Fighting Spirit Unleashed
Date: September 30, 2018
Location: Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California
Attendance: 3,007
Commentators: Jim Ross, Kevin Kelly

New Japan is back in the USA and I’m not sure how special this one feels. It’s not something that comes off as a big deal anymore but at least the shows are still pretty entertaining. The main event here is a tag match with the Golden Lovers vs. Kazuchika Okada/Tomohiro Ishii, which should at least be a fun match. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick look at the March show (Why not the July show?) and a rundown of the card. I’m still not sure if I like having the match order announced in advance or not.

There are some LARGE sections of empty seats.

Taguchi Japan vs. Roppongi 3K

That would be Jushin Thunder Liger/Ryusuke Taguchi/ACH vs. Rocky Romero/Sho/Yoh. Taguchi is even sporting rugby gear because Japan is getting ready to host the Rugby World Cup. Liger and Yoh start things off with the latter putting Liger up against the ropes for a friendly/patronizing pat to the chest. Liger runs into a dropkick but comes right back with a backbreaker.

There’s the surfboard to fulfill Liger’s contractual obligations and it’s time for all three good guys to clothesline Yoh in the corner. Taguchi uses the back of his tights (a trademark of his) but Liger gets sent into it instead and it’s Liger in trouble with Sho hitting a sliding dropkick. Rocky comes in and dropkicks the knee but Sho knocks Rocky off the apron by mistake, allowing the hot tag to ACH.

Everything speeds up with a double stomp to Sho’s back and a rapid fire string of kicks. A German suplex gets two on Sho and the fans are very pleased with ACH. Sho hits his own German suplex and it’s off to Rocky for the Forever Clotheslines on Taguchi, until the flying hip attacks get him out of trouble. Taguchi even bends over to offer them a target but triple dropkicks miss. A triple atomic drop works a bit better but the 3K is broken up. ACH dropkicks Sho and Yoh to the floor for a suicide dive, leaving Taguchi to hit a faceplant that the camera partially missed for the pin on Rocky at 8:57.

Rating: C-. Not a great match here but a fun opener with the six guys moving fast enough to keep the fans entertained. It’s always cool to see Liger and while I’m not the biggest ACH fan in the world, he’s a great choice for something like this. I still can’t believe how much better Sho and Yoh are here than they were in Ring of Honor, as the improvement is staggering.

Addiction vs. Hangman Page/Chase Owens

I still don’t get the appeal of Owens. Kelly is smart enough to let the fans know that the Addiction are part of So Cal Uncensored, hence the SCU chants from the So Cal crowd. Page and Kazarian slug it out to start because that’s just what they do. Stereo clotheslines don’t get either of them anywhere so they knock each other into the corners for a double tag. Certainly an effective way to start.

Owens speeds things up with a knee to the face and a running neckbreaker to take Daniels down so it’s already back to Kazarian. That means another neckbreaker and it’s off to Page for a dropsault for two on Kazarian and a very positive reaction. The fans think this is awesome, which sounds like quite the overreaction.

Page gets two off a tabletop suplex and it’s Owens slapping on a front facelock to keep Kazarian in place. Kazarian’s Backstabber gets him out of trouble though and it’s off to Daniels for a Rock Bottom/reverse DDT combination. A release Rock Bottom to Owens only leaves Daniels open for the Buckshot Lariat but Page’s shooting star off the apron lands in Kazarian’s Codebreaker. Back inside and the Best Meltzer Ever finishes Owens at 8:41.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable match here as the fans were into Kazarian and Daniels and of course the Bullet Club is going to get a reaction no matter what they do. This was perfectly fine for this spot on the card as they’re still getting going and the fans are getting into the show. That’s a big part of how to build a card and a lot of companies don’t know how to pull that off.

Jeff Cobb/Flip Gordon/Chris Sabin vs. Chaos

That would be Hirooki Goto/Best Friends for Chaos. Cobb is the ROH TV Champion, which wouldn’t air on TV for over three weeks, because ROH’s TV schedule is annoying. Sabin and Chuckie trade rollups to start but everything breaks down in a hurry. Everyone crushes Chuckie in the corner and it’s la majistral to give Sabin two. Gordon comes in but gets launched into a cutter, leaving the Best Friends to load up the big hug.

Cobb isn’t having that though and runs them both over, onto to be blasted by Goto’s clothesline. Sabin takes him down with his apron kick though, leaving the Best Friends to have their hug. Now we can get to the stereo flip dives and some muscle posing, followed by the slingshot stomp to the face from Beretta. Chuckie adds the rolling slingshot splash and Sabin is in big trouble. Sabin manages to drop toehold Chuckie into Beretta’s crotch though and a tornado DDT is enough for the hot tag to Gordon.

That means it’s time to blow JR’s hat off with high flying as a springboard Sling Blade looks to set up a 450 but Beretta is out of the way. The double tag brings in Cobb and Goto and the slugout is on. Goto actually gets the better of it by avoiding a charge and hitting a Saito suplex. The GTR is countered and Cobb hits his own suplex but misses a standing moonsault. Chuckie can’t suplex Cobb but a Best Friends comboplex works a bit better. That’s cool with Cobb, who suplexes both of them right back. A piledriver gets two on Cobb but Chuckie misses the moonsault, setting up the Tour of the Islands to give Cobb the pin at 12:08.

Post match Goto and Cobb tease a fight but Goto leaves before anything happens.

Suzuki-Gun vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Zack Sabre Jr./Lance Archer/Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito/Sanada/Evil here. The announcers talk about Smith’s incredibly hard handshake and they’re right. I got to shake his hand last year and it’s the firmest I’ve ever seen by a mile. One of the stories here seems to be that Evil can’t beat Sabre no matter what he does. Fair enough. Suzuki-Gun jumps them from behind before the bell but Evil shoulders Sabre down to take over at the official start. Sanada comes in and makes the mistake of trying to trade holds with Sabre, meaning he’s quickly taken into the corner.

It’s off to Smith, whose knee gets dropkicked out in short order. A blind tag brings in Archer for a powerslam though and he runs into Sanada multiple times to knock him silly. Smith comes in again to work on Sanada’s knee with a reverse Figure Four but he can only get two of the three rolling German suplexes. A middle rope dropkick to Smith and a hurricanrana to Archer allow the hot tag to Naito so house can be cleaned.

Naito hits a neckbreaker on Smith and stops to pose but a belly to belly suplex cuts him off. The momentum isn’t exactly lasting in this one. A side slam/middle rope splash combination gets two on Naito but he’s right back with a springboard tornado DDT (See what I mean?). Sabre and Evil come in and slug it out with Sabre cranking on an armbar until Sanada makes the save.

Stereo dives take out Archer and Smith but Sabre reverses whatever Evil was setting up into something like an Octopus. That’s reversed into Darkness Falls (sitout Widowmaker) but what looked like an STO is reversed into a bridging cradle (with Sabre flipping off the crowd) for the pin on Evil at 9:31.

Rating: C+. I like most of the people in this match and this was another fun one with everyone moving at a very fast pace and showing off a little bit. Sabre’s submissions are hard enough to describe let alone keep track of what he’s doing. Archer and Smith are as dominant looking of a team as you’ll find outside of (maybe) the Guerrillas of Destiny and are always fun to watch so this one was rather entertaining.

Post match Smith powerslams Naito in the aisle. Evil is devastated by his loss and Naito looks down at him.

Jay White/Gedo vs. Taguchi Japan

It’s Kushida and Hiroshi Tanahashi for Taguchi here. Gedo has abandoned Kazuchika Okada for White, making him rather hated at the moment. White wants Tanahashi’s G1 Climax briefcase for the title shot at Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi wastes no time in slugging away at White, the only person who beat him in the G1 Climax, on the floor as they start in a hurry. They head inside with Tanahashi going after the knee but getting shoved off the ropes for a crash to the floor. White chops away as Gedo rips at Kushida’s face elsewhere. Back in and a Saito suplex gives White two and we settle down to an actual tag match.

An elbow drop gives White two but Gedo comes in and gets crossbodied. That’s enough to bring in Kushida to speed things up with the kicks to the face, including a seated dropkick. A rolling DDT sets up a cross armbreaker on Gedo and then the Hoverboard Lock but White makes a save. Kushida brings in Tanahashi for some running elbows and forearms, followed by Twist and Shout. Everything breaks down but Gedo uses some brass knuckles to break up the High Fly Flow. The Blade Runner finishes Tanahashi at 9:01.

Post match White says he wants his shot at the briefcase. New Japan is scared of White winning the briefcase because it doesn’t want two foreigners in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi’s time is coming.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinals: Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay

The title is vacant due to Hiromu Takahashi’s neck injury so there is a tournament between the four most recent champions. The line about these two is “three things are inevitable: death, taxes and Scurll beats Ospreay”, though Ospreay did beat him earlier in the year. Bell, C4, two on Scurll, shooting star, two on Scurll, we’re now fifteen seconds in. The threat of an Oscutter sends Scurll outside so Ospreay hits a suicide dive.

Back in and a springboard clothesline drops Scurll again but he’s right back with some elbows to the face. Ospreay falls outside for the apron superkick and a stomp to the head makes things worse back inside. The cravate sets up some knees to the head and Ospreay is in even more trouble, mainly due to his eternally bad neck. Ospreay tells him to bring it so Scurll does, sending Ospreay down to the mat again.

A handspring enziguri takes Scurll down but the neck flares up again. Ospreay hits a 619 over the top (Why is that something you never see?) but Scurll kicks him outside. They strike it out on the apron but the C4 off the apron (which hurt Ospreay’s neck in the first place) is blocked. Instead Ospreay settles for a sunset bomb to the floor and they’re both down. Ospreay’s spinning kick to the back connects inside but the Oscutter is countered into a backslide for two.

Stormbreaker is broken up so Ospreay scores with a clothesline but has to grab his neck again. The super Oscutter is broken up with a good crotching and Scurll gets his own two off his own clothesline. Some chops fire Ospreay up (that’s an international one) and he hits an enziguri, only to have the Oscutter reversed into the chickenwing in a slick counter.

Ospreay flips out and hits a superkick to the back of the head for the double knockdown. Back up and the Cheeky Nandos kick hits Scurll but he’s able to break up a superplex. A super tiger suplex (Tiger superplex?) gets a crazy close two and a package piledriver sets up Graduation to finish Ospreay at 16:01.

Rating: A-. Now that was awesome stuff with both guys leaving it all in the ring and beating the heck out of each other with Scurll going serious because he was up against his archrival (the hero to his villain) in a match that mattered in the future. Ospreay of course has no problem risking death and all that jazz, leaving the two of them to tear the house down in a match that blows away anything else on the show so far. Well worth seeing, which is a first tonight (and makes sense as New Japan builds their cards higher as the show goes on).

You can tell we’re getting to the big stuff as we now have videos to build up the matches. Kenny Omega attacked AJ Styles over two years ago to take over the Bullet Club. Now the Guerrillas of Destiny have done the same thing and the Bullet Club is splitting all over again with the Guerrillas and company calling themselves the Firing Squad. The Club is now the Bullet Club Elite because the world makes my head hurt.

IWGP Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Guerrillas of Destiny

The Bucks are defending but the Guerrillas have Haku in their corner. The Guerrillas throw the belts over the top and we’re ready to go with Nick vs. Tama starting us off. They speed things up early on with neither actually hitting anything for a standoff. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Bucks make mistake of hitting Tongans in the head. Matt launches Nick into both of them for a double dropkick and the Guerrillas are actually in some trouble.

More dropkicks see Matt’s back go out though, allowing Tama to jump Nick from behind. Loa hammers on Matt on the floor and it’s table time, which seems a bit extreme for this place. Nick saves his brother from being suplexed through the table and starts fighting both Tongans on his own. This goes as well as you might have guessed until Matt tries to make a save, earning himself a slam off the top through the table.

Loa gets sent outside for a dropkick through the ropes and there’s the Sharpshooter on Tama, with Loa making a save in short order. A spear of all things drops Tama and it’s back to Nick for the fast paced comeback. The roll into the Backstabber takes Tama down and the double superkicks get two. More Bang For Your Buck (with a long delay before Matt can do the moonsault) is good for the same on Loa but the Meltzer Driver is broken up with a Gun Stun. Matt tries some superkicks but walks into a 3D for the pin and the titles at 19:22.

Rating: B. As usual, the Bucks are far better in Japan and that was the case again here. They were in over their heads against the Guerrillas though and the title change was absolutely the right idea. That being said, I don’t remember the last big Bucks match that didn’t involve Matt’s back. It’s effective, but can we mix it up a little?

We recap the US Title match. Juice Robinson won the title earlier this year when he finally won the big one. Cody on the other hand just wants to be champion. Juice wants to prove that he’s more than just a flash in the pan who got lucky.

