shot….but Bandido doesn’t want it that way and tells the referee to eject Chavo. Ok that’s a cool one. Chavo yells a lot as he leaves, with Gresham grabbing la majistral for two. Bandido snaps off the pop up cutter for two of his own so it’s time for the 21 Plex.

That’s reversed into la majistral into a bridging cover for a VERY near fall so Bandido sends him outside. The big running flip dive sets up the X Knee and the 21 Plex gets a VERY close two. Gresham shrugs off a superkick and hits a springboard moonsault to send Bandido outside, followed by an immediate suicide dive. Back in and Gresham slingshots into a rollup, spun around into an armtrap bridge for the pin and the titles at 24:46.

Rating: A-. The Tag Team Title match is going to get all of the attention but this was a heck of a match too as it started slowly but then built into a classic by the end. These guys were hitting a very high level on the near falls and Gresham finally took the belts in the end with a wrestling move. Bandido is going to be a star when he gets to AEW (you know it’s coming one day) and Gresham won’t be far behind. Great main event here as they meshed very well together.

Post match Gresham says his mission was to make Ring of Honor pure and he has accomplished his goals. Hold on though as here is Jay Lethal to interrupt (Coleman: “Is this Kanye West or something?”) and challenge Gresham for the titles. Gresham says Lethal’s current actions have shown that he has changed, but Lethal says no one would know who Gresham was without him.

Sonjay Dutt comes in to cool things off but quickly turns on Gresham for the double teaming. Lee Moriarty comes in for the failed save attempt…and that means nothing because it’s SAMOA JOE making his big return to chase off the villains. Joe poses with Moriarty and Gresham as we are told that Joe will be on Dynamite to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Any show like this is going to be an instant classic with three awesome matches like Lethal vs. Moriarty and the two big title matches and that’s really all you need here. There was some other good stuff on here (and some not so great stuff) but the one two punch carried this one all the way and it’s absolutely worth going out of your way to see.

Now at the same time, this isn’t going to be a show that a lot of old school Ring of Honor fans like. You could see the BIG shift over to the AEW developmental setup here with very few wrestlers from Ring of Honor of old moving looking great here. It shows the new direction of the company and while it might not be the best for the old school Ring of Honor people, this is certainly better than having no Ring of Honor at all. It’s a very good show here and worth seeing, though this is the first step into a brand new world for the promotion.

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Ring of Honor
Date: July 7, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are almost up to Best in the World and that means we should be in for the big final push towards the show. This time around though, we have a special fight between the Briscoe Brothers, taking place from their chicken farm. That might sound absurd, but these two could absolutely pull it off. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and gives us the weekly preview.

Last week, Bandido won Survival of the Fittest and is REALLY excited to get to challenge Rush for the World Title at Best In The World. He gave Quinn a big hug, which she said never disappoints.

Fred Yehi talks about how he has been having a bit of an up and down time around here as of late. Now he is on a roll and has a Pure Rules Title shot against Jonathan Gresham. He and Gresham had the same trainer and they have met a lot over the years. They’ll shake hands before and after the match, but he’s taking the title in the middle.

Jonathan Gresham was excited when he heard that Yehi was coming to the promotion. He didn’t expect Yehi to be so worried about the division though, so now it’s time to fight. When the bell rings, Yehi isn’t going to have to worry about anything more than getting taken apart. After the match, Yehi can shut up and get out of the way.

Pure Wrestling Title: Fred Yehi vs. Jonathan Gresham

Pure Rules with Gresham defending and #1 contender Mike Bennett on commentary. They shake hands but Gresham kicks the hands to break it up, which doesn’t go well for Yehi. In the least surprising moment of the show, they go to the mat to start and that’s good for a standoff. Yehi takes him down by the leg but has to slip out of an armbar, setting up another stalemate.

Something close to a stump puller has Gresham in more trouble but he slips out in a hurry. They trade hiptosses to send both of them outside, where Yehi snaps off a headlock takeover. We take a break and come back with a staredown as they get inside. Another attempt at a hiptoss over the top doesn’t work and the glaring continues. A rather aggressive lockup leaves both of them next to the ropes, with Gresham rubbing the wristband against the eyes.

Yehi shoulders him down and stomps away before they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Neither can get a hold until Yehi tries a choke, sending Gresham backflipping onto him for two. A test of strength goes to Yehi, who drops down onto Gresham to break his bridge. Gresham switches the grip to crank on the hands but Yehi slips out again and tries some stomping. That’s fine with Gresham, who cradles him down and ties up the arms for the pin to retain at 12:16.

Rating: B. This was a well told story of how they were evenly matched and could counter everything, but Gresham was one step ahead of him in the end. It wasn’t a ridiculous looking match either, which is always a danger in something like this. Yehi continues to be awesome and it is nice to see him getting to hang with Gresham. I’m not sure who is going to be able to win the title though, as it is going to take something very special at this point.

Respect is shown post match.

