Ring Of Honor TV – January 13, 2021 (Best Of 2020): They Have Some Good Taste

Ring of Honor
Date: January 13, 2021

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

Opening sequence.

From Free Enterprise.

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Gateway To Honor.

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

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

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

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

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

From ROH TV, November 4.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Tracy Williams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ring of Honor TV – January 6, 2021: So That’s How They Did It

Ring of Honor
Date: January 6, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s a new year around here too and really, I have no idea what that is going to mean. Ring of Honor has changed so much in recent weeks but at least this time there is the Final Battle fallout to carry things forward a bit. Hopefully that is what we get here, even though I haven’t actually seen the pay per view yet. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We get stills from the major Final Battle events.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and today is going to be about what happened with the pandemic over the summer. That could be interesting.

Matt Taven talks about being ready for the Anniversary Show but the Coronavirus felt like something that was far away and on the other side of the world. Then they went to Las Vegas and you could tell that things were different. Nothing made him more nervous than Ian Riccaboni ordering hundreds of dollars of supplies to his house. It was clear something was going to be different but then it got a little more serious.

Flip Gordon talks about how he wrestled in front of Las Vegas in front of no fans, which was a really weird situation. Ring of Honor has handled the pandemic well but he isn’t sure when the fans will be back. All that matters is him getting his World Title shot though.

Flip Gordon vs. Bandido

Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get anywhere, setting up a standoff. Gordon does his nip ups to avoid Bandido before sending him outside. Back in and a froggy crossbody gives Bandido two but Gordon ties him in the ring skirt and hammers away. We take a break and come back with Bandido getting sent hard into the barricade and then taking him back inside for a double arm crank.

Bandido fights up and nails a corkscrew high crossbody. A superkick gives Bandido two but Gordon hits his own kicks for the same. Another spinning kick to the face gives Gordon two as commentary talks about how everything was going the day of this show and how crazy everything was. Bandido gets in the X Knee, only to get taken down by the springboard spear. The Flip Fly finishes Bandido at 9:25.

Rating: C+. Is it any surprise that these two are going to have a good match? Bandido is one of the nearly guaranteed solid matches around here and Gordon can go with anyone, making this about as easy of a match as you’re going to get around here. It certainly must be weird in a situation like this but somehow, this has become the norm, which is so strange to fathom.

Buy Honor Club!

Some wrestlers talk about how everything went nuts on the way to Las Vegas for the Anniversary Show. The borders were closed, which made things confusing for some of the international fans. Then the shows were canceled but no one knew how bad things were going to be. Even with no fans, some wrestlers had an eight man tag which was more about having fun than anything else. With nothing else possible, they went out and had some fun together. Now they’re back and Ring of Honor is doing a lot of great things to keep them safe but they all want to go back to normal as soon as possible.

Mark Haskins vs. Jay Lethal

Vicky Haskins is here with Mark. They go to the mat to start until Lethal takes him up against the ropes for a breather. Lethal’s top wristlock takes him down but Haskins is back up to work on the leg. Haskins sends him outside for a running kick from the apron before cranking on the arm again back inside. Lethal is sent outside again where he blocks a suplex over the barricade and hits a handspring cutter off the apron.

It’s way too early for the Lethal Injection back inside but the Lethal Combination gets two. Lethal kicks him in the face but Hail to the King is countered into a Crossface. Then it’s the Rings of Saturn with Haskins grabbing the leg, leaving Lethal to use the free leg to reach the rope. Haskins hits a running knee to the face for two but Lethal chops away. The Lethal Injection is easily countered though and it’s the Sharpshooter, with Haskins pulling on the arm at the same time, for the tap at 8:44.

Rating: B-. Another match where the people involved made it a guaranteed pretty good match at worse, which is not a bad thing. I like Haskins more and more every time I see him and Lethal is Mr. Ring of Honor at this point. Seeing Haskins finally beat Lethal for a change was a nice moment, and it’s a shame that he has been stuck behind the travel restrictions since then.

Mark Briscoe talks about going to Vegas early but then having everything canceled in a big surprise.

Various wrestlers make it VERY clear that the company has kept them especially safe.

We see how the ROH bubble in Baltimore worked with Quinn going through all of their protocols and how well everything went. Even Dave Meltzer praised them!

Maria Kanellis Bennett is bringing back the Experience in January and you can pick what happens on the show!

Overall Rating: B-. This was rather different and it was in a good way. It was cool to see the behind the scenes look like this, as we’ve really just heard about the protocols in most companies. Yeah it was a good bit self serving, but I’ll take something unique over Christmas break than the usual Best Of shows. Very different stuff here, and that was good for a change.

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Ring Of Honor TV – September 2, 2020 (Best Of Tracy Williams): They Need To Work On Their Best Of Skills

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 2, 2020

We’re going with another of the up and comers around here with Tracy Williams. That could make for an interesting show as I’m not entirely familiar with his singles work. These things can be all over the place but Williams has done well enough in the limited amount of stuff that I have seen from him. Let’s get to it.