IWGP US Title: Cody vs. Juice Robinson

Robinson is defending and Brandi Rhodes (yep) is here with Cody. The bell rings and Cody takes his sweet time ripping off the shirt. Juice’s wristlock doesn’t go anywhere so it’s off to a chinlock that lasts all of two seconds. Back up and they chop it out until Cody avoids a crossbody. Cody’s dive to the floor is countered with a belly to belly suplex but Juice accidentally shoves Brandi down.

Pain is screamed so Cody hits a DDT on the floor, bringing Brandi right back up for a kiss. Back in and Cody misses a springboard elbow but a Brandi distraction breaks up a Cannonball attempt. Juice goes after her again and Cody takes over with a single cheap shot. The rollup that made Juice champion gets two here and he kicks Cody into the corner for the Cannonball. The Disaster Kick misses and Juice hits a good looking high crossbody for no cover due to a hard landing.

That means a Figure Four on Juice until we get the old school turnover for the break. Hang on though as Cody needs some water to spit into Juice’s eyes, setting up the Disaster Kick for two. Juice is fine enough to hit Pulp Friction but Brandi pulls her husband to the floor. The knee keeps Juice from getting to him in a hurry though and it’s Cross Rhodes on the floor to knock the champ silly.

Back in and they trade the snap jabs with Juice getting the better of it until Cody pokes him in the eye. A superkick sets up a Vertebreaker (which Cody used to pin him in a tag match) for a close two on Robinson but he crotches Cody on top. Robinson grabs a superplex for the crash, with both guys laying down and raising their legs for the small package with Cody getting the pin and the title at 16:47.

Rating: B-. This could have been a lot worse as Cody’s matches tend to be crazy overbooked. Thankfully that wasn’t the case here and they just had a pretty solid match. I’m not sure why they needed to do the title change here as Juice had a great story to get to the title and Cody is just….well Cody. Does the NWA World Champion need the lowest NJPW singles title?

Chaos vs. Golden Lovers

That would be Tomohiro Ishii/Kazuchika Okada for Chaos here as Okada and Omega continue their long running rivalry. Okada and Ibushi start things off with an exchange of basic holds. A very early Rainmaker attempt misses (continuing the basic theme) and it’s off to Ishii, who wants Omega. For some reason Omega tries some shoulders and just hurts himself. Ishii spits at Ibushi so Omega slugs away to little avail. Ibushi breaks up the brainbuster attempt and no sells some forearms to the back.

Omega’s shot from the back takes Ishii down for a few seconds so it’s off to Ibushi for an ill advised strike off. A hard shoulder drops Ibushi again and Okada hits a slingshot hilo. Omega wants to save his partner and comes in to slug it out with Ishii, earning himself a beating. Back in and Okada snapmares Ibushi down but a dropkick takes Ishii down as we actually get some intelligence.

Omega comes back in and hits a running tornado DDT with an awkward landing. Ishii scores with a powerslam and everything breaks down with the Lovers hitting moonsaults to the floor to take over for the first time. Back in and a series of moonsaults get two on Okada but Ishii comes back in for a suplex. Everything breaks down and it’s Okada vs. Omega for the big showdown.

Neither can hit a finisher so Omega grabs the snapdragon instead. Ishii breaks up a V Trigger and Okada nails the dropkick. Ibushi takes Ishii outside and there’s the V Trigger to Okada. The One Winged Angel is broken up and Okada hits the Tombstone for two as Ibushi saves. It’s off to Ishii vs. Ibushi for a forearm off with Ibushi actually getting the better of it. A moonsault double knees to the chest gets two on Ishii but Okada breaks up the Golden Trigger.

Ishii drops Omega but gets kicked down by Ibushi and everyone needs a break. Ibushi and Ishii slap it out until Ibushi gets two off a clothesline. One heck of a clothesline gives Ishii two of his own and Okada dropkicks Ibushi into a heck of a powerbomb. Ibushi is back up with a German suplex for two on Ishii. Okada gets sent outside and it’s the Golden Trigger to finish Ishii at 23:03.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as expected but I like Ishii a lot so it was going to be hard to screw this up. The Lovers are a heck of a team and it makes sense to have Ishii take the fall instead of Okada, who isn’t losing on a glorified house show. This felt important and that’s what you should be going for at a show like this one. Good, though not great main event.

Post match the Bullet Club comes out for the celebration and Omega is glad to see all the happy faces. The singles match between Omega and Ibushi is teased but here’s Cody to grab the mic. Cody says the fans want to see the rematch and since he’s cool with Omega and getting there with Ibushi, let’s just make it a triple threat (a rarity in New Japan). Omega thinks it’s ingenious and the match seems to be on.

Highlights end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The opening few matches aren’t the best but there’s an instant classic from Scurll vs. Ospreay and everything from then on is good to very good. This show set the table for the upcoming pay per views, which seems to be exactly the point. I had more fun watching this than I expected and it’s about as good as I’ve seen them do in America.

That being said, the empty seats in the crowd aren’t a good sign. For one thing, how many times have they been to southern California in the last few years? It’s fun, but you can overdo it and that seems to be the case. Couple that with this being a big house show instead of a major event and it’s not exactly must see. Going to a new area might help, or putting on a World Title match for a change. It’s not like the place was empty, but I’m not sure how many times you can do this and expect a strong crowd. This was their fourth show in about a year and a half and that’s pushing it.

Overall though, it’s a very good show and doesn’t run long (the intermission helps a lot) with good wrestling up and down. Kelly was a HUGE improvement over Josh Barnett as Kelly is much better at explaining stories to people like me, who only kind of pay attention. That’s a big upgrade and it made the show much easier to watch. Check out Ospreay vs. Scurll for sure and everything after that if you have time as it’s a good way to get to know some of these people if you’re net at this stuff.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: October 24, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The road to Final Battle is on but it’s almost impossible to keep track of everything we have going on at the moment. You know, because there’s so much going on at the moment. In other words, there’s Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal which has yet to be announced as of yet. Also, Jeff Cobb gets a TV Title match tonight against Punishment Martinez. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the TV Title match, as well as Coast to Coast challenging the Briscoe Brothers for the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Coast to Coast

The Briscoes are defending and the announcers seem unsure why this match is taking place now. Coast to Coast comes out to say they’re not waiting on the main event. Mark takes LSG down to start and rubs his face into the mat just to be a jerk. Or a heel. Close enough. LSG isn’t having that and chops him into the corner, only to have Mark deck Ali so Jay can come in for some cheap shots. It’s Ali in trouble in the corner as we take a break. Back with Ali still in trouble as Jay comes in for a headbutt.

Another kick to the face ticks Ali off so Mark pokes him in the eye. We hit the neck crank for a bit until Ali fights up and rolls over for the hot tag to LSG so the comeback can be on. A spinning gutbuster sets up a flip neckbreaker to stagger Mark and Jay misses a hard clothesline. LSG gets sent outside to draw Ali over, allowing Mark to dropkick the heck out of him as the champs are rolling. An elbow off the apron crushes Ali and Jay sends him into the barricade for a bonus.

The champs take over again and hit a neckbreaker on Ali before kicking away. A fisherman’s buster gets two and Redneck Boogie (Razor’s Edge into a neckbreaker) is good for the same with the kickout shocking Mark. LSG comes in for the save and a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination gets two on the illegal Mark, though the referee doesn’t seem to mind.

Coast to Coast hits Coast to Coast but LSG hits a 450 so Ali can get two. Coleman accurately points out that the sequence took WAY too long and they should have covered while Jay was down a few seconds earlier. Jay saves his brother from a double superplex and it’s the Doomsday Device to pin Ali at 17:23.

Rating: B. You know, Coast to Coast has gone from a one more team to some awesome underdogs. I wouldn’t have guessed the two of them could have become an entertaining team but they’ve worked their way to that point. I could see them finally winning the titles at some point, which would be a very nice come from behind moment. This was much better than I thought it would be as the Briscoes continue to be one of the best teams in the world.

Jay Lethal isn’t cool with Matt Taven holding his own worthless title.

Matt Taven holds up his belt and says he’s the real champion.

The Briscoes say they’re the best in the world and invite anyone to come for the titles.

Video on Jeff Cobb wrecking the Top Prospect Tournament and then laying out Punishment Martinez.

TV Title: Jeff Cobb vs. Punishment Martinez

Martinez is defending. They slug it out at the bell and Cobb shoves him around. The stomp out of the corner is easily blocked and Cobb hits the spinning belly to back suplex instead. A knee to the face has no effect and Martinez isn’t sure what to do. Martinez kicks him in the face to put Cobb down on one knee. The Silencer is shrugged off and Cobb clotheslines him down with ease. The Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title at 1:28 as Martinez is off to WWE. This was EXACTLY how this should have gone as Martinez has been a monster but now the bigger monster has devoured him. Very smart booking.

Here’s an injured Tenille Dashwood (jumped at Death Before Dishonor by a mystery attacker) for a chat. She talks about how she’s not as good as she’s been saying because she has an autoimmune disease that is fighting her entire body and now she has a bad shoulder on top of it. She’s kept fighting because she’s stubborn but now she’s ticked off because she’s been attacked.

Now there’s nothing she can do about it because she has to have shoulder surgery. Whoever attacked her is probably happy but now she has all the time to think about what happened. She fought at Death Before Dishonor at less than 50%, so imagine what she can do at 100%.

Adam Page is ready for Scorpio Sky next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Marty Scurll

On his way to the ring, Sabin talks about spirit animals and how much more awesome his is than Scurll’s. Right. They fight over wrist control to start with Sabin being a bit more technically sound. Marty’s shoulder doesn’t move Sabin so it’s off to a posedown. They keep trying the same thing, including both of them trying kicks to the ribs. Neither is willing to let it go so the referee has to put both feet down.

Marty is all fired up but it’s right back to the wrist battle. I guess he’s a wrist enthusiast. Sabin takes him down and hits a running kick to the face for the first two. Some running elbows put Sabin on the floor though and that means the apron superkick. Back from a break with Sabin caught in a crossarm choke until he fights up for a kick to Scurll’s chest. The forearm exchange goes to Sabin and a missile dropkick puts Scurll on the floor.

Back in and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Sabin two, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence. A running kick to the chest keeps Scurll in trouble but he’s fast enough to catch Sabin with a superplex for two. Sabin pops up for a superkick and that means a double knockdown. Even more kicks put them both down but Marty tries the chickenwing. Sabin flips backwards into a rollup so Scurll lets go and powerbombs him again. Graduation (a spinning butterfly slam) finishes Sabin at 10:39.

Rating: B-. Scurll has figured out his role very well and is having some entertaining matches as of late. Sabin is still the same guy he’s been for years now and that’s not the worst place to be. There’s a pretty strong midcard around here and amazingly enough, Scurll is that much better when you don’t have him trading wins with the Hurricane.

Overall Rating: A-. Easily their best show in a very long time, though the TV Title match should have closed the show. You had two very good matches and one very intelligent match, which makes this one of their best put together shows in years. Ring of Honor has a bad tendency to just put stuff out there to fill in time with no apparent purpose but that wasn’t the case this time around. It’s amazing how much better things are when they’re focused, which they were here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: October 10, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

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

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

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Coast To Coast

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

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

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

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

Post match the Kingdom yells and beats up referees.

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

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

Hurricane Helms vs. Marty Scurll

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

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

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

We recap the two matches so far.

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

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

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

Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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All In
Date: September 1, 2018
Location: Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Don Callis, Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni

We’ve finally arrived. Last year, Dave Meltzer said Ring of Honor couldn’t sell 10,000 tickets to an event. Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks took it as a challenge and they actually pulled it off in about fifteen months. The tickets sold out in about half an hour and they were off to the races. This is the biggest independent wrestling event in history and really, anything good coming out of the show is a bonus. Let’s get to it.

The arena looks great and rather full. I’d think there were more than 10,000 people there.

Here are Cody and the Young Bucks to say they’re going to blow the whole budget in 90 seconds with a bunch of pyro. The pyro doesn’t go off and Cody asks Nick if he paid the pyro guy. They try again and there is indeed pyro. With that out of the way, here’s Animal on a motorcycle for the wrestling legend cameo (their words). Now it’s time for free merchandise with t-shirts being thrown and launched out of a t-shirt gun.

So Cal Uncensored vs. Briscoe Brothers

The Briscoes’ ROH Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Scorpio Sky (as Apollo Creed from Rocky) and Kazarian (as Rocky Balboa from Rocky II) for So Cal. Before the match, Sky rips on Chicago (Dude it’s Hoffman Estates. Get your suburbs right.) but the fans chant for them anyway. The Briscoes don’t get much of a reaction, likely because they didn’t insult the crowd enough.

Jay and Kazarian start things off but Mark comes in to take over. Everything breaks down and SCU does the fast paced offense, which would make you think they’re the good guys here, despite them insulting the fans before the match. The Briscoes take over with the hard clotheslines and things settle back down. Mark suplexes Sky for two and the right hands don’t get Sky out of trouble.