Post break, Jonathan Gresham talks about training with Fred Yehi and is impressed, but this is his division. If Yehi wants another title shot, train a bit more and come get it. Gresham is ready for Mike Bennett, who is not honorable.

Watch Best In The World! You might even find out what is on the card!

Papa Briscoe recaps the recent issues between his sons Mark and Jay. They need to fight it out because that’s what they’ve always done.

The Briscoes are ready to fight, with Mark talking about the things he has done to Jay around here, while Jay talks about how he might need to prove that he is the better man again.

Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Briscoe

Papa Briscoe opens the door to the barn and they all get in the ring, with Papa saying to keep it clean and fight like men. Mark slaps Jay in the face and stomps away in the corner to start. Jay kicks him in the face to take it outside but Papa tells them to get back inside. That’s fine with Mark, who hits a running splash in the corner and hammers away. A moonsault takes way too long though and Jay shoves him off the top and down through a table.

They fight outside of the barn with Jay hammering away and finding a trashcan lid to whack him again. Some metal tub shots to the head rock Mark, who comes back with a low blow. Jay: “YOU SON OF A B****!” Be nice to Mama Briscoe man. Mark sets up a ladder and climbs onto the top of an RV. They yell at each other until Jay joins him for the slugout. Jay fires off punches until Mark chokes him down. Back up and Jay throws him off and onto a big pile of stuff. Jay: “I’m gonna go pin his a**.”

This involves taking Mark into the back of a truck, which Jay drives away to another par of the farm. By the time he parks (and once the cameraman gets out), Mark has disappeared and jumps him from behind. A table (in the back of the truck) is set up and Mark climbs a tree to get on top of a shelter. The big splash off of the room crushes Jay and they’re both down again.

Papa comes in to ask if they’re good yet and helps carry them back to the ring so they can get this out of themselves. They get back up and slowly slug it out, with Papa asking over and over “ARE YOU GOOD YET???”. A bunch of punches put them down on their knees until Mark hits a heck of a clothesline to put both of them down for good at 16:20.

Rating: B. This worked because it felt real. You could imagine these two beating each other senseless on this farm for the last thirty plus years and it fit perfectly. Two crazy redneck brothers having a fight (not a match, but a fight) on their farm feels completely realistic, as does Papa Briscoe being right there knowing that this is what his sons do. This is what happens when you have people who are being themselves and it feels very genuine. It’s no classic or anything but this was enjoyable because it did not feel set up whatsoever. Good stuff here and a lot of fun.

Papa: “Now clean this s*** up!”

Overall Rating: A-. One thing that Ring of Honor has done well is figure out how to put things together to make an hour fly by. There was a great mixture of stuff this week as the matches could not have been more opposite. Both of them worked well and I had a good time with these two matches. It didn’t have a lot to do with Best in the World, but that has never been Ring of Honor’s strong suit. Rather entertaining show here as Ring of Honor continues to be a good show.

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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19^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 26, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Rocky Romero

This is the Ring of Honor Wrestlemania season show and I get to continue my tradition of taking forever to get to the company’s pay per views. Things are still getting back to normal after the pandemic, though Rush is still the World Champion and defending the title against Jay Lethal. Let’s get to it.

Commentary kicks us off with some bad news: Dragon Lee is off the show so Kenny King will defend the TV Title as a replacement.

Pre-Show: Brian Johnson vs. Eli Isom vs. Danhausen vs. LSG

Only two in the ring at a time but this is Lucha Rules. Johnson yells at everyone else to start because he can’t shut up. Isom backdrops Johnson a few times to start so it’s out to the floor, meaning Isom gets to take LSG down. They pop up to a standoff but Johnson tags himself in and shouts a lot. LSG scores with a rolling clothesline and backdrops Johnson outside again but goes out with them, setting up Isom’s moonsault to take them both down.

Isom goes up and gets crotched, allowing Johnson to hit a hanging cutter. That’s enough to send Isom outside so LSG comes back in with a springboard crossbody. Rock A Bye Baby gets two on Johnson but Isom is back in with a high crossbody for two on LSG. Ism starts cleaning house, including a face buster which sends Johnson’s knee at least ten inches away from Isom’s knee. A triple clothesline puts everyone but Danhausen down so here he comes to low bridge Johnson to the floor.

Suplexes abound, including a northern lights suplex for two on Johnson. Good Nighthausen is broken up but Danhausen busts out the jar of teeth, which go into Johnson’s mouth. Johnson freaks out and a triple superkick makes it even worse. Isom plants Danhausen with a spinning DDT and exchanges rollups with LSG. Danhausen is back in with Good Nighthausen for two on LSG with Johnson making the save. Johnson hits the Process to finish Danhausen at 10:52.

Rating: C+. The action was fun and there is something about Danhausen that is just fun to watch. They keep him on these lower level matches so he doesn’t make anything seem ridiculous and that is all he needs to do. There is a place for someone like him and it makes for some fun moments like this one here. Good choice for an opener with the right person winning.