Video on Williams to start.

Williams, with his dog, talks about living in New York during the pandemic, but he misses wrestling a lot. We’ll go to a match to make him feel better, starting with Survival of the Fittest 2018.

Survival of the Fittest First Round: Tracy Williams vs. Jonathan Gresham

This is Williams’ ROH debut and he has a banged up shoulder. Williams charges at him to start but gets pulled to the mat as the technical work begins in a hurry. Gresham reverses into a headscissors on the mat but Williams switches over into a leg crank. That’s reverses into a crank on the leg until Williams takes him down to work on the knee. A rollup looks to set up a Crossface but Gresham reverses and they go into the corner.

They grapple against the ropes until Williams catches a boot to the ribs and chops away. Williams suplexes him down and we take a break. Back with Gresham not being able to hit a suplex and getting driven hard into the corner again. Gresham hits some chops of his own and muscles him over with a suplex for two. The Octopus is blocked and Williams goes up for a DDT onto the turnbuckle (cool) followed by a middle rope DDT for two.

Gresham’s hurricanrana is countered into a sunset flip for two and there’s a Death Valley Driver for the same. They trade the forearms for a good while until Williams hits a discus clothesline into a piledriver for two more. Gresham dropkicks him off the apron, followed by a high crossbody back inside, with Williams rolling through for the next near fall. Back up and Gresham gets in a shot to the shoulder and Octopuses him for the tap at 12:19.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as they didn’t stop for the entire match and it made for a very entertaining match. Williams is someone who can do some great things in the ring and Gresham is the kind of technical guy who can wrestle with anyone. I liked this a lot and hopefully Williams is around a lot longer and in some bigger spots.

Respect is shown post match.

Williams wanted to show catch as catch can on the big stage. Like this, from ROH TV, January 16, 2019.

Tracy Williams vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

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

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

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

at once for the tap at 12:33.

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

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

Williams talks about joining Lifeblood, but Bully Ray didn’t like it. That set up this, at State Of The Art.

Bully Ray comes to the ring and tells everyone to get out. He wants someone to come out and fight him and I think you know where this is going.

Bully Ray vs. Tracy Williams

Williams says he wants Ray to just go home so he’s accepting his challenge. And let’s make it anything goes. As luck would have it, Williams has brought a trashcan full of weapons so we’re ready to go. Ray kicks him low and accepts, meaning it’s the bell and then a break fifteen seconds later. Back with the beatdown on in full, including the punches in the corner.

Williams gets sent through the trashcan as Ray doesn’t seem to be taking this very seriously. A suplex gets two and Ray shouts at the referee for the count. Some release German suplexes let Ray shout about SUPLEX CITY but Williams gets in an armbar over the ropes. That’s broken up so Ray throws him through the trashcan again for the big crash and two.

Ray grabs a table and we take another break. Back again with Ray hitting a kendo stick shot and loading up the table, complete with some shouting at Honor Club fans. The stick goes onto Williams’ throat, which is enough to bring Williams back up with a testicular claw. Williams takes him up top but Ray shoves him over the table. Not that it matters as Williams grabs a crucifix for the fast pin at 8:17.

Rating: C-. This was playing completely against Williams’ strengths and I’m not sure why it would be included here. Is beating Ray really supposed to be that big of a deal? It seems like this is one of those required quests in Ring of Honor as every young wrestler has to face him in a violent match. At least Williams won though. That’s something, right?

Post match Ray shoves the referee down and goes after Williams again but here’s Mark Haskins for the save. Ray puts him through the table anyway and the fans seem to approve.

Williams talks about how his time here has felt like a failure but he’s coming for the Pure Title. He can be his own weapon in the tournament and he’ll showcase that in the tournament.

Overall Rating: C+. I really don’t get the ending to this show as they did a great job of making me think Bully Ray was a star, as he stood tall after Williams caught him with a fluke rollup. Other than that, Williams lost two matches and called his career in the company a failure. If this is the best that they had for Williams, who is incredibly talented, they really need to work on their Best Of skills.

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Ring Of Honor TV – July 29, 2020 (Best Of Jonathan Gresham): 18th Time’s The Charm

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 29, 2020

We’re up to a name you might have expected to be around a little sooner with Jonathan Gresham. He is one of the best technical guys going today and has been a Tag Team Champion since last year but somehow he doesn’t make it into the first seventeen Best Of shows. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Gresham.

Gresham welcomes us to his home and talks about what he has been doing since the quarantine started. Believe it or not, this mainly includes a lot of working out and training. Anyway, on with the matches.

From ROH TV, September 4, 2019.

Bandido/Mark Haskins vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then it was time to face Jay Lethal one on one. From Death Before Dishonor 2019.

Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham

Lethal doesn’t think much of Gresham not offering a handshake but Gresham has to show off what a jerk he has become. They go to the wristlocks (of course) to start with Gresham taking him down and stomping on the arm. That gives us a standoff so Gresham headlocks him down, only to have Lethal shake out for another standoff. Gresham can’t get the Octopus so Lethal rolls him up for two instead.

They hit the mat and it’s another standoff as Gresham can’t out wrestle him yet. The stalemates continue until Lethal sends him to the apron for a baseball slide to take the knee out. Back in and Lethal dropkicks him right back to the floor, setting up the freaking suicide dive. Back in again and it’s Lethal hitting the cartwheel dropkick for two as Gresham is in trouble for the first time.

It’s too early for the Figure Four so Gresham’s knee is fine enough for a standing Lionsault, though the knee is still a little banged up. Gresham takes him down by the arm and cranks back on it while also pulling on the leg for a bonus. A keylock goes on but Lethal drives him into the ropes for another break. Lethal’s arm is banged up but it’s fine enough to hit a powerslam and now the Figure Four goes on.

They roll to the ropes and then out to the floor with the crash being the only thing that breaks the hold. Gresham’s chair is taken away so they stop to yell at each other about who caused their losing streak. The slugout starts on the floor and winds up in the ring with the Lethal Injection being broken up with a kick to the arm. Since the Injection isn’t working, Lethal goes with an RKO for two instead.

The Figure Four goes on again and is broken in another hurry so it’s another Lethal Injection attempt. This time it’s countered into a backslide for two, so Lethal tries it AGAIN, this time to have his arm go out. Lethal counters la majistral into a cradle for two but Gresham unloads with strikes to the head. The Octopus goes on and Gresham cranks WAY back on the arm for the tap at 17:21.

Rating: B+. I REALLY liked this one as Lethal was his usual great self but Gresham was fired up and needed to prove himself. Couple that with giving him a target like the arm and there was almost no way Gresham could lose here. It was a heck of a performance too as Lethal was giving it all he had but fell short in the end. They played a great chess game with Lethal having to protect the arm but going for the win with the Injection but eventually giving out after Gresham worked over the arm as much as he could. This was great and one of the best things I’ve seen from ROH in a long time.

Post match, respect is shown.

Finally we have Gresham wanting to prove himself. From ROH TV, January 15, 2020.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Alex Shelley

Jay Lethal is here with Gresham. They fight over arm control to start and that’s an early standoff. Gresham spins him down and works on the leg on the mat but Shelley spins out for another standoff. Back up and Gresham misses a moonsault press as we take a break. We come back with Shelley Downward Spiraling him into the buckle to take over.

They run the ropes until Shelley’s leapfrog is pulled down by the leg with Shelley dropping a knee on said leg. A few rolls send us into a Figure Four on Shelley but he channels his inner Dunne and bends the fingers apart for the escape. Gresham takes him down by the knee again and we take a second break.

Back again with Gresham hitting a shinbreaker, only to have Shelley snap off an enziguri with the good leg. Shelley pulls himself up but loses a chop off, mainly thanks to another kick to the ribs. The same rollup that Shelley used to win the first match gets two and a superkick rocks Gresham again. They trade headlock takeovers into headscissors (kind of late in the match for that sequence) until Gresham stacks him up for the clean pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. The technical stuff was good here but they didn’t do that well into going into the history between these two. It was treated like some big showdown match but instead it was just a nice, back and forth technical exchange. Gresham working the knee was fine, but there was very little to suggest that he was some new big time heel, especially one who had just won a title by cheating.

Post match Shelley shakes hands with the champs before leaving in peace to end the show.

Gresham wraps it up by talking about his connections with a promotion called Lucha Memes, which is doing some good things. More on that later.

Overall Rating: B. Gresham is one of those guys who would work anywhere anytime because there is always a use for a pure technician. It might not be the most thrilling guy or someone who can be the top star in a promotion, but he is someone who looks awfully good to have on a card. That’s what we had here, with some excellent stuff that is worth your time to check out.

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Ring Of Honor TV – June 24, 2020 (Best Of Bandido): They’ve Got Something Here

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 24, 2020

We’re off to Bandido this time around and that is going to mean a lot of flips and dives all over the place. That sounds like an entertaining hour and these shows have done well in recent weeks. It’s a simple formula and with someone who can do the kind of things Bandido is capable of in the ring, we should be in for a good one. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Bandido welcomes us to the show and sends us to his first match, which was his debut with the company.

From ROH TV, February 6, 2019.

Mark Haskins vs. Bandido

Feeling out process to start with the aggressive Haskins grabbing a headlock but getting shoved up against the ropes. Bandido starts the flipping and it’s an early standoff. More flipping ensues but Haskins kicks him down and avoids a charge to the floor. That means a suicide dive to drop Bandido and we take a break.