We hit the chinlock for a few seconds before Sky hurricanranas his way over to the corner for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Kazarian hits a nice slingshot hurricanrana to put Mark on the floor. Sky adds a running flip dive, followed by stereo dragon sleepers back inside. The Brothers crawl to each other with Jay raking Sky’s eyes for the break. Mark elbows Kazarian in the face and adds the Blockbuster off the apron and Sky is down again.

Back in and the Razor’s Edge/running neckbreaker combination gets two on Kazarian. Sky breaks up a super version though and it’s a Rock Bottom/Backstabber combination to Mark. Jay pops back up and the Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow gets two with Sky diving in for a save. It’s Doomsday Device time (appropriate) but Kazarian reverses the clothesline into a powerslam on Mark with Sky taking Jay out for the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B-. Good match, though nothing we haven’t seen from these teams before. The Briscoes are an awesome team and have been for years so there’s not much of a surprise there. As a bonus, it’s nice to see Sky getting a chance instead of the standard Daniels/Kazarian lineup.

Kenny Omega talks about facing Pentagon Jr. tonight, saying it’s the IWGP World Champion against the former TNA World Champion. Sure Pentagon is a killer, but Omega is fired up to be in front of 10,000 Being The Elite fans. Goodbye and goodnight.

Video on Cody vs. Nick Aldis for the NWA World Title.

Over Budget Battle Royal

Brian Cage, Bully Ray, Jimmy Jacobs, Billy Gunn, Austin Gunn, Chuck Taylor, Trent Barretta, Ethan Page, Tommy Dreamer, Moose, Punishment Martinez, Colt Cabana, Hurricane Helms, Rocky Romero, Marko Stunt, Brandon Cutler, Cheeseburger, Jordynne Grace, El Hijo Del Chico

I’ve probably missed someone. Winner gets an ROH World Title shot on the main show. Former World Champion Dalton Castle is on commentary. Ray wastes no time in powerbombing Chico through a table at ringside. A series of dives take a bunch of people out and everyone is on the floor, with Tommy Dreamer and Billy Gunn teasing going over but going through the ropes and jumping off the apron instead. No one has actually been eliminated yet, even though the ring is emptied.

Back in and everyone goes after Moose but gets shoved away. For some reason Moose tries a middle rope crossbody, only to be thrown to the apron. Moose fights that off as well but a very small guy eliminates him instead. Ethan Page breaks up the Best Friends hug so they fight over a suplex to the floor. Cage apron superplexes Dreamer back in and Cutler spins Marko into a Rock Bottom. Ray knocks Marko out (not an elimination) and Cutler follows him as this is a complete mess.

The Best Friends are sent to the apron but Romero makes a save. Trent and Chuckie drop Jacobs and Page to set up the hug but Martinez dumps both of them. Romero catches him with a springboard hurricanrana and the forever lariats start connecting. Cage cuts him off with a discus lariat and there goes Romero. Cheeseburger gets in all of his palm strikes before Cage puts me out of my misery by getting rid of him. Martinez and Cage take turns with their crazy big man stuff but neither can hit a chokeslam.

Hurricane chokeslams both of them to a huge reaction and goes to the apron with Page. Cabana knocks both of them out and it’s time for the weapons so Dreamer can have something to do. Thankfully Riccaboni is there with the Doug references but Dreamer gets knocked out by Ray. Marko is actually still in this and goes after Ray, who finally eliminates him. The Gunns get back in and clean house until Jacobs grabs Austin’s crotch. That means a Five Knuckle Shuffle but Billy makes a save.

Jacobs kisses him for some reason and gets tossed but Austin knocks out Martinez. Bully dumps Austin and throws in a Suck It, only to have Billy hit him with a Fameasser. Cage and Billy have a showdown with Cage knocking him out as we’re almost done. That Marko guy is STILL IN HERE so Bully finally launches him out, leaving us with Grace, Cage, Ray and Cabana.

Rating: C+. This was actually a lot of fun as they made it feel like more than a way to get everyone on the card. There were some stories being told in there and the ending was a great touch. I could have gone with a little more order but it never felt like it was dragging, which is the worry of a match like this. Still though, well done.

Chico unmasks as…..Flip Gordon in a very nice surprise.

National Anthem.

The announcers run down the card.

Matt Cross vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

This is a surprise match. Cross is better known as Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground and Friedman is a rich guy. Friedman shoulders him down to start but Cross moonsaults away instead of trying a dropkick. That earns a round of applause from Friedman but he kicks Cross in the ribs instead.

Cross bails to the floor, only to have Friedman say he doesn’t have to flip to get over. They switch places and it’s a Sasuke Special to drop Friedman. Back in and Friedman rolls away before the shooting star can launch. A stomp to the hand has Cross in trouble and a hammerlock powerbomb of all things gets two. Cross catches him with a super hurricanrana and a springboard spinning crossbody for two of his own.

Friedman is right back with a package shoulder breaker to take the arm right back down. A slugout doesn’t go anywhere so Cross rolls him down and hits a double stomp. Cross weakly covers and gets caught in an armbreaker. The pendulum piledriver (think Orton’s hanging DDT but a piledriver) gives Friedman two but Cross hits something like a Lethal Injection. Now the shooting star can finish Friedman at 10:07.

Rating: C. Totally average match that didn’t need to be on the main card and could have been cut entirely. The high flying vs. technical work was fine and while it wasn’t a bad match, I have a bad feeling about how long the show is going to run if a match like this is getting some extra time.

Sean Mooney is with Nick Aldis (announced as Christopher Daniels in a bit of an error), who is ready to defend his title against Cody. They’re both here for the ten pounds of gold. He has a date with destiny and she is getting impatient.

Singer John Mayer is in the front row.

Christopher Daniels vs. Stephen Amell

Jerry Lynn is the referee, billed as the New Reffin Show. Amell is the star of Arrow, who wrestled at Summerslam a few years back. This is a story from Being The Elite where Daniels framed Amell for murdering Joey Ryan in Japan. Yeah it’s a different world. Daniels takes him down with ease to start and does a little Curry Man dancing. Back up and they chop it out with Amell taking him down and offering a bow.

Amell hits a nice dropkick and clotheslines Daniels to the floor. No dive of course but he does send Daniels into the barricade. A table is set up on the floor but they get back inside where Lynn accidentally distracts Amell, allowing Daniels to take over. Amell gets sent into the post and we hit the waistlock. The Arabian Moonsault, with very little elevation, connects for no cover as Daniels would rather go for the table. The distraction lets Amell score with a clothesline and a Falcon Arrow gets two.

Amell manages to hit a Coast To Coast (not a bad one either) for two more but gets enziguried down. The Best Moonsault Ever gets two more but it’s time for Chekhov’s Table. Daniels gets knocked down onto it, only to have Amell miss an elbow through the table (which exploded) instead. Fans: “BROKEN ARROW!”

That’s almost enough for a countout….so Lynn picks Amell up and throws him back inside. Lynn shoves Daniels into a school boy for two, earning Amell a pummeling. Amell says bring it on and flips Daniels off before reversing Angel’s Wings into a rollup for two. That’s about it though as Daniels kicks him down and hits the Best Moonsault Ever for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. That’s on a very sliding scale, as it should be. Amell isn’t a wrestler but looked to be at the low prospect level, putting him roughly 1000 steps ahead of most celebrities. You couldn’t have him win here as Daniels is still a big deal in wrestling and having him lose a singles match to a celebrity would have been a disaster. Very nice surprise here.

They shake hands post match.

Chelsea Green vs. Britt Baker vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Madison Rayne

Blanchard’s Knockouts Title isn’t on the line and Mandy Leon and Tenille Dashwood are on commentary. Baker, who plays a doctor (which she actually is as well) is Adam Cole’s girlfriend and comes out to his old music. Tessa hugs Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard on the way to the ring. The announcers ask why a match called a Survival match isn’t elimination rules. The explanation: it just isn’t.

They stare at each other a bit as Chelsea’s multiple personalities start fighting for control. Tessa blasts Madison and sends her outside for a whip into the barricade. Britt armdrags Chelsea down back inside but gets take down with a springboard wristdrag. Tessa comes back in with a heck of a clothesline to Chelsea but Madison is back in with a couple of twisting rollups for two each.

That’s not cool with Tessa, who gorilla presses Madison down onto the other two. Chelsea is back up with a big suicide dive onto Tessa and Britt, followed by Tessa hitting her own dive (though she seemed to get caught on the ropes). Madison hits her own high crossbody to the floor and everyone is down. Back in and Baker hits Sling Blades on everyone until Tessa gets up to clean house. A missed charge sends Tessa shoulder first into the post but she’s fine enough for a Flatliner on Baker.

Chelsea missile dropkicks Tessa and Madison hits a top rope bulldog (called a cutter) on Baker. An Unprettier hits Madison but Tessa dives in with the Magnum (jumping Codebreaker from the top) with Baker stealing the two. Tessa rolls Baker up for two of her own and Chelsea gets two on Baker off another Unprettier. Back up and Tessa grabs the hammerlock DDT to plant Chelsea for the pin at 12:46 with Baker not making the save in time. That seemed to have been a botched finish.

Rating: C. It was good with the big spots but it went on too long and there were too many false finishes. Tessa winning was the right call as she’s on a huge roll at the moment. The other three were perfectly fine (save for the messed up ending) and the spot fest stuff was good. Just a little longer than it needed to be.

They hug post match, which seems to be a trend tonight.

Video on Cody vs. Aldis, which is really just Cody wanting to win the title to be like his father. Aldis basically told him to try it and we have a match. The promos between the two have actually been quite good.

NWA World Title: Cody vs. Nick Aldis

Cody is challenging and has Brandi (sweet goodness), Brandi’s father, his dog, Diamond Dallas Page, Tommy Dreamer and GLACIER in his corner. Aldis on the other hand has Sam Shaw, Tim Storm (who he beat for the title), Shawn Daivari and Jeff Jarrett with him. The seconds, save for Brandi, all go to the back though (good) and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far off a few holds.

A wristlock and headlock go nowhere so Cody catches him with a dropkick for the first big move. Aldis heads outside and there’s a big dive to take him out. Back in and Aldis chops away, setting up a pretty early chinlock. They ram heads with Aldis seeming to bang up his nose, followed by a double clothesline for the breather. Stereo crossbodies give us another double knockdown and Aldis rolls outside. The big dive from the top is knocked out of the air but Aldis goes down as well.

Cody isn’t getting up so here’s Page to check on him. Daivari comes out with a towel and shoves Page, earning himself a Diamond Cutter inside. With Page and Daivari gone, Aldis drags a very bloody Cody back in but gets powerslammed down (with Aldis’ head hitting the mat) for two. The moonsault press misses and Aldis drops a top rope splash for his own near fall. Cody is right back with the Figure Four but they roll to the ropes in pretty short order.

A powerslam on the floor has Cody in more trouble but he’s fine enough to hit an Alabama Slam. Aldis powerbombs the heck out of him and the Kingsland Cloverleaf goes on. Brandi’s cheers bring Cody over to the rope and she tells him he doesn’t have to do this. Aldis doesn’t care and piledrives him before heading up top, only to have Brandi come in and beg for mercy.

She climbs on top of Cody and takes the elbow for him (Aldis jumped before she moved), sending Aldis into panic. That’s only good for two on Cody, who pops up with the Disaster Kick and Cross Rhodes for two. Cody can’t hit a Vertebreaker but counters a sunset flip into a cradle (ala British Bulldog/Bret Hart) for the pin and the title at 22:02.

Rating: B-. I get what they were going for here and there had to be some shenanigans because the ending wasn’t in any serious doubt, but the match went longer than it needed to and there were times where I was wanting them to just get on with things already. The Page/Daivari segment didn’t need to be there and the Brandi thing felt like a forced heel turn that was forgotten ten seconds later. I liked the match and the ending was the only possible option, but the overbooking hurt things.

We get the big presentation of the belt with all of the seconds coming back in. New champion, people in matching track suits, woman in sequined bikini. Just like back in the Brisco vs. Funk matches.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Joey Janela. Page thought Joey Ryan’s, ahem, signature area was fake and may have murdered him, so Janela is fighting for him. Or something.

Nick Jackson wakes Page up and nearly gets strangled.

Adam Page vs. Joey Janela

Street fight. I’m still not sure I get Janela (with Penelope Ford) so maybe he can win me over here. Page wastes no time in sending him to the floor for a suicide dive but Janela hits one of his own, complete with the flying middle finger. Janela is staggered though and Page moonsaults down from the top to take him down again. A chair is set up in the ring and Janela gets suplexed onto (not through) it for the first big crash.