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

Mexisquad is challenging and this is also under Lucha Rules. The champs pose on the apron so Mexisquad dropkicks them all to the floor at the bell. The triple dive takes the champs down again and it’s time to triple team Shane inside. Some rapid fire strikes set up a double dropkick into a frog splash for two but Moses and Khan make the save. Shane brings in Khan, who gets triple teamed down as well.

Moses has had it with this and cleans house, including a spear for two on Flamita. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Shane two but the Squad gets together to take him down again. All three of them get onto the middle rope for a triple splash to crush Shane but Khan is back in for the Victory Lap (3D into a Downward Spiral) to knock Bandido silly.

Flamita is back up with a 619 to Shane, who sends Flamita into Bandido for a double knockdown. That doesn’t last long as Flamita goes up, only to have Bandido thrown into him for a crotching. Horus comes back in for a tornado DDT on Shane but Moses takes him down. Khan’s super Jackhammer plants Flamita and an elevated DDT (MNM’s old Snapshot) retains the titles at 7:51.

Rating: C. There was an idea here with the champs not being familiar with the Lucha Rules to put them in trouble. The Squad continues to have issues though and that seems to be building towards a split. I’m curious to see where it goes and who turns heel as a result, but for now it is nice to see the champs retain.

Post match, the Mexisquad gets in each others’ faces and a triple threat is set for later.

Opening sequence.

The opening video starts with a collection of VHS and DVD’s of Ring of Honor events (that’s a cool visual), including a look at the first event. Those shows inspired a new generation, and those wrestlers will be in action tonight. We don’t get much of a look at the specifics of the show, but I really liked that old show motif.

TV Title: Tracy Williams vs. Kenny King

King, with Amy Rose, is defending on behalf of Dragon Lee, who can’t travel following surgery. Williams takes him down into something like a seated abdominal stretch in a hurry. With that broken up, Williams starts in on the leg and cranks away on the foot before switching over to a front facelock. Back up and King unloads with right hands in the corner, setting up his own seated abdominal stretch. You don’t do that to Williams, who is right back with more leg cranking.

That’s broken up as well and King grabs a spinebuster into a tiger bomb for two. Williams puts him on top, gets shoved down, and comes back with a running enziguri anyway. That doesn’t get King very far as Williams grabs a Death Valley Driver for two of his own. The Crossface is broken up with a boot on the rope and King gets in a cheap shot for another near fall. Rose throws in Williams’ Tag Team Title to set up a tug of war, with Williams pulling him into a piledriver for the pin and the title at 7:14.

Rating: C. They kept this short as King wasn’t scheduled to be there and both guys had to wrestle again later in the night anyway. I can go for Williams getting a singles title though as he was rather good in the Pure Rules tournament and should have gotten something of his own. Pushing a traditional wrestler makes sense and it is nice to see him having some success.

Flip Gordon vs. Mark Briscoe

Grudge match and commentary tells us to expect a brawl. Briscoe slugs away to start and chops him up against the rope, setting up a brainbuster. A belly to back slam sets up a flipping backsplash for two on Flip, who is right back with the Kinder Surprise to send Briscoe outside. Back in and Gordon hammers away, setting up a fisherman’s suplex for two. The Eye of the Hurricane gets two more but another springboard is broken up with a shove out to the floor.

Briscoe hits the running Blockbuster off the apron (with Ian making a pair of Blockbuster jokes) but Gordon catches him on top back inside, setting up a top rope superplex for the double knockdown. They get up and slug it out until Gordon nails a jumping knee to the face. Briscoe kicks him to the floor though and pulls out a chair, which the referee gets rid of because, you know, it’s a chair. The distraction lets Gordon get in a low blow and Flip Five (I think? It’s a TKO.) finishes Briscoe at 7:49.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a bit more as it felt like they were trying to beat each other up because they want to hurt the other, which is the idea behind a grudge match. The ending was a bit lame as it was just a quick low blow into a finisher, but it could have been worse. Gordon continues to not do much for me though, even if he is one of the more prominent names around here.

Flip Gordon vs. Josh Woods

They’re moving quick here and Silas Young is in Woods’ corner. Woods wrestles him down to the corner without much effort but Castle is back with his own takedown. More grappling ensues until Woods puts him in the ropes for a German suplex. Gordon bails out to the floor for a breather but Castle runs back in for an elbow to the jaw. A running knee in the corner staggers Woods, who misses a springboard knee.

Castle takes him outside for a whip into the barricade, followed by a Russian legsweep back inside for two. The waistlock keeps Woods down for a bit before they fight over a suplex. One heck of a right hand (a rarity from Woods) sends Castle into the corner and Woods takes him outside for a ram into the barricade (call it a receipt). Two more whips into the barricade keeps Castle in trouble and a big right hand stagger him again.