Back with Haskins charging into a boot in the corner, setting up Bandido’s corkscrew crossbody. The big running flip dive takes Haskins down again and, amazingly enough, the fans are way into someone who can fly like this. Bandido gets two off a pop up cutter but gets kicked right back down. That just earns Haskins a superkick but they kick each other in the chest for another double knockdown, which the fans seem to appreciate.

They (the wrestlers, not the fans) slug it out until Haskins charges into a torture rack, with Bandido flipping him forward into something like a GTS for two. Haskins is right back up and spins him into a Sharpshooter (a fast one at that too) but Bandido is right next to the rope. A top rope double stomp gives Haskins two so Haskins goes back to the leg. That’s broken up in a hurry so Bandido knocks him against the ropes (619 position but standing instead of kneeling), flips forward and bounces off the ropes (ala the Tajiri handspring) for a snap German suplex and the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B+. Well that was insane. This was all about showcasing both guys and I had a great time watching it. Bandido really impressed me last year at various times and Haskins looked great as well, which is exactly what the point of this was supposed to be. I want to see these two do this more often and I’d buy a ticket to see it. Well done here, with exactly what they were shooting for.

From Masters of the Craft 2019.

Bandido vs. Caristico vs. Flip Gordon vs. PJ Black

One fall to a finish. They go with a four way test of strength to start until Caristico sends Gordon and Bandido outside. A springboard crossbody takes Black down and a running headscissors does it again. Bandido comes back in for a showdown with Caristico and the fans seem happy. They strike it out until an exchange of handspring backflips gives us a standoff.

Bandido headscissors him to the floor but Gordon comes back in before the dive can launch. Black springboards in to take them both down so Gordon is right back with a springboard dropkick to send Black outside. Caristico breaks up a handshake between Bandido and Gordon, only to get knocked outside. Bandido dives onto Black as Gordon does the same to Caristico. That leaves the divers to chop it out, miss dropkicks, and nip up to face off. The other two come back in as Bandido muscles Gordon to the top, only to have to slug it out with Caristico.

Gordon is double superplexed into a powerbomb to give Black two, followed by Black being put in the Tree of Woe. Bandido takes Gordon to the top, with Black sitting up to toss both of them down at once. We take a break and come back with a parade of flips and dives off the top for a parade of near falls (you knew that was coming). Black Gory Specials Caristico and Billy Goat’s Curses Bandido at the same time but quickly collapses under the weight.

Gordon and Black go outside with Bandido hitting a big dive, followed by Caristico hitting one of his own onto the three of them. Caristico takes a long time playing to the crowd before going to the barricade, only to be shoved into the crowd. Bandido and Black join them, as does Gordon with a crazy springboard flip dive from the ring into the stands.

That’s worthy of a big celebration (well earned) and it’s Caristico heading back inside for a Destroyer on Black. Bandido is back in as well with a super fall away slam superplex on Caristico with Black and Gordon making a save. Just because he can, Bandido 21 Plexes Black and Gordon at the same time to finish Gordon at 14:42.

Rating: B+. They did what they should have done here and had everyone fly all over the place and hit one crazy move after another. Bandido continues to look like a star and someone who has been doing this for fifteen years despite being in his early twenties. This was a blast and what you would expect from four guys like these people.

Bandido is VERY fired up over his win.

Bandido is proud of pinning Bully Ray in an eight man tag.

After a break, Bandido talks about gaining momentum until he got to face Jay Briscoe in a main event. That’s where we’re going to wrap it up, at Global Wars 2019.

Jay Briscoe vs. Bandido

Mark Briscoe and Mark Haskins are at ringside. They shake hands to start and Briscoe powers him into the corner without much effort. Bandido does it right back though as the mind games begin. A running headscissors has Bandido staggered but he flips into a standoff, complete with dancing finger guns. Bandido picks up the pace with a springboard wristdrag to the floor and there’s a big flip dive for a bonus. Back in and Jay superkicks him out of the air though and we take a break.

We come back with Jay hitting a Death Valley Driver for two and taking things outside for a whip into the barricade. There’s a running boot to the face to knock Bandido silly again, followed by another whip into the barricade. A suplex drops Bandido on the floor as Mark Briscoe joins commentary. That lasts all of ten seconds until Bandido dives back in to beat the twenty count. Jay charges into some boots in the corner and that means a corkscrew moonsault to take Jay down.

We take another break and come back with Bandido slipping out of the Jay Driller. They forearm it out and trade superkicks until Bandido hits a pop up cutter for no cover. Briscoe gets in a forearm and the Jay Driller connects for two. The fans are split as Bandido fights to his feet and grabs the moonsault fall away slam. Bandido can’t hit his own Jay Driller so Jay clotheslines the heck out of him for two more. Back up and Bandido says bring it and knees him in the face. The X Knee sets up the 21 Plex to finish Jay at 21:45.