With that out of the way, it’s time for an actual cracker barrel, but Page takes too long looking at it and Janela whips him into the barrel instead. The barrel is used as a springboard for a flip dive onto Page but he’s fine enough for the Buckshot lariat over the barricade. Page loads up a table at ringside but of course takes too long and gets Death Valley Driven into the corner.

Janela bridges a ladder between the apron and the barrel but gets caught in a “Burning Hammer” (really a torture rack throw because, you know, the real thing would have killed him) onto the ladder instead. With Janela down, Page pulls a bag out from underneath the ring. That’s enough for Ford to come in and slap him in the face before backflipping away from some clotheslines. A Stunner sends Page to the floor for a heck of a crossbody and Page is laid on the table.

That means the big elbow through the table but of course Page is right back up. Two more tables are set up in the aisle and Page powerbombs Janela off the stage….near the tables at least with Janela’s head banging off the edge. Back in and the Rite of Passage gets two with Ford making the save. There are now two garbage bags in the ring and one of them has Page’s cursed cowboy boots (they talk to him).

Ford goes to pick one up and eats a superkick, followed by Janela superkicking Page for two of his own. Janela throws in a ladder and a table with the ladder being set up. Fans: “SAFETY FIRST!” The other bag has a phone (which Page used to kill Joey Ryan) and a few shots to the head rock Janela. Rite of Passage through the table ends Janela at 20:04.

Rating: C+. Way longer than it needed to be but they did what they needed to do. This was all about Being the Elite and that’s perfectly fine. As someone who doesn’t watch the show, they explained it well enough that I got the idea. Page continues to look like a star, but Ford stole the match here, which is saying a lot for someone as new as she is. Janela was the same guy I’ve seen a bunch of times, which isn’t exactly a great thing. He’s fine, but not great.

Post match….an army of people dressed like male genitalia comes out and here’s the very much alive Ryan. Page can’t believe it and there’s the You Plex. A superkick knocks Page out and the army takes him away.

Jay Lethal’s eyes are bugging out for some reason.

Ring of Honor World Title: Flip Gordon vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and has Brandi Rhodes in a military outfit. Lethal one ups her by coming out as Black Machismo, complete with Lanny Poffo in his corner. Now that’s smart. Brilliant even. You might even say it’s…..dang it I need a word for someone who is really smart. Sandow! That’s it. Poffo is introduced as Lethal’s brother from another mother. The Mega Powers handshake gives us the Code of Honor but Lethal rolls to the floor and tells Brandi to stay in the corner.

Flip snaps off some armdrags to start but gets clotheslined to the floor for his efforts. Lethal has to yell at Brandi and chases her inside, where he puts her on his shoulder in the obvious homage. That earns Lethal a slap and it seems to rock him back into reality. The basement dropkick misses though and Flip hits a standing moonsault for two. Flip’s bouncing nipups avoid some clotheslines and there’s a suicide dive to send Lethal into the barricade.

A second sets up the running flip dive over the top and Lethal is in trouble. He’s fine enough to hold up half of a pinfall reversal sequence until a standing moonsault to the back puts him down. Lethal takes too long going up and gets kicked in the head but the 450 misses (Flip lands on his feet anyway). The Lethal Combination gets two so Flip knees him in the face, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two of his own.

That’s enough for Poffo, who fires Lethal up to bring the Savage out again. A slam sets up three straight top rope elbows….for two as Gordon starts Hulking Up. The right hands set up the big boot but Gordon goes with a Star Spangled Sling Blade instead of the legdrop. The backwards fall away slam sets up the Spiral Tap (Cancun Tornado) for an even nearer fall. Gordon takes too long going up though and it’s a cutter off the top. The Lethal Injection retains the title at 14:23.

Rating: C+. The comedy was a little much for me here as they hammered away with it instead of just having a good match. We’ve covered the shenanigans tonight and that’s not the best idea in the world. Lethal can wrestle a straight match but thankfully they didn’t go with just straight shtick here. It wasn’t great, but fine for a TV main event.

The shake hands post match but here’s Bully Ray to take them both out. Even Poffo gets beaten up until Colt Cabana runs out for the save. A TripleBomb through the table (Ray: “HOLY S***!”) plants Ray and the good guys stand tall.

Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr.

Non-title and you can feel the energy on this one. Pentagon does a few CERO MIEDO’s and kicks him in the ribs to send Kenny outside early. Back in and the Backstabber out of the corner has Omega in more trouble but he’s ready for a dive. Pentagon waits inside and hits the Sling Blade, followed by the big running flip dive to the floor. Omega gets sent into the barricade as it’s all Pentagon early on.

Back in and Omega hits the Regal Roll and a running tornado DDT drops Pentagon for the first time. A big springboard dive takes Pentagon down again and the Snapdragon has Pentagon rocked. The One Winged Angel is reversed into the Backstabber though and Omega is in trouble. He’s fine enough to hit a V Trigger in the corner but can’t hit a super brainbuster. Instead Pentagon ties him in the Tree of Woe for a double stomp but the Fear Factor is broken up.

Another V Trigger (Pentagon: “CERO MIEDO!”) sets up another V Trigger (Pentagon: “CERO MIEDO!”) which sets up a powerbomb into another V Trigger. The One Winged Angel is broken up and the Pentagon Driver gets two. They slug it out on the apron with Pentagon asking for a V Trigger. Tis but a ruse though as Omega charges into a Fear Factor on the apron, which should likely kill him.

Back in and a top rope double stomp gets two with the fans knowing that’s not it yet. Omega hits his own Fear Factor for a near fall, followed by another V Trigger. The One Winged Angel is broken up again and Pentagon snaps the arm. Another Fear Factor gets two so Omega hits a sixth V Trigger, followed by the reverse hurricanrana for two more. The seventh V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angel for the pin at 17:48

Rating: B+. Best match of the night and I’ll spare you the rant about Omega with all of the finishers again. Both guys looked like stars and that’s exactly what the match should have been between the two. You knew Omega wasn’t losing here so the false finishes didn’t do much for me, but that’s the case with a lot of his matches.

Post match the lights go out and we’ve got….Omega standing there and a very aggressive Pentagon, who happens to be missing a tattoo. A Codebreaker hits Omega and it’s CHRIS JERICHO under the mask. Another Codebreaker puts Omega down and Jericho says he’ll see him on the cruise. Callis freaks out so much that he actually falls out of his chair. Or maybe Jericho pushed him.

Marty Scurll runs into someone off camera who yells at him for not being very good. Someone else disagrees with him because Scurll is quite good. Scurll breaks their fingers and that’s that. Apparently this is another Being The Elite things.

Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada

We even get the Okada Bucks. Feeling out process to start with Okada laying Marty up against the ropes and slapping him on the chest. Marty teases doing the same thing but stops with a pose instead. The announcers entertain themselves with inside jokes as Okada’s wristlock doesn’t get him anywhere. Marty starts slugging away with running forearms and an apron superkick, followed by the suicide dive.

They chop it out with Marty getting the better of it but Okada flapjacks him back inside. That’s enough for in the ring so they head outside again with Okada DDTing him on the floor. Back in and Marty pulls himself up but gets caught in a crossarm choke. That’s reversed into a Backstabber followed by a tornado DDT for two more.

Another DDT gives Okada two and they strike it out until Scurll grabs the brainbuster to knock Okada silly. Scurll grabs a piledriver but can’t pick him up. Instead he stops to fire himself up, allowing Okada to hit the over the White Noise onto the knee to put Marty right back in trouble. They go to the corner to slug it out with Okada getting the better of it, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence for two each.

Scurll powerbombs the heck out of him for two so Okada missile dropkicks him for two of his own. Another DDT gets Scurll out of trouble but there’s the Tombstone. Okada spends too long loading up the Rainmaker though and Marty snaps his finger (Ian: “We found the umbrella!”). The Rainmaker is countered a second time into the chickenwing but Marty can’t get the grip. Okada stands up and drops back on him for the break, only to have Marty slap it on again.

Rating: C. It was pretty good at times but GOOD GRIEF this was long. They easily could have cut ten minutes out of this and when the show is already running long, it would have done them a lot of good. The story of Scurll trying to rise up to the heavyweight level was a good one, but sweet goodness it wasn’t the right time to go the better part of half an hour. I was worried they would do that late in the show and they did it here.

Rey Mysterio/Bandido/Fenix vs. Young Bucks/Kota Ibushi

Rey is Wolverine. Matt and Bandido start things off with Bandido wasting no time in the spinning corkscrew high crossbody. A headscissors puts Matt on the floor and there’s a big spinning flip dive. Everything breaks down and it’s Fenix coming in to kick at Nick. It’s off to Ibushi vs. Rey and that gets the fans back into things. Ibushi gets hurricanranaed down but he pops up to kick Rey in the chest.

The standing moonsault misses but Ibushi lands on his feet (of course). It’s back to Matt to superkick Fenix as a producer talks about going home when he tells them to. The fast tags continue with Ibushi moonsaulting into a double knee drop onto Bandido, followed by moonsault Pele kicks to Bandido and Fenix. Everything breaks down with Rey hurricanranaing Matt to the floor, followed by a top rope Asai moonsault to take everyone down.

Fenix dives onto all of them as well, leaving Bandido to corkscrew dive onto the pile as well. Back in and the Bucks hit their buckle bomb/enziguri combination on Bandido, followed by Ibushi getting two off a German suplex. Rey comes back in and sends the Bucks into each other but Matt breaks up the 619. Fenix walks the rope to break up the Meltzer Driver before throwing Bandido at Nick for a hurricanrana.

Fenix superkicks Matt into the 619, followed by the running Destroyer. Bandido’s reverse hurricanrana sets up some double dives to Nick and Ibushi, leaving Rey to frog splash Matt….for two. Bandido hits a backflip Blockbuster (egads) but Nick makes another save. More Bang For Your Buck gets two, followed by the Five Star Golden Meltzer Driver for the pin at 11:33.

Rating: B. Well you knew the Bucks weren’t jobbing here. They were doing some very fun high flying stuff with the idea of just turn off your brain and have fun. That’s all this match needed to be, though there’s really not much of a reason for it to be the main event. Let this be the match that picks things up somewhere in the middle and it’s a lot better. Still though, good, mindless fun.

We’re off the air IMMEDIATELY with Ian not even being able to completely sign off. Channeling some Barely Legal there to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. This one is going to be divisive no matter what I say. Here’s the thing: this wasn’t a standard wrestling show and therefore it’s going to be looked at differently. This is a glorified supershow with matches that are there because fans seem to want to see them without any stories being built up for the card. Aside from the wacky Being the Elite stuff, there were next to no stories being built up for the matches. The announcers said Omega vs. Pentagon was built up as Omega fighting “that crazy guy from Impact”. Fair enough, but I tend to go for a bit more than that.

The other big issue was just how long the show ran. Every match went at least ten minutes and two broke twenty. With a nine match main card, that’s quite a bit to sit through and I was very burned out by the time the Lethal vs. Gordon match started. Cut some of that stuff out (MJF vs. Havoc didn’t need to be there and you could cut at least five minutes off multiple matches, or ten plus off Okada vs. Scurll) and the show is FAR more enjoyable.

Now all that being said, I had a good time watching it and nothing was truly bad. It felt like a really souped up ROH show (which is pretty much what it was) and that’s not a bad thing. As a one off event it was good and I could see it being a yearly thing, which would be a very cool event to have every year. I’m fine with not getting the Being the Elite jokes as I don’t watch it too as that’s on me instead of them. Overall, I had a good time and the wrestling was solid enough, but it wasn’t some blowaway event and there were some big problems. More positives than negatives though, and that’s all you can ask for.

Results

Matt Cross b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Shooting star press

Christopher Daniels b. Stephen Amell – Best Moonsault Ever

Tessa Blanchard b. Britt Baker, Chelsea Green and Madison Rayne – Hammerlock DDT to Greens

Cody b. Nick Aldis – Rollup

Adam Page b. Joey Janela – Rite of Passage through a table

Jay Lethal b. Flip Gordon – Lethal Injection

Kenny Omega b. Pentagon Jr. – One Winged Angel

Kazuchika Okada b. Marty Scurll – Rainmaker

Young Bucks/Kota Ibushi b. Bandido/Rey Mysterio/Fenix – Golden Meltzer Driver to Bandido

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: August 22, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Where are we again? I know it’s the start of a new taping cycle but when these shows run together as badly as Ring of Honor’s do, it’s rather hard to remember what happened last week. My guess is a big tag match with Cheeseburger being annoying and something about the TV Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scorpio Sky vs. Chris Sabin

They actually shake hands to start with the fans starting some dueling chants. Sky armdrags him down so Sabin shouts DETROIT CITY. A pinfall reversal sequence doesn’t get anyone anywhere so Sky hits a double stomp to the back. Sabin gets sent outside for the big dive and there’s a legdrop on the apron for two. Back in and a double clothesline doesn’t go anywhere so Sabin enziguris him for a longer double knockdown. Sabin kicks him in the chest twice in a row and we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a missile dropkick and spinning Sky into a DDT for two more. Sky snaps off a super hurricanrana though and a kick to the head rocks Sabin again. A slingshot cutter gets the same and Sky is getting frustrated at the kickouts. Sabin grabs the arm and spins him around into a cradle for two, followed by a knee to the head and Cradle Shock for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here as I’ve always liked Sabin a little more than Shelley in the ring. Sky has a different look than a lot of the people around here with some muscles to his frame and that makes a win for a technical guy like Sabin. I could see Sabin getting a nice singles push around here and having another hand with some success like Sabin is always a good thing.