A powerbomb onto the apron has Castle in even more pain and Young loads up a chair. Woods isn’t having that and the distraction lets Castle get in a few suplexes for two. The referee has to get out of the way of a charge into the corner, where Young (intentionally) holds up the chair to knock Woods silly. Castle didn’t seem to see what happens and gets the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C. They had the two wrestlers doing most of a wrestling match here until the storyline ending. The match wasn’t too bad, but this felt like a TV match instead of something pay per view worthy. Young turning on Woods will give them both something to do for awhile, but knowing Ring of Honor, it will take at least two months to get anywhere.

Post match Young says he has been a patient man with Woods for over a year but now Woods has defied him. This is the last time Woods will ever defy him, because Young will hurt him in ways to make Woods question his career. Young was a big rambly here but he got the point across.

Jay Briscoe vs. EC3

This is to decide if honor is real, as EC3 continues his babbling which doesn’t seem to actually mean anything other than saying words in an attempt to sound smart. EC3 is now the Essential Character, which seems to just confirm what I thought about the controlling your narrative deal. They talk trash to start with EC3’s running shoulder just giving us a standoff. EC3 takes Jay down with a headlock and it’s back up for more staring.

Some shoulders put EC3 down this time but he’s back up with a Thesz press for some rights and lefts (EC3: “WHERE’S YOUR HONOR???”) into a chinlock. Back up and EC3 knees him in the ribs as commentary talks about how the wrestling is confusing the brawling Briscoe. A powerbomb plants Briscoe again and we hit the chinlock again (EC3: “Wrestling.”). Back up and EC3 grabs a TKO but charges into a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle.

Briscoe’s running big boot puts EC3 on the floor, with Briscoe hurting his knee by following him out. Back in and EC3 grabs a superplex, followed by an Angle Slam. That means more shouting instead of a cover, setting up a brainbuster. EC3 misses a charge though and it’s a Death Valley Driver onto the apron to knock him silly. Another running big boot rocks EC3 but Briscoe’s knee is too banged up to cover.

The neckbreaker is broken up so Briscoe kicks him in the face again. EC3 is right back with his layout DDT to put them both down again. More yelling about honor earns EC3 a Death Valley Driver and he starts laughing. Briscoe can’t figure out how to finish him off and EC3 is back with another Thesz press. Back up and a discus forearm rocks EC3 for two, so now he offers a handshake. The Jay Driller finishes EC3 instead at 20:58.

Rating: B-. I don’t know if I’m not smart enough to get what EC3 is doing or if it’s just a bunch of nonsense, but it is one of the more worthless gimmicks going in wrestling today. Maybe he’s trying to be all out there or he’s trying to mess with people’s heads, but it isn’t working for me. The in-ring stuff was was good enough and it felt like a bit match. Just find something that draws me in a bit more, because EC3 shouting about honor isn’t doing it.

We get the post match handshake.

Quick recap of Mexisquad’s issues on the pre-show, setting up this.

Flamita vs. Rey Horus vs. Bandido

This is going to be fast. Bandido and Horus seem cool but Flamita isn’t interested in a handshake. Flamita takes them both down to start but Bandido drops him to the floor. That gives us the Bandido vs. Horus showdown, which might not have the impact that they were looking for twenty seconds in. They shake hands until Horus starts kicking away, only to get kneed in the face.

A spinning headscissors puts Bandido down and respect is shown. Flamita is back in to send them both into the corner for some running clotheslines. The tornado DDT plants Bandido to send him outside, with Horus hitting a dive. Flamita hits a bigger dive and throws Bandido back inside. Bandido reverses a headscissors into a faceplant as Horus comes back in and gets kicked straight into the corner.

Flamita gets Bandido in an electric chair….where Bandido manages to suplex Horus anyway (that’s a new one). That’s enough for Bandido to send Horus outside and now we get a bit more impactful showdown with Flamita. They slap it out until Flamita hits a heck of a superkick into a spiral bomb for two, with Horus diving in for the save. Flamita’s slingshot DDT plants Bandido and it’s a Muscle Buster into a gutbuster to Horus, with the two of them landing on Bandido to give Flamita two.

That leaves Flamita to talk trash to the two of them, saying there is no more Mexisquad. Flamita is sent to the apron so Bandido can hurricanrana him to the floor. Back in and Horus wins the slugout, only to charge into a pop up cutter. Flamita is back in though and a three way boot to the face puts everyone down. Horus is up first with a satellite DDT to Bandido and the super victory roll gets two on Flamita.

Horus is sat on top as Flamita electric chairs Bandido….who reverses Horus’ high crossbody into a belly to bell, sending Flamita flying with a poisonrana at the same time (at least I think, as that was nuts). Bandido sends Horus outside for the big running flip dive, followed by a springboard hurricanrana for two on Horus. The 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin on Flamita at 10:48.