Rating: B. These two beat the heck out of each other and Bandido got a heck of a rub here. Jay is the most successful star ROH has ever seen and a win over him is a big deal, as it was here. Bandido looks like a major star as a result of the win and that’s the point of a win like this. Very good, hard hitting match here as Bandido again looks talented beyond his years.

Some clips of Mexa Squad winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles to wrap us up.

Overall Rating: A. That’s about as entertaining as you are going to get for a one hour show and Bandido continues to be one of the most entertaining stars on the entire roster. This was a heck of a showcase for him and it seems that he should be a big star for a long time around here to come. Or until he signs with AEW or WWE, where someone as good as he is seems destined to go.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Ring Of Honor TV – May 3, 2020 (Best Of Mark Haskins): I Really Like This Guy

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 3, 2020

It’s a British week this time around as we look at Mark Haskins. That should make for some good stuff as Haskins has been one of the more continuously entertaining wrestlers on the roster. This has done a good job of opening the vault a bit, though I’m not sure how much longer they can keep it going. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Haskins talks about how he was bullied by a kid but then discovered wrestling. A friend of his with Cerebral Palsy introduced him to it and Haskins wanted to win a major title to prove what he could do. His friend died before he could and that still bothers him. He got a call to wrestle a match in Liverpool against Silas Young and won in his debut, which is pretty rare. Then he won the International Cup to earn a World Title shot.

From Honor Re-United: London.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Mark Haskins

Haskins is challenging and his wife is at ringside. Lethal misses a charge to start and they go to the mat for a very quick standoff. Haskins’ armbar is broken up in a hurry and we take a fast break. Back with Haskins working on the arm again and trying a Tommaso Ciampa flip over armbar. That’s enough to send Lethal to the ropes and then the floor for a breather as he can’t do much with Haskins early on.

Back in and Haskins chops away, only to get hiptossed into the basement dropkick. Haskins starts crawling on the mat to kick at the leg before dropkicking the knee out. Lethal tries a sunset flip but gets the arm stomped down as Haskins is picking him apart here. Some rapid fire chops in the corner keep Lethal in trouble and we take another break. Back again with Lethal hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to send Haskins bailing to the floor for a breather of his own.

Some rams into the apron bang up Haskins’ back but a Chris Jericho triangle dropkick misses. Haskins scores with a kick to the head and goes back to the arm. A YES Lock sends Lethal bailing to the rope but he’s up in a hurry to suplex both of them out to the floor. They roll back in where Haskins hits an enziguri as we take another break. Back with Lethal grabbing a torture rack and hitting a reverse Regal Roll.

Lethal Injection and the Sharpshooter are both blocked and a double knockdown gives them a breather. It’s Haskins going up but Lethal crotches him with a chop. A superplex into a tiger driver gets two but the Figure Four is countered into a small package to give Haskins two. They slug it out with Haskins getting the better of it (and some polite applause), setting up a Canadian Destroyer.

The top rope double stomp gets two more and the Sharpshooter goes on. A rope break gets Lethal out of that as well and the Lethal Injection connects for two. Another Injection is countered into the flip armbar, setting up Made in England for a great near fall. They fight to the apron with Haskins being knocked to the floor. That lets Lethal hit back to back suicide dives but the third is blocked. They go back inside with Lethal hitting a cutter and then the Lethal Injection to retain at 27:05.

Rating: A-. This was excellent stuff as Haskins came to play and probably earned himself a job out of this kind of performance. Lethal was working here too and it was a heck of a performance from both guys. I had a blast watching this one as they were tearing the house down throughout the long match, which flew by with no dead spots. Check this one out.

Video on the Haskins vs. Bully Ray feud, which was every Ray feud ever. Haskins beat him in a street fight at Final Battle 2019.

From Free Enterprise.

Alex Shelley vs. Mark Haskins

They go technical to start (duh) as neither can get very far off arm control. Haskins’ rollup might get one as Shelley backs away for a standoff. A headlock takeover works a bit better but Shelley reverses into his very spinning rollup for two. Shelley grabs la majistral into an armbar but Haskins is out in a hurry as well. Haskins kicks him in the chest and we take a break. Back with a fight over an abdominal stretch but Shelley gets flipped into a Crossface.

With that broken up, Haskins starts kicking at the chest, which just seem to annoy Shelley. A slugout gives us a double knockdown with Haskins getting up first. Shelley gets in a snap suplex for a breather and sends Haskins hard into the corner. Haskins is right back with a suplex and a Samoan driver for two as the shock is real. Back up and Shelley hits Sliced Bread into a swinging Downward Spiral. The Border City Stretch (Gargano Escape) goes on but Haskins rolls into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 11:49.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? These two can do some great technical stuff and it was on full display here, as it should have been. Haskins is gearing up for either a Pure Title run or a World Title chase so putting him over here was the only option they had. Shelley is great as the veteran who is putting people over and that’s what they’re mainly using him for these days.