Post match Alex Shelley says their careers have gone on for a long time now. He’s realized that there isn’t much left for either him or the Motor City Machine Guns in wrestling. A few weeks ago he was in a dentist’s chair having his broken teeth fixed for the third time. There isn’t a reason for him to be around anymore, so maybe this isn’t a retirement because that’s not what wrestlers do.

Maybe this is just a see you later, but Sabin needs to validate everything they’ve done over the years. He can do that by winning some gold around here, starting with the TV Title. We get a loud THANK YOU chant but here’s Punishment Martinez to jump them from behind. Before he can smash Shelley’s face into a chair, Sky makes the save with a chair of his own. That could be interesting.

Kenny King is ready to do whatever he needs to do to make Marty Scurll take a knee tonight.

Kelly Klein is on commentary for the next match.

Karen Q vs. Jenny Rose

Karen’s pre-match promo talks about wanting to end her losing streak which Rose talks about wanting to be Women of Honor Champion, which starts with Karen Q. Rose starts with a rollup for two and reverses a suplex into a small package. A running clothesline gets yet another near fall as Klein really isn’t impressed. Karen avoids a charge and chokes in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Karen cutting her down with a clothesline and choking on the ropes. Some running elbows in the corner mix things up a bit and an exploder suplex gets two on Rose. Jenny is right back with a fisherman’s suplex for two of her own and a spear is good for a nearer fall. That’s enough to get Kelly off the apron to throw her mouth piece at Jenny. That’s enough of a distraction for Karen to hit a full nelson slam for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: D. This was another lifeless women’s match with two people I know nothing about. I’m not sure when these matches to set up the feuds take place but I’d assume on the Honor Club exclusive shows. If those are the best they can do, I’m really not sure why the division exists at the moment. It’s not the worst, but it’s something that comes and goes every week without actually getting anywhere.

Post match Klein jumps Rose as Karen looks on.

Jonathan Gresham has come a long way in Ring of Honor but hasn’t been able to beat Jay Lethal. Jay admits that he underestimated Gresham but that won’t happen again. They meet again in three weeks in an Iron Man Match for the title.

Chris Sabin finds Alex Shelley down in the back, holding his mouth with a chair next to his head. Always interesting.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: FR Josie vs. Eli Isom

Erg is this still a thing? Josie calls himself the resident body guy and has to look at his hand to remember that he’s supposed to win. Isom blocks an armdrag and throws Josie with a suplex. A springboard misses though and Josie kicks him in the face, only to dive into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Cue JEFF COBB (Matanza from Lucha Underground) to take out Isom for the DQ at 52 seconds.

Cobb beats both of them up and suplexes them at the same time to a big reaction. Fair enough as the guy is awesome.

The Kingdom is ready for the Bullet Club next week.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

Marty spins behind him to start and let’s hit that bird pose. They go to the mat for a slow paced mat sequence (not a bad thing), including an exchange of headlock takeovers and that’s a standoff. Marty takes him down with a drop toehold and there’s the surfboard double stomp to the legs. Back up and King goes with the faster pace, including a legsweep into some….I think dancing?

They head to the floor with King sliding underneath the ropes and forearming Marty in the jaw before taking the umbrella away from him. The distraction lets Marty take him down by the wrist and kick King in the face. Back from a break with Marty getting two off a superplex but not being able to get the chickenwing. A spinning enziguri gets King out of trouble and a spinebuster gets two.

King blocks a low superkick and slaps on a Last Chancery as a nod to Austin Aries. The rope is grabbed so Scurll snaps off the brainbuster for two. He takes too long loading up the fingers though, allowing King to try a Royal Flush, which is countered into a DDT for two, even with trunks. Marty grabs the umbrella again but King rolls him up instead and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 13:42.

Rating: C+. So King is a heel again? Sure why not. I’m not sure what the point is in turning him when he seems to be feuding with Aries, but it’s not like King is doing anything at the moment. I’m surprised to see Scurll take a loss, even a dirty one, as the Bullet Club doesn’t lose very often. Not bad, but just a match really.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the midcard edition of the show and that’s not the most thrilling week in the world. The wrestling wasn’t too bad but at the same time it was a bunch of stuff that didn’t feel all that important. At least the Cobb debut went very well and he could be a star around here in short order. Oh and Lethal vs. Gresham in a few weeks should be fun. Pretty skippable show, save for Cobb.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Best in the World 2018
Date: June 29, 2018
Location: UMBC Event Center, Cantonsville, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s pay per view time and even though I’ve already seen the next TV show, none of that matters as we have a few weeks to spare because of Ring of Honor’s wacky TV schedule. The main event here is a triple threat between World Champion Dalton Castle, Cody and Marty Scurll but the real highlight should be the Young Bucks challenging the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

It’s a pretty simple opening video with a look at the matches and a discussion of people wanting to be the best in the world. It works fine and it’s not like Best in the World is something that can give you a lot of directions.

The announcers run down the card in case you came in a few minutes late.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Kingdom

The Kingdom (Matt Taven/Vinny Marseglia/TK O’Ryan) is defending. O’Ryan and Evil start things off and a hard shoulder to TK means it’s already time for Sanada vs. Taven. That doesn’t last long either as it’s quickly off to Marseglia and Bushi but everything breaks down before that can go too far. The ring is cleared and Taven does the Tetsuya Naito pose. That’s a pretty high level call out, even for a rising star like Taven.

Things settle back down with Evil (somehow a face in this match) getting beaten into the champs’ corner. The fans are behind Evil as he hands O’Ryan’s boot to the referee so he can get in a kick to the thigh. Sanada comes in off the tag and ties Taven up but O’Ryan can’t do the same. Fans to O’Ryan: “YOU ARE STUPID!” That means O’Ryan gets tied up as well for a double kick to the back. Marseglia comes back in but Rockstar Supernova is broken up.

Everything breaks down again and Sanada dropkicks Taven’s knee out. Bushi hurricanranas Taven and O’Ryan at the same time but Marseglia makes the save. A German suplex/springboard elbow drop combination gets two on Bushi but he manages to mist Marseglia. That’s about it though as Rockstar Supernova retains the titles at 11:09.

Rating: C-. It was a little too chaotic at times for my taste but that’s how almost every indy style tag match is going to go. This was a good choice for an opener as the Six Man Titles can often be. You get a fast paced matched with some big spots and a title match always feels at least somewhat important. It’s also nice that the Kingdom is getting some traction as champions, which the belts need given how weak the “division” has been since its inception.

We recap Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon. Ray doesn’t like smaller guys who haven’t earned their spot, turning himself into a real bully. He even attacked Gordon after offering him a handshake for being in the military. Gordon is standing up for himself and his generation tonight.

Gordon is ready to be the young boy that beats up the old man.

Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon comes out draped in the American flag. Ray tries to jump him during the entrances but gets superkicked and speared. A big slingshot dive drops Ray again as the announcers are treating Gordon like the biggest underdog ever. Gordon follows up with a springboard forearm to the floor and Ray is rocked in the early going.

They get back in with Gordon’s running shooting star into the middle rope moonsault connecting for two. Ray runs him over for a breather and you can feel the confidence rise. The Vader Bomb (with a Vader pose in a nice touch) misses but the Star Spangled Stunner is blocked with a low blow to give Gordon the win at 5:23.

Rating: D. Gordon was showing fire here but this felt like another angle disguised as a match in this long story. I don’t know if it’s because Ray can’t work a full match anymore or if it’s just playing to his brawling style but these short matches that keep leading to something else are rather weird choices for pay per views. At least it’s going somewhere and isn’t Cheeseburger though.

Post match the beatdown continues until Eli Isom and Cheeseburger come out for failed save attempts. Ray beats all three down with a chair until Colt Cabana makes a save with his own chair.

Riccaboni wants someone to destroy Ray.

Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani/Tenille Dashwood vs. Hazuki/Kelly Klein/Hana Kimura/Kagetsu

Kagetsu is the Stardom Champion and we get a staredown over the titles. Sakai wants to start for the team and gets kicked in the face by Kugetsu. Well that’ll teach her. Kimura comes in and wants Dashwood, meaning the brawl is on. Before that has a chance to go anywhere, it’s Klein coming in to throw Jenny around. Of course the fourth pairing comes in with Iwatani Sling Blading Hazuki. I might be a bit more excited if you didn’t know the tags were coming as soon as the sequence started.

The villains (Klein’s team in case you get confused by the teams with a bunch of names thrown together because you don’t do your Stardom homework) come in and triple team Sakai with three boots on her face at once, allowing Kimura to hold up the Oedo Tai (stable) sign for a cute visual. Sakai DDTs Klein and the hot tag brings in Dashwood to clean house, including a double Taste of Tenille in the corner.

A high crossbody gets two on Dashwood and Sakai comes back in with a missile dropkick. Everything breaks down again and Sakai gets a guillotine choke on Kimura. That’s muscled into a delayed suplex for two on Sakai but Kagetsu hits Kimura with the sign by mistake. Sumie dives onto a pile and hits a dragon suplex for the pin on Kimura at 10:27.

Rating: C. I say this a lot and I’m going to keep saying it until it’s no longer a problem: I have no idea who these people are and I don’t know why I’m supposed to care about them. It’s a bunch of Stardom talents and some names from Ring of Honor, who I don’t know either for the most part. The division does exist, but it’s not going to go far if I have to do outside research to figure out who these people are or what they’re doing here. Give us some quick videos or translated promos if necessary, but find a way to let us know what’s going on.

We recap Austin Aries vs. Kenny King. Aries had the TV Title won but King’s interference turned the win into a DQ. That sent Aries over the edge so he beat King down, setting off a feud. King is tired of being seen as Aries’ lackey and wants to prove that he’s an equal, plus more.

Austin Aries vs. Kenny King

None of Aries’ multiple titles are on the line. Feeling out process to start with a lockup not giving either of them an advantage. Aries’ headlock works a bit better and they shove each other around until King gets backdropped to the floor. Back in and the brainbuster doesn’t work as King slips out and slaps him in the shoulders, which hurts more than you would expect. King sweeps the leg a few times (with no Karate Kid reference) and they head outside again with King knocking him down for a third time.

They go inside again with Aries dropkicking King down to break up a springboard, setting up a top rope ax handle. The slingshot hilo gets two and Aries adds his middle rope elbow to the back for the same. Aries’ chinlock doesn’t last very long as King is right back up with a springboard Blockbuster.

Aries grabs the rope too (he must have been watching King) and then grabs his titles to leave but King dives onto him in a big crash. King picks up one of the titles and gets brainbustered (suplexed but fair enough) on the floor. Fans: “YOU KILLED KENNY!” Ok that was funny. Another brainbuster back inside is good for the pin at 15:33.

Rating: C. Aries’ time in Ring of Honor hasn’t been the best in the world (hey….) but maybe it’s been his time with King. I liked the setup for their feud but it wasn’t the most thrilling match. To be fair though, King has never exactly been one to have a great match on the big stage. Aries is good for an upper midcard role, but I don’t know how much further he’s going to get around here.

We recap Jay Lethal vs. Kushida. Lethal is trying to get back towards the World Title picture and to do so, he’s facing everyone who has beaten him in recent years. Kushida has traded wins with Lethal and tonight it’s the rubber match.

Kushida vs. Jay Lethal

This should be fun. Kushida won’t shake hands so Lethal cranks on the wrist, only to be wrestled down to the ground for an early standoff. The fans are split here (well duh) as the grappling continues with Lethal’s headlock working a bit better this time around. Lethal misses a basement dropkick but Kushida shows him how to do it properly. Three straight running flip dives have Lethal (who likes to use three straight regular dives) in more trouble.

Back in, a top rope ax handle, complete with the Randy Savage finger wag, gets two on Lethal and we hit the chinlock. They’re certainly moving fast so far. Back up and neither guy can hit a suplex so Lethal kicks him in the back and then the leg. Said leg is taken down with a shinbreaker as Lethal has shifted into Flair mode, though he does add a handshake to make up for earlier.