Rating: B+. This was exactly what you would have expected from these three and that is where they shine. These guys know how to do some completely insane stuff that worked amazingly well, as I was trying to figure out what the heck they were doing. You could run these guys in any combination for a LONG time and it was very fun here, as it should have been.

Post match respect is offered but Flamita walks away again.

We go to a Police Athletic League gym for Vincent vs. Matt Taven as it’s time to go cinematic, or at least pre-taped.

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

Taven comes into the gym where it all started between these two, where Vincent is waiting with a big WELCOME BACK MATT TAVEN banner. Vincent talks about how Taven just wants the attention and then runs away as Taven says come down here and fight. Taven runs up some stairs to find Vincent, who jumps out near another ring to start the fight. After Vincent dances with a mannequin, Taven sends him into the post and shouts about how his world is a sad, sad world.

Vincent rolls outside so Taven’s suicide dive only hits some ladders (freaking ow man). Apparently Taven’s photo is on the wall, with Vincent pointing it out and then sending him into a filing cabinet. They go into a hall way with Taven being thrown over a desk and landing on his wrist. Back up and Taven throws him down some steps, setting up a big elbow over said steps.

Vincent runs away and slams a door onto Taven’s head. They slug it out and head into the room with the original ring, as Vincent asks if Taven remembers this. Taven slams him onto a rack of chairs before taking him into the ring. Vincent gets choked with a belt but manages a low blow to get a breather. The ring mat is pulled back and a Dudley Dog onto the exposed wood knocks Taven silly.

That means it’s time for Vincent to talk about how Taven loves the pain. Vincent drags….something towards the ring before throwing Taven onto a platform. We pause for some dancing until Taven is thrown into a door. They go up some more stairs and into some bleachers looking down at the ring, where they wind up sitting on the balcony. Cue a large man in overalls to shove both of them down through a table for a huge crash. The large man carries Vincent out, meaning it’s a no contest at we’ll say 13:00. He would eventually be named Dutch, as the newest member of the Righteous.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to think of this as it was more of a big segment than a match. These two do feel like the eternal rivals so it makes sense to do something like this. What we got was good, but as usual with Ring of Honor, they don’t quite know how to wrap things up and it can become quite the problem. Good for awhile and it didn’t overstay its welcome, but it was a way to keep things going and that happens too often.

Jay Lethal asks the referee to not stop the main event early. Deal.

Here is Queen McKay to bring out Maria Kanellis-Bennett, who is now on the Ring of Honor Board of Directors. Maria gets straight to the point: this summer there will be a tournament to crown a new Women’s Champion. Anyone around the world is invited to come and compete but here is the Allure to interrupt. Angelina Love doesn’t like the idea of Mara showing up and taking over, wondering which position got Maria this position.

Maria laughs it off and says that Angelina’s career accomplishments mean nothing since she hasn’t had a match in a year. She’ll offer Love a deal though: win a match and she can have a first round bye in the tournament. Love can face….Quinn McKay on Ring of Honor TV. McKay gives us an adorable celebration and the staredown is on.

Dak Draper thinks he is the favorite in every match, including against Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Title.

Jonathan Gresham is ready to shut Draper up and plant the Foundation flag over him.

Pure Rules Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Dak Draper

Gresham is defending and is giving up over a foot to Draper for a heck of a visual. They stare at each other a bit (Draper down, Gresham up) until Gresham’s takedown attempt goes nowhere. Draper takes him down instead and drives a forearm into the face. Back up and Gresham has to jump to grab a headlock, setting up a forearm to Draper’s face to even things up. Another knockdown has Gresham in trouble but he avoids a handstand knee drop.

Draper grabs him again and this time Gresham has to use a rope break. A rolling waistlock has Gresham in more trouble and he can’t do much with the much bigger Draper. Gresham gets planted again and Draper and twists it over into a rollup for two, which allows Gresham to get back up. Something like a reverse bearhug stays on Gresham’s ribs but he finally grabs the wrist to get a breather, allowing him to dive to the ropes for a second break.

This time Gresham gets to unload in the corner to put Draper down for a change. Draper comes back with a knee into a Stretch Muffler, making Gresham use his last rope break. An armdrag lets Gresham come back with a springboard moonsault press into an ankle lock to put Draper in his most trouble so far. That’s broken up in a hurry though and Draper hits a running crossbody. Another Stretch Muffler is blocked with some kicks to the head and Gresham kicks away at the leg.

A hard forearm to the side of the head gives Gresham two, with Draper having to use the rope. Gresham stays on him and the second rope break is gone too. There’s the ankle lock and Draper is out of rope breaks too. Back up and a hard right hand puts Gresham down, with the referee getting to a nine count until Gresham rolls to the apron, which breaks the count because he moved. Ok then.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a David vs. Goliath match with the ending being a great way to go. Draper tried to use his power to fight through Gresham but the octopus deal caught him. Gresham is fun to watch every time and Draper got to show a bunch of potential here. Now just let him win something, even if it is just a big match.