A Haskins highlight package ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ve liked Haskins since the first time I saw him and this was a great showcase for him. The opener was a great match that I hadn’t seen before and the second was a rather good one that I had seen just a few months ago. Haskins could be a big deal in a hurry if someone gave him the chance and it wouldn’t shock me to see Ring of Honor do just that. Very good stuff here and one of the better Best Of’s so far.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Ring Of Honor TV – April 22, 2020 (Best Of Matt Taven): It Could Work

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 22, 2020

It’s Matt Taven’s week and that could mean a few things. Taven is someone who has done some good things in his time, but as long as we don’t hear him talk, everything should be fine. He has some solid matches on his resume and we might be seeing some of those here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Taven talks about rehabbing from a knee injury in 2016 and knowing he had some goals. He knew he would have to beat Adam Cole because they started at the same time but Cole was already the World Champion. Then he beat Dalton Castle, allowing him to bring in the REAL World Title. The match that gives him the most pride is going an hour with Jay Lethal, even though he didn’t win the World Title. Then he won the World Title in Madison Square Garden, which was all he ever wanted.

From War of the Worlds 2019: Grand Rapids.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Mark Haskins

Taven is defending and tries to hit him with the belt before the bell. That earns him a kick to the face and they head outside with Haskins kicking him in the jaw again. A penalty kick from the apron connects but Taven is back in to run the ropes a bit before getting kicked down again. Haskins hits a shinbreaker and a basement dropkick gets two. Something like an Indian Deathlock stays on the leg, followed by a DDT for two more.

Taven gets to the apron though and snaps the arm across the top to get a breather. They head outside with Taven staying on the arm, including sending it into the post. Back from a break with Haskins being thrown up the steps and onto the stage. Haskins has to dive in to beat the count at nineteen so Taven stomps on the shoulder some more. A Fujiwara armbar has Haskins in major trouble but he gets over to the rope for the break. Taven hits him in the face so Haskins says bring it on and wins a slugout with a leg lariat.

Back up and Taven catches him in a fireman’s carry and drops Haskins throat first on the top rope. We take another break and come back with Taven pulling on the arm again but getting pulled down into a Crossface. Make that the Rings of Saturn as Taven is getting too close to the ropes. A foot on the rope makes the save and Taven is fine enough to hit a running knee to the face for two.

An enziguri into a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Taven two more but he misses the frog splash. The Gibson Driver gets two on Taven and they’re both down again. It’s Haskins up first and kicking at the chest until stereo dropkicks give us another double knockdown. They get up and slug it out with Haskins dropping him and hitting the top rope double stomp for two.

Haskins takes him to the apron but gets caught with the Climax. Back in and Taven hits the frog splash for two and the big shocked face. Haskins is mostly dead but manages to roll into a Sharpshooter….and here’s Bully Ray (Commentary: “NO!!!!”) to ask how Haskins’ wife is. The distraction lets Taven get in a cheap shot and the Climax retains at 25:52.

Rating: B+. Man they had me going there until the Bully Ray ending, which has been done so many times before. As usual, Haskins is one of the most entertaining guys on the roster and Taven can do very well when he drops the talking and just goes in the ring. I liked this one quite a bit and if they had done ANYTHING but the Ray ending, it would have been even better.

Taven talks his feud with Ultimo Guerrero in Mexico. That made him into a bigger deal and they did it again in America.

From ROH TV, July 4, 2018.

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Oh it’s a post pay per view TV show for sure. No Vinny Marseglia with Taven and TK O’Ryan here and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. This is an old rivalry and Guerrero works a top wristlock to start. The fans give that a LUCHA LIBRE chant and it’s time for a standoff, complete with a lack of commentary for some reason. After chasing O’Ryan away, Guerrero sends Taven to the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.

Taven gets thrown into the crowd and O’Ryan goes into the barricade to keep things even. Another whip sends Guerrero into the barricade as well and we take a break. Back with Guerrero fighting out of a chinlock but gets enziguried out to the floor. That sets up Taven’s great looking no hands dive but Guerrero steps to the side. Taven and O’Ryan are set on a chair for a big wipeout, followed by some rapid(ish) fire chops in the corner.

A super gordbuster gets two but Taven is right back with a knee to the face. Back again with Taven getting two off a Lionsault but having a super hurricanrana countered into a superbomb. A springboard enziguri drops Guerrero again but he’s right back up to catch Taven on top. Cue the red balloons and Marseglia from underneath the ring for a distraction though, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this. It wasn’t boring and the work was fine but Guerrero is more a treat for the live crowd and he’s not exactly the biggest name in the world. This really felt like a main event on a show you didn’t need to see and while it was fine, it’s really not a match that I need to see or really care about. Taven has gotten a lot better though.

Post match the Kingdom celebrates for a long time before Taven says he respects Guerrero. Just realize that you’re not as good as Taven of course.