Something like a Texas Cloverleaf (without Lethal reaching through the legs) keeps Kushida in trouble until a rope is grabbed. The Figure Four doesn’t work so Lethal dropkicks him to the floor and NOW the three dives connect, only to have the third countered into a Fujiwara armbar. The arm is fine enough for the Lethal Combination and Lethal counters the handspring into a torture rack (Ian: “He’ll be your hero.”).

Since no one keeps a torture rack on that long, he goes up for the elbow, which is countered into a cross armbreaker. Lethal spins out and gets the Figure Four, which is broken with another rope break. They kick it out with Kushida rocking Lethal and shaking his hand for a nice callback.

Lethal enziguris him down but the Lethal Injection is countered into the Hoverboard Lock. It doesn’t last long so Kushida tries Back to the Future, which is reversed into a rollup into the Figure Four, which is reversed into a small package to give Kushida two and a nice ovation from the crowd. Lethal kicks him in the knee again and now the Lethal Injection is good for the pin at 17:34.

Rating: B+. Shocking that two of my favorites around here have easily the best match of the night so far. Lethal wanted to win no matter what and the announcers were right there to talk about how much more aggressive he was being compared to the other matches. The leg vs. the arm work was a good story and they were both working hard to have a great match. Lethal is on fire right now and Kushida is always good for a strong performance. Very good match.

We recap Punishment Martinez vs. Adam Page for the TV Title. Martinez, being the slightly psychotic guy that he is, attacked Page a few weeks back for reasons for general evil. Page then cost him the IWGP United States Title so Martinez cost him the TV Title. Martinez went on to win the title himself and is defending it tonight.

Page doesn’t care about Martinez injuring his head because he’s ready for tonight.

TV Title: Punishment Martinez vs. Adam Page

Martinez, who walks out of a casket and has some….I guess ghouls with him, is defending and Silas Young is on commentary. This is also a street fight so Page jumps him at the bell to start things in a hurry. They’re on the floor in a hurry and fighting through the streamers because Ring of Honor fans love their traditions. A suicide dive sends Martinez into the barricade and Page whips him into it a few more times.

Martinez gets in a shot to the back so Page pelts a chair at his head. Well that’s kind of upping the violence in a hurry. The chair is wedged into the corner and for once, the person who sets it up doesn’t go into it as Martinez goes back first into the chair. A table is set up against the post but Martinez is fine enough to hit a Last Ride onto the apron. Back in and Martinez hits a rather good chair shot before throwing Page into the barricade.

A table is set up but Page breaks the zip ties and knocks Martinez outside. Martinez gets speared through the table and a moonsault drops him again. Page takes too much time posing though and gets kicked onto the pile of chairs (which the camera misses). Back in and Martinez pours out the thumb tacks but gets backdropped onto them. Again though he’s fine and a chokeslam through the table ends Page at 15:07, though all four shoulders seemed to be down.

Rating: B. Heck of a fight here, even with Martinez’s questionable at best selling. Page has become one of my favorites around here as what you see is what you get, though in a good way. These guys beat each other up and it felt like they wanted to hurt each other. I had a good time with this and the ending leaves the door open for a rematch. Good stuff.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. the Briscoe Brothers in a battle of two of the three best teams ever around here. The Briscoes are the heels vs. the face Bucks for a change and this is about as much of a guaranteed great match as you’re going to get around here. A few weeks ago, the Briscoes beat the heck out of the Bucks and Cody during a title match to set this up.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are challenging and it’s Nick vs. Mark to start. It’s an early standoff until Nick gets in Mark’s face and knocks Jay off the apron. A low bridge sends Nick outside but he’s fine enough to kick Jay in the head. Everything breaks down and the superkicks are blocked (the Briscoes must be psychics), setting up double face to face staredowns. The Briscoes hit the ropes though and NOW the superkicks connect.

Nick dropkicks them both and a double basement dropkick has Jay in trouble. A Razor’s Edge/neckbreaker combination gets two on Matt and we settle down to a more standard formula. The fans are split here (again, well duh) as Mark stomps away and Jay gets in a choke behind the referee’s back. Matt tries to slide to the floor and run around but has to stop for a superkick, allowing Mark to stomp him down again.

Another superkick is enough for the hot tag off to Nick, who wastes no time with the springboard flip dive. Nick knees Jay in the face but Mark pulls him off the ropes into a rear naked choke of all things. Matt gets Blockbustered and it’s the neckbreaker into the Froggy Bow for two on Nick. The super crucifix bomb is broken up by Matt and a double clothesline takes the champs down. An exchange of superkicks actually goes to the Briscoes and the Jay Driller plants Matt with Nick having to make a save.

The Doomsday Device is broken up by a springboard cutter and a victory roll gets a rather close two. With Mark knocked to the floor, the Bucks hit a springboard Doomsday Device for another near fall on Jay but Mark takes out the referee. Mark brings in a chair, which is promptly superkicked right back into his face. The Meltzer Driver gets two on Jay as Mark makes another save.

Another Driver is loaded up but Mark pelts a chair at Nick’s head (that looked BAD, in a painful way) and the Jay Driller on a chair gets two on Matt. An elevated piledriver on a chair can’t get a pin? Now the super Razor’s Edge/neckbreaker combination is enough to put Matt away at 17:00. That last move looked great but they didn’t need to do that and the Jay Driller.

Rating: A-. Yep this was awesome and that’s really not a surprise. The Briscoes are an awesome team and can put on a great match with just about anyone. When you have the Bucks with their heads on straight and they’re being serious, they can carry their end of an excellent match too. This was the best thing on the show so far and that tends to be the case with the tag matches.

Post match the Briscoes continue the beating until…..So Cal Uncensored makes the save? That’s very out of character for them and the Bucks look confused. They stare each other down but there’s no violence.

Ring of Honor World Title: Marty Scurll vs. Cody vs. Dalton Castle

Castle is defending and Brandi, Bernard and the Boys are all at ringside. On top of that, Castle has pretty much every injury you can imagine coming into this. Actually Cody ejects Bernard and we’re ready to go. The champ is knocked to the floor with a Disaster kick but he pulls Cody outside for a whip into the barricade. Marty gets hurricanranaed down and Castle hammers away as well as he can with one good arm.

Cody comes back in with a Downward Spiral but Castle pulls him outside, only to get superkicked by Marty. Back in and Cody begs off from Marty but pulls him into a release suplex. All three are in again and it’s Castle throwing Marty into Cody. Marty gets knocked to the floor and Castle hits a kind of super judo throw (started as a superplex) but Marty is back in with a chickenwing on the champ.

Cody gets back up and adds a Figure Four at the same time, but Marty and Cody get in a fight that breaks up both holds. That’s the only way you could have Castle survive that so it makes sense. Castle rolls to the floor and Brandi has to save Cody from Shattered Dreams (nice touch). The distraction lets Cody get in the low blow instead and it’s time to put on the Ring of Honor. This is of course REALLY STUPID as you don’t let Marty that close to your fingers.

The snapping ensues and Marty takes the ring, only to walk into the Bang A Rang for two as NWA World Champion Nick Aldis pulls the referee. Cody dives out onto him, allowing Marty to hit a belt shot for two as Brandi saves. The referee throws out all of the seconds, leaving us with a three way slugout.

A right hand puts Cody on the floor so he pulls out some powder, which of course is knocked back into his hands. It doesn’t seem to matter as he hits Cross Rhodes on Marty with Castle stealing the two. The chickenwing goes on but Cody is back in for the save, only to take Cross Rhodes from Marty. A quick Bang A Rang to Scurll gives Castle the surprise pin at 13:16.

Rating: B-. The ending actually didn’t surprise me as it was almost too obvious that Castle was losing. It wound up being fine enough as he would lose the title at the TV tapings the next day but still, nice moment there when it was almost a guarantee that he would lose. Marty is likely dropping back down the card after this, which is probably the best idea as I’m not sure how strong of an option he is near the top.

Cody on the other hand will be fine as he’s going to be pushed to the moon almost anywhere he goes and is winning the NWA World Title in September anyway. Good main event, but nothing compared to the other matches, which has been a calling card of Castle’s title reign.

We’re off the air less than 45 seconds after the fall.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t remember the last time I saw a show that went from so lame and middle of the road to awesome in such a short amount of time. Everything after Aries vs. King was anywhere from good to great but everything before then felt like a lifeless house show with a budget. As luck would have it, they split things right down the middle and the really good stuff easily outweighs the weaker parts. Rather strong show, even if it took me this long to get through it.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Silas Young vs. Chris Sabin

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

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

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

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

Marty Scurll vs. Hurricane Helms

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

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

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

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

Video on Jay Lethal regaining the World Title.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: June 6, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

With less than a month to go before Best in the World, it’s time to start cranking up the card. We don’t know much about it at the moment other than the triple threat main event, which should be little more than Cody’s coronation. Other than that, there isn’t anything major announced but maybe that can change tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Cody and Bernard the Business Bear to open things up. Cody talks about how ironic it is that he’s called the American Nightmare when the last six months have been a dream. He’s going to be the next Ring of Honor and NWA World Champion but he’s not thrilled with Marty Scurll being in the Best in the World match with him.

Cue Scurll to a big reaction to say the fans know how great he is, which Cody knows too. Cody is threatened and intimidated by him and at Best in the World, Cody will see how good he is. Scurll has no problem going through him to win the title but Cody thinks he has more to say. They shake hands and Marty teases breaking the fingers but leaves without getting violent.

Silas Young wants no excuses when he beats Austin Aries tonight.

Karen Q vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood cranks on the arm to start and takes her down, allowing a little trash talking for fun. A headscissors is botched a legsweep gives Dashwood two instead. Karen trips her right back and we take a break. Back with Karen slowly pounding away and shouting a lot, which the announcers call a change of attitude. That would be interesting if we knew a bit more about Karen but that might mean personalities for these women.

Dashwood gets slammed face first into the mat but comes right back with a Tarantula to slow Karen down. A loud boot to the face keeps Karen in trouble and the Taste of Tenille gets two. Karen pulls her down into a Liontamer but a rope is grabbed to avoid any longer damage. Dashwood doesn’t get up so she sunset flips Karen from the mat for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: D. Dashwood is a star with great charisma (I really don’t get what WWE didn’t see in her) and Karen is one of the better Ring of Honor women but, as I say every week, PLEASE give us some characters. Dashwood’s identity is that she has something to prove and wants to be the best but Karen….well her middle/last initial is Q. That’s about all I’ve got on her and that’s not enough.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a match and I’m hoping to see it at Best in the World.

Page vs. Martinez is confirmed for Best in the World. Also set for the show: the Briscoes vs. the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles. That could be great.

TV Title: Austin Aries vs. Silas Young

Young is defending and in a coincidence, they’re both from Milwaukee. Aries hasn’t has a title match in Ring of Honor in over eight years. Aries gets driven into the corner to start and Young throws a shirt at him to a big reaction. A takedown gives Aries a rollup for two but it’s way too early for the Last Chancery. That’s enough for Young to give him a round of applause and a shot to the face makes things a little more serious.

Some nice armdrags can’t set up an armbar as Young keeps rolling out so Aries dropkicks him in the face instead to cap off a fast sequence. The middle rope elbow to the seated back gives Aries two and Young bails to the apron. That goes badly as well with Aries ramming him into both buckles over and over as we take a second break. Back with Aries being whipped into the barricade as things slow down a bit, partially due to the pace they’ve been keeping.

Young grabs a quickly broken chinlock back inside before going with the backbreaker into a clothesline for two more. A full nelson of all things has to be broken with Young being sent to the floor and there’s the suicide elbow. Young is right back with a series of shoulders in the corner but neither guy can hit their finisher. Instead it’s a Death Valley Driver on the apron to knock Young silly as we take a break.

Back again with Young getting caught in the Last Chancery but a foot is quickly on the ropes. A frustrated Aries grabs a belt (come on you’re smarter than that) but we’ve got a ref bump. Cue the Beer City Bruiser, though Kenny King is out just a second later to cut him off. With the referee still down, Young tries to grab a title, which Kenny steals right back to knock him cold, allowing Aries to score the pin and the title at….whatever time the fall went down because we have a Dusty Finish. Another referee comes out to tell the downed one what happened and that’s a DQ win for Young at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Is it just me or does Ring of Honor REALLY love their ref bumps in recent months? It’s almost to the point where you expect it every single big match and that’s not the best way of doing things. If the fans are expecting it, the shock and awe that come with it go away. The match itself was fine and it makes sense to keep the title on Young, who needs the boost far more than a major star like Aries.

Post match Aries shoves the referee with King pulling him off. That doesn’t work for Aries, who lays King out with a brainbuster and the Last Chancery to end the show.

There was supposed to be a Jay Lethal announcement but nothing ever happened.