Commentary talks about what we just saw but Delirious comes in to whisper something to Rocky Romero. It seems like we have a challenge.

Tag Team Titles: Foundation vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus of the Foundation are challenging La Bestia de la Ring (replacing Dragon Lee, his son) and Kenny King, with Amy Rose. It’s a big brawl to start (perhaps before the bell) with everyone heading outside. Williams gets whipped hard into the post, leaving Titus to get dropped with a double dropkick. Bestia hits a backsplash but Williams comes back in for the chop off.

Williams tells Bestia to bring it and gets dropped with a clothesline. Another backsplash misses but King gets in a kick from the apron. King comes in for an enziguri to the floor, setting up a slingshot corkscrew dive. Back in and Williams manages a knockdown of his own, allowing the tag back to Titus for the big slugout with King. Everything breaks down and Titus clotheslines King into a Texas Cloverleaf.

Titus adds a half crab on Bestia but King grabs the rope, meaning both holds are broken. King grabs something like Eddie Guerrero’s Lasso From El Paso but Williams is out in a hurry. It’s already back to Titus, with Williams hitting a quick piledriver on King. Titus grabs a swinging full nelson with Bestia having to make a save.

Bestia plants Williams with a Tombstone and chops it out with Titus. A Codebreaker out of the corner gives Bestia one on Titus so Rose tries to slide in a chair. Bestia doesn’t want it and turns back to Titus, who nails some running boots in the corner. The full nelson knocks Bestia out to give us new champions at 10:29.

Rating: C+. This one didn’t quite make it to the next level but it wasn’t quite fair when you had champions teaming together for the first time. Titus and Williams work well together with Williams being great at the technical stuff and Titus having the size and heart to make it work. The title change makes the show feel more important, though the match itself was only pretty good.

Post match the big argument is on, with Rose slapping King in the face. Bestia cuts Rose in half with a spear and the guys leave.

We recap Jay Lethal challenging Rush for the World Title. Remember the last match which was a culture clash between two stables? Same thing here, but the singles version.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Jay Lethal

Rush is defending and has the horned mask with the white fur coat because….I’m not sure actually. For the first time in Ring of Honor, Rush actually shakes hands before we’re ready to go. A headlock sends Lethal straight to the ropes so they go to the mat for some grappling. That gives us a clean break and things reset a bit. They go right back to the mat and it’s the same result as the feeling out continues.

Rush hits him in the face to make Lethal a bit more serious and they strike it out in the corner. Lethal hiptosses him down for the basement dropkick but Rush pops up, earning himself another dropkick. This one sends Rush outside and it’s a springboard dropkick to knock him off the apron. Back to back suicide dives send Rush into the barricade and he comes up holding his knee before Lethal can try the third. Lethal is smart enough to go after the knee back inside but Rush hits him in the face.

It’s back to the floor with Rush sending him into the barricade a few times, meaning we need a camera cord. Rush chokes a bit and hits a backdrop on the floor and it’s time to talk to the camera. They head back inside with Rush kicking away and standing on Lethal’s head for a laugh. Rush loads up the Bull’s Horns but stops to roll into Tranquilo instead. Lethal uses the delay to send him into the corner and they’re both down for a breather.

Some shots to the face just annoy Rush so they strike it out for another double knockdown. Rush puts Lethal up top but gets shoved down, setting up Hail To The King for two. The Figure Four goes on to put Rush in more trouble as the knee gets banged up even more. The rope grab breaks that one up in most of a hurry but Rush snaps off a rebound German suplex. A knee to the face gets two on Lethal and a middle rope double stomp connects for the same.

Something like the Calf Crusher has Lethal in trouble for a change but Rush misses a top rope backsplash. The Figure Four goes on again and here is La Faccion Ingobernable to offer a distraction. Cue the Foundation to clear them out as Rush loads up the Bull’s Horns. That’s countered into a spinebuster, setting up a cutter and the Lethal Injection for two in what was Lethal’s best shot. Rush forearms him into the corner and the Bull’s Horns sends Lethal outside. Back in and another Bull’s Horns retains the title at 18:30.

Rating: B. It felt like a main event match but all of the clutter didn’t help things. There was too much going on near the end and that brought the rest of the match down. Lethal was a good challenge for the title and he wore Rush down, but Rush still feels like a piece of the main event scene rather than the big star. Given that he is approaching the longest reign in the World Title’s history, they might need to find a way around that. Still though, solid main event between two of the bigger stars the company has had.

Post match the stables are back for another brawl (because that’s what they do) with the Foundation getting beaten down. Cue Brody King to say Rush finally did something without his family for a change. Rush has always had the numbers advantage but now King has his own numbers. Cue Tony Deppen, Chris Dickinson and Homicide to beat down La Faccion Ingobernable but they spare the Foundation….for all of a few seconds before laying them out as well. The new team poses to end the show, because just two big stables wasn’t enough.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show, though it didn’t have anything that really jumped off the page. As usual, Ring of Honor is rather strong with the wrestling but not so much with the storytelling. The stable wars, now with three instead of two, is more than played out and I didn’t need to see another team added. There is nothing bad on here and it is an easy three hour watch, but this wasn’t exactly the big spark that they needed.