Taven talks about how important these matches are but Vincent cuts in and says he left Taven laying at Final Battle. Vincent is the best of Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. That opener is great and is enough to pull the just pretty good main event up. Taven is someone who does not have the best reputation in ROH (fair enough) but things get a lot better when he’s in the ring. This was as good as it was going to get from him and I liked the show well enough. Face Taven could be interesting, and seems like such a natural fit for him. Why did it take until the end of last year to make that happen?

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Ring Of Honor TV – February 26, 2020: Take Me To The New Leader

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 26, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Host: Quinn McKay

It’s time to keep moving on as we are in Baltimore for Free Enterprise. This was Ring of Honor’s idea to get people back into things by having a free show. That’s not the worst idea in the world and if it gets people talking, so be it. Ring of Honor needs any kind of positive news it can get so maybe this helps things. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a Slex vignette, as he has recently signed with the company.

Alex Shelley vs. Mark Haskins

Video on Vincent destroying Matt Taven and the Kingdom.

Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry are ready to fight, because Castle once stared down a spider in all eight eyes, even though he only has two. Castle rubs Hendry’s face because they do what people don’t expect.

Mark Haskins is ready for his World Title triple threat match, though Tracy Williams doesn’t seem thrilled.

Vincent/Bateman vs. Dalton Castle/Joe Hendry

Chuckles and Vita are in Vincent/Bateman’s corner. Bateman and Castle stare at each other to start until Castle takes him into the corner so Hendry can work on the arm. A fireman’s carry into a running shoulder has Bateman in trouble and a jumping knee gives Hendry two. Castle drops a middle rope knee and we hit the waistlock. Vincent holds out Matt Taven’s crutch for a distraction though, which just lets Hendry clothesline Bateman to the floor. Vincent finally comes in and posts Castle as we take a break.

Back with Hendry in trouble as Bateman and Vincent take turns kicking him in the ribs. Vincent gets two off a Side Effect and grabs a guillotine choke for a bonus. That’s broken up with a suplex and the hot tag brings in Castle. House is cleaned with suplexes until Vincent puts Castle on the top.

That goes nowhere as Castle slips down and catches him in a release German suplex. Vincent knocks him outside, only to have Castle get over to Hendry. That means a double fall away slam so Hendry can show off quite a bit as everything breaks down. A reverse Sling Blade puts Bateman down and there’s the facebuster to Vincent, only to have Chuckles pull Castle to the floor. Vincent hits a Dudley Dog for the pin on Hendry at 12:38.

Rating: C+. They were working hard here with Vincent and Bateman continuing to be more interesting than the Kingdom ever was. Castle and Hendry’s oddball stuff isn’t exactly thrilling and the two of them have been doing the same stuff for months now. At least we got a good match out of it though and that’s more than some people can say.

Slex is ready to beat Flip Gordon and it doesn’t matter if it takes twenty minutes or twenty seconds.

Vincent says their future is righteous, if you dig what he is saying.

Video on Slex.

Slex vs. Flip Gordon

Slex is from Australia and calls himself The Business. Gordon goes with a headlock to start and shoulders him down. They miss each other a few times and we take an early break. Back with Back with Slex chopping away at the ropes and hitting a slingshot backbreaker to send Gordon outside. That of course means the suicide dive and a release suplex onto the apron keeps Gordon’s back in trouble. A very delayed vertical suplex drops Gordon for two in a good power display. Slex powerbombs him out of the corner for two more and we the chinlock.

Gordon’s comeback is cut off with a wheelbarrow suplex but it’s a double clothesline to put both of them down again. Gordon heads to the apron for an enziguri and a spinning kick to the head. The twisting Falcon Arrow gets two and we take another break. Back again with Slex hitting a hard clothesline, followed by a torture rack bomb for two more. Gordon hits a superkick and the Kinder Surprise to the floor, followed by the big moonsault. The springboard spear connects for two on Slex, followed by a Curb Stomp to put him away at 11:38.

Rating: B-. Slex looked rather good here and definitely has a future, but why have him lose here? You don’t have to have him beat Gordon (though you could) but having him lose here is one of those questionable things that happens too often in wrestling. It’s ok to let someone debut and win a big match but instead Gordon, who doesn’t need it, gets the win. Slex will be fine, but I don’t get this one.

Post match Gordon shows respect and leaves, but here are the Soldiers of Savagery to distract Slex so Shane Taylor can run in and package piledrive him. Taylor says that since his demands have been met so he’s officially back in ROH.

Overall Rating: B+. Maybe it was just the wrestling they had this time around but this was one of the best ROH shows I’ve seen in a very long time. That’s a nice thing to hear on its own, but the big picture is that it’s one of the first major shows from Marty Scurll. Hopefully that means a good sign for the future, because ROH has been so nothing for such a long time now.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Ring Of Honor TV – September 4, 2019: Thank Goodness For Wrestling

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bandido/Mark Haskins vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

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

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

Results

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Ring of Honor TV – July 3, 2019: Let The Wrestling Save Us While It Can

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 3, 2019
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentator: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past Best in the World and other than commentary saying “we’re past Best in the World and it was awesome”, you probably won’t be hearing anything about the show because this was taped in advance. It’s another stand alone show and odds are the NWA will be getting a focus, though that’s not the worst thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a very quick video on tonight’s main event of Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb.