Overall Rating: C. Well one was good and long and the other was slightly less long and much worse. I’m not sure where a lot of Best in the World is going but the fact that we have anything with three weeks left is quite the accomplishment for Ring of Honor. The top of the card is looking very strong and that’s really what matters the most. Give us a solid lower half and maybe we can forget how underwhelming Supercard of Honor was.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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Strong Style Evolved
Date: March 25, 2018
Location: Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California
Attendance: 4,372
Commentators: Jim Ross, Josh Barnett

This was a fairly heavily requested show and I remember liking last year’s show so it’s worth a look. New Japan very rarely comes stateside so it’s cool to see their expansion. As is usually the case, this show is built around the Bullet Club, which is having some major issues. The main event is the Golden Lovers (Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega and old partner Kota Ibushi) vs. the Young Bucks. I don’t watch Being the Elite so odds are I’m going to be a bit lost in the bigger parts because Heaven forbid I just watch wrestling. Let’s get to it.

Ross (who looks nearly asleep) and Barnett open things up and offer an explanation of strong style. I really don’t like listening to Barnett at almost any point so thankfully this is short.

We get a long, well done video on New Japan, looking at what has happened since their previous appearances in Long Beach. Each match gets a quick look, with the wrestlers being listed by name. The big matches do get some longer attention, which is perfectly acceptable. It’s nice to see everything get a look instead of only looking at the top stuff. I’m also warming to the idea of announcing the matches in advance. You don’t get that in America and it lets you know when you can expect a match you want to see.

Roppongi 3K vs. So Cal Uncensored

There are American and Japanese announcers here, which is a very smart move. What’s not a smart move is getting the name graphics under each wrestler wrong. Like, seriously, how hard can that be to pull off? And yes I know WWE did it at Wrestlemania, which is even less excusable. Romero wristlocks Sky to start as Josh sounds confused about Sky starting for some reason.

Sky claims a hair pull despite a high level of baldness. A neckbreaker gets Sky out of trouble and the fans are very, very pleased. Makes sense that So Cal Uncensored would be popular in So Cal. Kazarian and Yoh come in with Kazarian getting clotheslined down and it’s Sho coming in for some speedy double teaming. Now why didn’t they do this in ROH? The fans shift over to Sho as he works on Kazarian’s ribs in the corner. Daniels offers a trip from the floor but Kazarian slips off the rope on the springboard spinning legdrop attempt. Thankfully he seems fine and So Cal takes over for the first time.

Romero tags himself in but the referee didn’t see it so it’s Yoh being draped over the top rope to keep him in trouble. It’s Daniels knocking him to the floor for a big springboard flip dive, because of course he can do that at his age. Sky gets two off a slingshot cutter but Yoh rolls over and brings Romero in to speed things back up.

The forever lariats have Daniels and Kazarian rocked and a springboard dropkick to the back gets two on Kazarian. Everything breaks down again and Sky takes Daniels out by mistake. Sho is smart enough to pull Romero to the corner for the tag off to Yoh and there’s a slingshot dive to Kazarian. A Dominator/sliding cutter combination gets two on Sky but 3K (a 3D into a Downward Spiral instead of a cutter) puts him away at 10:24.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match at all here, even if it’s odd to see the ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions lose clean. But hey, that might imply Ring of Honor being on New Japan’s level and that just can’t happen. It’s rather impressive that Sho and Yoh are already this much better than they were in ROH. I used to dread their matches but now they seem to be putting on good performances. It’s almost like they learned and evolved.

As Roppongi 3K leaves, we hear Josh say that he agrees with JR: “They need to get out of the f****** ring.” And so we continue the production issues.

David Finlay/Juice Robinson vs. Hirooki Goto/Gedo

Taguchi Japan vs. Chaos. Goto and Robinson fight over a wristlock to start and a shoulder doesn’t get Goto anywhere. A shot to the face drops Goto for two (Josh: “I wonder what kind of juice that was.” I would have guessed Josh was the biggest expert on juice around. Certainly in MMA at least.) and it’s time to trade more clotheslines. Goto kicks him down and suplexes the invading Finlay onto Robinson.

Forearms to the back of the head have Robinson in even more trouble as Goto is bleeding from the mouth. Robinson easily loses a slugout and it’s off to Gedo for some dancing around. This slugout goes a lot better for Robinson and Finlay adds in another right hand from the apron, which is enough for the hot tag. Finlay comes in to clean house and everything breaks down. Robinson gives Goto a full nelson slam and a right hand to Gedo. A dive takes Goto out and Finlay’s jumping Stunner puts Gedo away at 7:26.

Rating: C-. Totally standard tag match here with four guys who have no connection that you would know of based on this match. I knew the stables because of Wikipedia and that tells me that either the commentary isn’t great or the stables don’t mean much (with both being true in this case). Not bad or anything, but definitely felt like a preliminary match.

Killer Elite Squad vs. Chuckie T./Toru Yano

Oh yay, it’s Yano time and that means “comedy”. Suzuki-Gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr,/Lance Archer) vs. Chaos here, with Josh at least telling us that the Squad is part of the stable. Archer throws his hat into the ring to make it clear that they’re the heels. Nothing wrong with some basic villain stuff and it worked here too. Yano’s entrance consists of plugs for his various merchandise so at least he’s living the gimmick.

The Squad wastes no time in hammering away like the monsters that they are. Chuckie gets in Soul Food (Eat Defeat) on Davey (who Josh calls Harry, his real name) but misses an enziguri. Yano gets kicked to the floor and it’s off to Archer for some heavy forearms in the corner. An Undertaker rope walk crushes Chuckie as you can hear JR’s disdain for Yano’s shtick. Smith grabs a chinlock and then a Liontamer, followed by some heavy right hands to the head.

With Yano walking up the aisle and talking to the fans, Archer runs Chuckie over as the beating continues. A DDT finally gets Chuckie out of trouble and it’s off to Yano, who lays in the ropes to hide. Yano’s atomic drop to Archer doesn’t work (Archer is too tall) so this time Archer kicks him out of the ropes. Yano pulls him outside though and it’s a collision to put both Squad members down.

After teasing a dive, Yano takes the turnbuckle pad off and Archer misses a charge into the exposed steel. Chuckie’s sunset flip gets two and a stuff piledriver is good for one. Yano and Smith go outside, leaving Archer to chokeslam the heck out of Chuckie for two. Chuckie even reverses into a crucifix for a heck of a near fall but the Killer Bomb (Batista Bomb/full nelson slam combination) ends Chuckie at 10:50.

Rating: D+. I’m really done with Yano as it’s the same stuff time after time in a TNA Eric Young/Santino Marella way and that’s not good. Archer looked great here and is rapidly becoming another name on WWE’s “How did we screw him up?” list. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Squad get the titles back soon, as should be the case given how dominant they looked here.

The Squad is coming for the titles.

Cody/Marty Scurll vs. Guerrillas of Destiny

It’s amazing how much better the combination of Cody’s theme and Brandi can make things. We’re not quite ready to go yet as Cody grabs the mic to say Bullet Club is fine, which doesn’t exactly please the audience. What’s not fine is this match’s booking, which is why the match won’t take place. Why should there be a match when they’re all friends? Tama Tonga is an original Bullet Club member and the Guerrillas are a great team that made Bullet Club cool in the first place.

Now it’s Cody that makes it popular today, which the fans REALLY don’t seem to find accurate. The fans think they’re chanting TEAM CODY, which everyone here must be. Tonga says the match is happening no matter what and Tonga Loa says they’re not on Team Cody. That’s enough for Cody, who jumps Loa but gets pounded down by Tonga. Scurll gets all fired up with the Guerrillas, earning himself a double shoulder to the floor where he hides in Cody’s arms.

We settle down to Marty tagging Cody in to face Loa. That goes nowhere so it’s back to Scurll, who gets punched in the space in front of his face. Cody gets splashed in the corner so Brandi pulls him out to the floor for a pep talk. The distraction lets Scurll hit the apron superkicks to take over for the first time. Tama gets double teamed in the corner and a delayed gutbuster gives Cody two. Scurll superkicks the knee and loads up the chickenwing, only to have Cody tag himself back in.

As you might expect, this doesn’t go so well as Tama grabs a neckbreaker and brings Loa back in. A Disaster Kick cuts Loa down in short order but Tama superplexes Cody. Scurll does the same thing to Tama and everyone is down for a bit. Cody is up first and does Kenny Omega’s Terminator pose but Loa spears him down. Back up and the Tongans are sent into each other, allowing Cody to hit Cross Rhodes on Tama for the pin at 10:53.

Rating: C. This was, again, about the Bullet Club, which is the case far too often in wrestling. Cody was quite the jerk here though and that’s the best thing that he can do. Instead of relying on ref bumps and all the cowardly heel shenanigans, sometimes you just have to be a horrible friend who you have to have around for the sake of winning. Not a bad match, as the Guerrillas are always fun.

Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Taguchi Japan/Dragon Lee

Taguchi is Ryusuke Taguchi/Hiroshi Tanahashi/Kushida. The fans go nuts for Los Ingobernables, with Naito getting the biggest reaction of them all. Naito and Tanahashi start things off but, as you might expect, Sanada and Evil come in to jump Tanahashi from behind before anything can happen. Naito hits Sanada in the face by mistake though and it’s a headlock takeover/headscissors to give Tanahashi a breather.

Lee comes in to face Takahashi to a heck of a reaction. The chop off is on and gets one of the best reactions of the night. Lee cartwheels out of a running hurricanrana and suplexes Takahashi out to the floor. Everything breaks down and Takahashi gets crushed in the corner over and over. La majistral gives Kushida two and it’s time to work on the arms. Takahashi fights up and brings in Bushi for a middle rope moonsault into some breakdancing to his feet. Take that Booker T?

We hit the sleeper before Bushi switches over to a choke with the shirt. Shouldn’t that be Evil’s job? Kushida finally gets in a handspring elbow and that’s enough for the hot tag to Tanahashi. The fans hit the GO ACE chants as Tanahashi cleans house and hands it off to Taguchi for the hip attacks. Takahashi has to come in and break up a triple submission attempt so Tanahashi goes with a Sling Blade on Sanada. Lee gets suplexed into the corner and Naito hits Destino for the pin on Taguchi at 12:15.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one, as tends to be the case with most Ingobernables matches. They work very well together and Naito is as smooth in the ring as you’re going to find. Taguchi doesn’t do much for me but his partners were all worth checking out. I could go for more Kushida, who has kind of fallen off the radar in recent months. That’s a shame too as he’s my favorite New Japan guy, but the rest of the division is so stacked that it’s understandable.

Post match Los Ingobernables do the big group pose for a cool visual.

Here’s Rey Mysterio, who was scheduled to face Jushin Thunder Liger but had to pull out due to an injury. Mysterio explains the situation and says he wants to face Liger again someday (they had a match in WCW in 1996). He will be back to wrestle for New Japan when he’s healthy. It’s a shame but there’s nothing that can be done here. At least he made an appearance too, which often wouldn’t be the case. We do have a replacement on hand though and Mysterio is sitting at ringside.

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Will Ospreay

Non-title. They shake hands with Ospreay bowing deeply and JR sums up the difference here: the day Ospreay was born, Liger had been wrestling for nine years. Liger wastes no time in grabbing a surfboard to get the fans even more into this. Back up and Ospreay hits a running corner dropkick before taking Liger down for an armbar. It’s off to a chinlock for a bit before Liger sends him outside for a flip dive from the apron, followed by a brainbuster on the floor.

Thankfully Ospreay doesn’t pop back up and Liger gets to go inside for some posing. JR: “There’s no reason for the match to continue if you’ve just been dropped on your head on the concrete.” Ospreay gets up and makes a very improbably dive underneath the ropes to beat the count (at nineteen so it’s not as bad as usual). The Liger Bomb gives Liger (duh) two but Ospreay sticks the landing on a super hurricanrana. He comes up favoring the knee but is fine enough for a Sasuke Special to drop them both again.

Back in and a standing shooting star gives Ospreay two with grumpy JR talking about the sloppy covers. A 619 misses Liger so he comes back with the rolling kick to the face. That’s fine with Ospreay, who grabs a standing C4 for two more. The spinning kick to the back of the head rocks Liger again but the Oscutter is countered into another brainbuster.

Liger gets two off a super brainbuster with Ospreay having to put his foot on the rope. That’s a good way to show how beaten down he is. Liger’s palm strike gives him two more but Ospreay is right back up with a Batista Bomb for two of his own. The Oscutter is good for the pin at 10:37.

Rating: B-. They were trying here but there’s only so much Liger can do at his age. That being said, he was still doing things well enough and certainly didn’t look terrible. Ospreay getting this kind of a spot is a good idea and while the fans may be disappointed by the lack of Mysterio, this is about all they could do given the circumstances.

Post match Ospreay praises Liger for wrestling like that at 53 years old (fair enough) and thanks Liger for everything he’s done over the years. Ospreay says he has to go through legends to make a name for himself with this title so he wants Mysterio. That seems to be cool with Rey but here’s Scurll to jump Ospreay with the umbrella. Mysterio tries to make a save but loses his mask, leaving Liger to make the real save.