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

AND

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

Ring of Honor
Date: April 21, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Now we have a special event as it’s the 500^th episode. That means we have a major card, as it’s a double main event of Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Briscoe, plus Jay Lethal challenging Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Wrestling Title. In theory there is almost no way this show won’t work. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a pretty cool montage of the history of the TV show. I know it might not have the best history but there have been some huge stars on this show over the years.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and thanking us for being with them for so long. We run down the card, as picked by the fans.

Jay Lethal can’t believe he is here and is happy with the fans choosing his team with Jonathan Gresham face off. Lethal loves facing Gresham but then again, Gresham has almost broken his arm. Tonight, it would be disrespectful to not bring everything he had here. No matter what, the Foundation stays strong.

Gresham praises Lethal for everything he has done so far and knows what the World Title means around here. Well now the Pure Title might mean a bit more, because it means you are the best wrestler in the world. Tonight, it is time to see who really is the best in the world and Gresham is ready.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal

Gresham is defending and the two of them, plus the rest of the Foundation, come out together. Feeling out process to start with Lethal taking him down by the leg. With that broken up, Lethal goes with a test of strength to take Gresham to the mat, only to be kicked away for a standoff. Back up and they go with some grappling with Gresham headlocking him down four or five times in a row. Lethal tries to roll away and has to avoid a running kick to the arm as we take a break.

We come back with Lethal working on the arm, including driving a knee into the arm to soften it up a good bit. Gresham takes him down for a change and kicks at the arm, meaning the hammerlock goes on. Back up and they hit stereo shoulders, meaning they’re both in pain again. Gresham gets in another armbar and cranks back on the hand before switching into a cradle for two. Lethal manages a quick cutter for two more, with a rope break being used to get him out.

We take another break and come back with Lethal grabbing a Boston grab to make Gresham use another rope break. With that broken up, Lethal slaps on a Crossface into the Rings of Saturn so Gresham uses his final break for the escape. Back up and Gresham grabs a headscissors so Lethal tries to kick out….but Gresham cradles him to retain at 16:38.

Rating: B. Yeah this was what you would have expected from these guys and that is the kind of match that you should have seen on this show. I wasn’t sure who was winning until the finish and that is a nice feeling to have. Gresham has turned into an absolute beast and it is going to take something special to take the title from him. Heck of a match here on a special show.

Respect is shown post match and the Foundation is strong.

We look at the main event of the first show.

Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

They take turns driving each other into the corner to start as commentary talks about the people who helped get us here. The pace picks up a bit with Mark snapping off a hurricanrana and it’s an early standoff. Jay takes him down into a front facelock which lasts all of three seconds. A chop puts Mark on the floor and Jay dives onto him as we take a break.

Back with Mark hitting a running dropkick through the ropes, setting up a Cactus Elbow off the apron. Mark suplexes him on the floor and grabs a Michinoku Driver for two back inside. Jey slugs away but walks into a high collar suplex to put him down again. They head to the apron with Mark knocking him to the floor, setting up a running neckbreaker (Mark: “NIGHT B****!”). They throw a chair in so Jay can hit a Death Valley Driver onto the chair, followed by a neckbreaker for two.

We take another break and come back with Mark hitting his own Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow for another near fall. Back up and the Jay Driller gets two so Jay (wisely) hits a second but the mostly done Mark rolls outside. They fight over a table with Mark putting Jay onto it and the elbow drives him through the wood. Mark is the only one to beat the count and win at 15:14.

Rating: B. Another match with two people beating each other up and having a good match as a result. These two know each other as well as anyone and it feels like one of the bigger matches you could get around here. That’s the kind of match that this show needs and the countout keeps Jay from taking another loss, though I could go with seeing Mark beat him for a change.

We get a quick graphic thanking the fans and the people who have been involved for 500 shows. That’s very nice.

Overall Rating: A-. This was really good with a pair of awesome matches and a feeling of celebration for making it this far. I haven’t been around for the show’s entire run but Ring of Honor has turned into a rather nice weekly show with a pretty deep history. It might not be the highest level these days, but when you have everything going so nuts everywhere else, it’s nice to have a much more down to earth show like this one.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things are in a bit of a shifting phase here as we are done with the 19^th Anniversary Show but I’m not sure if we are going to be seeing the fallout just yet. The taping cycle usually has a few weeks of lag but when everything is being taped in the same place at the same time, I’m not sure if that is going to be necessary. In other words, I have no idea what to expect here. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay gives her usual welcome.

We look at the end of Fred Yehi beating Wheeler Yuta to win last week’s Pure Rules gauntlet match.

Yehi is proud of his win and is in the business of breaking people.