Opening sequence.

Jay Briscoe vs. PCO

They go with the exchange of shoulders and uppercuts to start until Jay kicks him in the face. A backdrop sends PCO outside, which just seems to get on his nerves so he chops away even more. Another backdrop sends PCO back first onto the apron though and we take an early break. Back with Jay swearing as he’s cut in something close to White Noise. Some running shots to the face and a forearm to the back put Jay down.

The Cannonball gets two and Jay gets in even more trouble with a Cactus Clothesline to send both of them outside. A running flip dive through the ropes drops Jay again but he’s right back with a hot shot onto the barricade. Jay puts him in a chair for a running crossbody but gets yelled at for bringing the chair inside. The slugout goes to PCO, who hits a pop up powerbomb and goes up for the PCOsault. Jay is right back up with a chair shot though and that’s the DQ at 10:50.

Rating: C-. Not a bad power match here with Jay being the kind of guy who can put over a million people and still be one of the biggest stars the company has ever seen. PCO on the other hand could still be in the World Title scene and there is no reason to have him lose clean. Throw in the Briscoes vs. NWA story and this was a well booked match, although not the most thrilling.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out and it’s a Froggy Bow to put PCO through a table.

Mark Haskins says he and his family need him to beat Jeff Cobb.

Cobb promises to suplex Haskins back to England.

Brian Johnson promises Josh Woods that he’ll bring honor to the Top Prospect Tournament and not be a failure like Woods. A glare sends Johnson running.

Coast 2 Coast vs. Shane Taylor/Bully Ray

Ray tells Bobby Cruise to get out of the ring because he’ll do his own entrance. Hold on though as Ray needs to go to the floor to yell at a kid. Taylor and Ali start things off nearly two minutes into the match with Ali slapping him in the face. Some strikes work a bit better but Taylor easily catches a crossbody. LSG comes in for some forearms to the back and we take a break.

Back with Ray crotching Ali against the post and Taylor adding a headbutt as the slow offense can continue. Ray takes way too long winding up the Bionic elbow and gets superkicked in the chest. He’s fine enough to hit the powerbomb but misses a splash, allowing the tag to LSG. House is cleaned, including a high crossbody for two on Taylor and a double superkick to send Bully outside. Back to back frog splashes get two more on Taylor but Ray breaks up Coast to Coast (the second move that Ian said gave the team their name). Greetings From 216 finishes Ali at 10:27.

Rating: C. Better than the opener but Taylor and Ray as some of the top heels in the company isn’t interesting. Ray feels like someone who is there because he has to be whether you want him there or not. Taylor feels like a monster, but he’s coming off like Ray’s far too talented enforcer. I get why Ray is here, but there’s a firm limit to how far things are going with him as the big heel.

We look at Tracy Williams winning a four way match to earn a World Title shot next week.

Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb

Cobb wrestles him down to the mat without much effort but Haskins pulls him into an ankle lock, which leaves Cobb impressed. Another technical exchange gives us a standoff and we take a break. Back with a chop off going to Cobb but his standing moonsault is blocked. Haskins reverses a powerbomb attempt into a triangle choke but he sends Haskins fast first into the buckle in a rather strong counter.

Haskins fights out of a bearhug and leapfrogs over a charging Cobb to send him outside. The suicide dive connects and a top rope double stomp is good for two. Cobb forearms him in the back though and nails a spinning piledriver for two of his own. Back from another break with Haskins starting in on the arm with a stomp and a cross armbreaker. Cobb bails to the floor for the escape so Haskins kicks the arm from the apron. That’s fine with Cobb, who grabs the spinning belly to back onto the floor.

They both dive in at nineteen and Cobb catches him with a snap German suplex. The standing moonsault crushes Haskins’ back but the Tour of the Islands is blocked again. Haskins can’t get the Sharpshooter so he settles for a Samoan driver for two instead. Cobb catches him on top but Haskins blocks the superplex attempt. A Kimura is blocked so Haskins settles for knocking him off the top. The double stomp misses again though and it’s the Tour of the Islands to finish Haskins at 16:05.

Rating: B. Rather good match here with the two of them playing off of each other well. It takes a lot to make Cobb sweat so Haskins looked strong in defeat. They played well with the back vs. the arm and both guys trying to hit their finisher until Cobb got his was all you needed it to be.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an easy show to watch with three matches that showcased different people. It gets annoying having to wait forever to get to the big storyline stuff, but it means less Matt Taven and that’s just good news these days. It’s pretty clear that the top storylines aren’t working at the moment (the attendance for this show was a disaster, as was the case at Best in the World) so going with the wrestling is the best idea they have.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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