Brian Johnson loves wrestling and hates Danhausen. The internet is ready for their third match because it is time to win the trilogy. He has a PhD in wrestling and it is time to take Danhausen to school. Johnson gets rather animated about how serious this is to him and isn’t having Danhausen disrespect him. It is Mecca vs. everyone.

Danhausen talks about how he beat Johnson at Final Battle but then Johnson cheated to beat him. He holds up a sack of money but it’s half empty because Johnson stole the win. Now it is time to do this again in a rubber match, though Danhausen has no idea what it has to do with rubber. No matter, because he’ll beat Brian Johnstone (yes Johnstone).

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Danhausen is slimmed down to 300lbs (or at least he is billed as such) and is now twice as nice/thrice as evil. Johnson drives him into the corner to start and goes to the mat with a headscissors. That’s switched into some knees to Danhausen’s hammerlocked arm, followed by a running shoulder. Danhausen fights up but gets caught in a hot shot, followed by a Tower of London for two. A top rope clothesline stays on Danhausen’s neck and continues the complete dominance.

Some rollups give Danhausen two and a snap German suplex drops Johnson out of the corner. We take a break and come back with Danhausen not being able to hit the Good Night Hausen (GTS). Instead he goes with a slingshot bridging German suplex for two and a backdrop puts Johnson on the floor. A running hurricanrana off the apron drops Johnson again but he throws….something in Danhausen’s eyes.

Not that it matters as the Good Night Hausen connects but the referee gets bumped. That means there is no count on the cover so Johnson takes him down for a slingshot splash. The referee gets up and sees Johnson’s feet on the ropes and breaks up the count so they get back up again. Danhausen drives him into the corner but nearly crushes the referee, allowing Johnson to get in a low blow. Trust The Process finishes Danhausen at 9:23.

Rating: C. Danhausen is a weird case (to put it mildly) as his promos are awesome but he isn’t all that impressive once he actually gets in the ring. He’s completely fine, but when you get that kind of buildup, you need a bit more than what he gives you. Johnson has a lot more of an upside and should have won here though, and it isn’t like Danhausen is the kind of guy who loses a lot by getting pinned. Fine result, though it’s still a little weird seeing Danhausen wrestle.

Post match a limping Johnson says he’d done with the freak and the locker room is on notice. Johnson leaves, but shouts at Mark Briscoe a bit.

Jonathan Gresham is ready for the 500^th episode, where he will defend the Pure Title.

Jay Lethal is Jonathan Gresham’s friend but he is coming for the title in two weeks on the 500^th episode.

LSG wants to be in the TV Title division because that is where greatness comes from in this company. Years ago, he and Eli Isom had a match that was supposed to set them up as the future, but that was a long time ago. Now they are meeting again and Isom isn’t holding him back from climbing the TV Title rankings.

Eli Isom says he isn’t the same guy that LSG remembers. Isom can fly with the best of them and is willing to go through LSG to get where he wants to go. They are both one win away from being in contention for the TV Title and that win is going to him.

Eli Isom vs. LSG

They go to the mat to start and it’s an early standoff. A test of strength doesn’t go anywhere as they wind up on the mat again with LSG getting the better of a hammerlock. Back up and Isom armdrags him into an armbar but LSG sends him outside. LSG wins a chop off on the floor and another back inside, followed by a running forearm to the face for two.

A cravate holds Isom down and a running flip neckbreaker gets two more. Back up and Isom gets caught in a belly to back suplex to set up another cravate to slow things down again. Isom fights up and kicks away, meaning it’s time to slug it out from their knees. A release northern lights suplex sends LSG flying so he bails out to the floor for a breather. That means Isom can hit a springboard moonsault to the floor and then gets two off a bridging suplex back inside. LSG grabs a swinging faceplant to drop Isom and the St. Splosion gets two.

We take another break and come back with Isom catching him on top but getting knocked off again. LSG’s high crossbody connects but Isom rolls through into a Death Valley Driver for two more. Isom knocks him to the apron for a spear through the ropes, meaning it’s another slugout on the floor. The big dive lets Isom beat the count and they unload on each other back inside. Isom slips out of a Gory Stretch and grabs the Promise (a brainbuster) for the pin at 15:15.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that Ring of Honor needs to do: pick someone and push them. I know Isom might not be the next star of the promotion and the main event guy, but he could be a somebody and that is what you can always use. Go with that and give him some wins, because it isn’t like they have anything else to lose at the moment.

Mark Briscoe is ready to face his brother Jay at the 500^th episode.

Jay Briscoe is ready to face his brother Mark at the 500^th episode.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s another stand alone episode and this time had a little bit better focus than last week’s. I liked the Pure Rules gauntlet from last time but giving Isom a long form win is a better way to go. The company still needs a lot of changes but the 500^th episode should be a good event in a few weeks. Ring of Honor is a completely watchable show and one of the easiest shows of the week, which is always a nice place to be.

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

AND

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