Minoru Suzuki/Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kazuchika Okada/Tomohiro Ishii

This could be a lot of fun and it’s Suzuki-Gun vs. Chaos again in a preview of Okada vs. Sabre for next Sunday. Suzuki and Ospreay’s British Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line though they’re carrying the belts here. Okada, with his awesome robe, goes face to face with Sabre before we’re ready to go. They even start things off for a nice bonus and the fans are behind Okada.

Sabre pretty easily slips out of a wristlock attempt and sneers down at the champ as only a pompous heel can. The fans start singing for Sabre, though another group adds that he sucks. Sabre cranks on both arms at once but Okada reverses into a crank of his own. You can see the calculations going through Sabre’s head for a cool visual. An early Rainmaker attempt misses and Sabre needs to think about things a bit. It’s off to Ishii vs. Suzuki and that means we start the slugout.

That goes on for a long time until a running shoulder takes Suzuki down as JR is starting with the football analogies. Oddly enough, that’s the first real energy he’s shown n a long time. Suzuki chokes him over the ropes as Sabre stretches Okada’s abdominals on the floor. The fights head into the crowd before Suzuki chops Ishii into the corner, allowing Sabre to grab an armbar. That’s fine with Suzuki, who comes in to add an ankle lock, followed by a double Fujiwara armbar. The fans are all over Sabre again so he flips Okada off, leaving Suzuki to kick Okada to the floor.

Suzuki comes in and slaps Ishii in the face before handing it back to Sabre for some mocking kicks to the head. Harder kicks to the chest just wake Ishii up and it’s a release German suplex to drop Sabre. There’s the hot tag to Okada so house can be cleaned in a hurry. Something like White Noise is countered into an armbar, because of course Sabre can pull off that kind of a counter.

Sabre grabs the Octopus Hold to stay on the arm, followed by a heck of a painful looking armbar. Ishii makes a diving save and the fans are split over Sabre again. The Rainmaker is countered with a kick to the arm and it’s off to Suzuki, who can’t hit either of his finishers. Ishii comes back in and slugs away at a screaming Suzuki in the corner. More yelling and more slugging out ensues with the fans going quiet for the hard forearms. Ishii even sticks his face out for more because he’s kind of out there.

A hard one staggers him but can’t put him down, with Suzuki doing the same. Suzuki knocks him into the ropes so Ishii muscles him over with a suplex. Back up and Suzuki hits a hard clothesline and everything breaks down. Sabre’s running kick is countered as Ishii headbutts the heck out of him. A powerbomb gets two but Sabre is back up with a guillotine choke.

Okada makes the save and hits the great dropkick, followed by Ishii’s clothesline for two. Another Octopus Hold has Ishii in trouble and Suzuki grabs a sleeper on Okada. Sabre twists around into an armbar and kneebar at the same time (just because). With that STILL not being enough, Sabre turns it into something like a bow and arrow at the same time (Orientating With Napalm Death. Seriously that’s what it’s called.) for the referee stoppage at 19:55.

Rating: B+. This is a good example of a match with people who do things that no one else are doing/can do. Suzuki and Ishii beat the heck out of people and Sabre’s holds are so insane that you have to give them those wacky names. Okada is probably the best in the world right now and his match with Sabre has some major, major potential. For now though, we’ll have to settle for a great tag match.

Post match Sabre puts Okada in another Octopus Hold. Suzuki and Sabre beat up the referee for fun.

On July 7, New Japan is back in the US with the G1 Special: Fighting Spirit Unleashed at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

We recap Jay White vs. Hangman Page. Kenny Omega tried to bring White into the Bullet Club to right the ship but White turned him down, instead wanting to take the Club apart instead. He won the US Title and now it’s Page’s chance to take it back for the Club.

US Title: Jay White vs. Hangman Page

Page is challenging. They go with the hard chops to start until White charges into a raised boot. A dropkick gets White out of trouble as this seems to have a lot of time to work with. JR doesn’t think White is known as a dropkick guy. I’m not sure how you define such a thing so we’ll go with White working on the leg, including a Muta Lock. Since that holds is kind of hard to maintain, they head outside for more chopping.

White gets sent into the barricade and then the post as JR remembers that you can lose a title via countout. That probably should have been made a bit more clear. Page pulls him back in and JR explains why that was a bad idea. A fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Page two and it’s time to talk some trash. White grabs a suplex for a breather and rolls some suplexes to keep Page in trouble.

The back gives out on a Kiwi Crusher attempt so White settles for a Downward Spiral and a German suplex for two instead. A hanging DDT gets Page out of trouble but he can’t follow up as they’re certainly selling some beatings after about twelve minutes. The Buckshot Lariat is broken up with an ax handle and that means more chops to Page’s very red chest. They head to the apron and White can’t hit the Blade Runner (Sister Abigail) so he GERMAN SUPLEXES PAGE OFF THE APRON for a sick landing.

Back in and they both head to the top (since Page is somehow still alive) which can’t possibly end well. It’s Page with a super swinging neckbreaker (not a cutter Josh) for a delayed two and both guys are spent. They get up for the slow motion into a fast motion slugout until Page is suplexed to the floor in a heap. A Saito suplex on the floor rocks Page again and somehow he’s still getting up.

Back in again and Page elbows his way out of another suplex, followed by a piledriver for tow on the champ. White is rocked and heads outside, only to have Page bust out a running shooting star shoulder block. The Buckshot Lariat is only good for two and the Kiwi Crusher gives White the same. White loads up the Blade Runner so Page spits in his face to break it up. With nothing else left, Page loads up the Rite of Passage, only to be reversed into the Blade Runner to retain the title at 25:00.

Rating: B. The clock hurt this as a lot of these spots felt like they were there to fill in time and the point had already been made. Page continues to look like a future star while White already looks like one. I like both of these guys more and more every time I see them and it’s quite a compliment to put them in a spot like this. Good match, but cut out seven or eight minutes to really make it work.

Post match David Finlay spears White down, with Josh acting like this is completely expected. Finlay wants a title shot against his former partner on April 24.

We recap the Golden Lovers vs. the Young Bucks. Kenny Omega has risen up the ranks of the Bullet Club but now Cody has come in and shaken things up. As a result, Kenny has reformed his old team with Kota Ibushi and the Bucks are caught in the middle of the whole thing. Tonight isn’t so much about hatred, but rather who is the best tag team in the world.

Golden Lovers vs. Young Bucks

Matt and Ibushi start but Matt wants Omega instead. Omega comes in and trash talking ensues until Matt decks Ibushi off the apron. Now Nick comes in and Ibushi wants in as well. We’re over two minutes in here with no action between the legal men. Nick grabs a headlock at two and a half minutes but has to duck Ibushi’s kick and avoid the standing moonsault. Ibushi sticks the landing anyway though and the fans are way behind him. A kick to the chest puts Nick down and a kick to Matt’s perpetually bad back drops him as well. Omega checks on Matt but gets shoved away, much to Omega’s shock.

Matt’s running neckbreaker into a backbreaker from Nick drops Ibushi and there’s a double dropkick to Omega. Back up and Omega sends Nick into Matt’s back but Nick’s superkick breaks up Omega’s big dive. Nick scores with a big rope walk flip dive onto both Lovers and it’s time for a table. We’ll save that for later as Matt hits a slingshot swanton onto Ibushi but holds his back. Ibushi pops up and avoids a Nick charge, followed by a big dive to take out Matt.

Omega gets dropped again though and the buckle bomb into an enziguri rocks Ibushi again. A dropkick allows the hot tag to Omega but the Bucks drop both Lovers again, because you know the Bucks aren’t going to spend that much time selling. Omega is back in and kicks Matt’s bad back to take over again and the jumping Fameasser plants Nick. Moonsaults to the floor drop the Bucks (with the camera missing Ibushi’s, which apparently missed anyway) and it’s Matt in trouble again.

A running shooting star from Ibushi into a middle rope moonsault from Omega (whose legs hit Matt in the face) gets two and a shot to the back makes Matt cringe. Matt gets whipped hard into the corner and tells Nick to get him out of here. I know I don’t care for the Bucks but Matt can sell the heck out of a back injury. Back up and Matt spits in Ibushi’s face so it’s off to a chinlock. I guess revenge comes in the form of slowing things down.

Matt is sent outside for a belly to back suplex onto the apron but he slips over for the tag to Nick. Kicks abound in a hurry to get in some much needed offense as everything breaks down again. A Blockbuster into a running knee to the face gets two on Ibushi. Both Bucks head up with Nick getting knocked down and Omega coming in for a double superplex (with Ibushi having to move his feet in a fairly scary moment) to wreck the back even more. The Golden Shower (stereo 450 splashes) are broken up with Nick hitting a German suplex on the apron to rock Omega.

The table is bridged between the apron and the barricade and Matt has to pick whether to go for the pin on Ibushi or to take out Omega on the table. He takes too long picking Omega and gets kicked in the back, allowing Ibushi to take Nick out. Omega loads up a One Winged Angle through the table but Ibushi springboards to the top for a German superplex with Matt landing on his head in a scary crash. Somehow Matt isn’t dead (must be a Bullet Club thing) and gets in a superkick to slow Ibushi down.

That just earns Matt a V Trigger and a Golden Star Bomb for two. Another V Trigger gets the same with Nick diving in for the save to let the fans breathe one more time. Nick gets sent outside so Ibushi kicks the heck out of Matt even more. Somehow that’s reversed into a Scorpion Deathlock (not a Sharpshooter) so Omega is back in with hard right hands. Matt BEGS Omega to hit him in the face but it’s Nick in with a superkick to drop Omega again. A big flip dive to the floor drops Omega and this time it’s a Sharpshooter on Ibushi). Matt’s back gives out though and the hold is broken to put them both down.

More Bang For Your Buck looks to finish Ibushi but Matt dives onto Omega, who happened to be laying on the table, instead. Back in and Nick hits the 450 while Ibushi is hanging in the ropes for two more. Stereo low superkicks have Ibushi down again and there’s another one to Omega. That’s fine with Ibushi, who hits a backflip into double kicks to the head. It’s Omega and Matt up for the slugout (JR: “There’s some face punching alright.”) with Omega grabbing the Snapdragon. Matt pops up with a jumping piledriver though and Omega looks a bit dead.

The weightlifting belt comes off and Omega takes a whipping but manages a shot to the back to cut Matt off in a hurry. Omega throws the belt down and knees Matt in the face instead but a very fast spear cuts Omega off. Ibushi breaks up the Meltzer Driver and powerbombs the heck out of Nick, right through a table. A spike Tombstone gets two on Matt, followed by a gutwrench sitout powerbomb for the same.

Omega can’t believe it and begrudgingly hits the V Trigger and Matt makes him hit the One Winged Angel (you read that right) with Nick diving in for the save. The near fall FINALLY draws the old JR out as Matt is dead but Nick swears that it’s not over. Nick is willing to fight on his own but it’s a V Trigger into a half nelson Snapdragon from Ibushi. Omega takes the kneepad down and the Golden Trigger ends Nick at 39:22.

Rating: A. This felt long in the middle but the emotion at the end was very good with Matt admitting defeat but Nick never saying die no matter what. The Bucks having individual personalities helps a lot and Matt’s selling was very good. The Lovers looked awesome as well and this should do a lot for advancing this part of a much bigger story. Outstanding match here with the emotion being better than the very good action.

Post match everyone checks on Matt. An exhausted Ibushi leaves and here’s Cody to shove Matt down. He yells at Nick but here’s Omega to chase Cody off. The Bucks are back up and Nick accepts a handshake but Matt leaves instead. Omega says that it’s a shame when war makes friends go to war with each other, but the silver lining is the Golden Lovers are back. The Lovers are going to be back on July 7 and one day he’ll beat the heck out of Cody. Omega says he might have a broken orbital bone and wishes us all goodnight (muah) and goodbye (bang) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Overall, this felt like a very New Japan show: much more good than bad but it overstays its welcome by a hair, with the Finlay/Robinson vs. Goto/Gedo match being expendable to take some of the length down (note that it’s just slightly longer than it needs to be and nowhere near as major of an issue as WWE has in the same area). The main event is excellent and the Bullet Club Civil War, while being on more platforms than I would prefer, is an interesting story, even if you don’t know all of the parts. I’m not sure how it ends save for a match at Wrestle Kingdom or some other big show, but it’s fun while it lasts.

New Japan is a very good promotion and feels like another major league (which it is), which makes these shows feel important. It’s cool to see these shows stateside and if they ever come much closer to me, I’d definitely check one out. It’s a bit longer than it needed to be, but that’s a pretty minor complaint. Just get a better commentary team (I’ve never liked Barnett and JR sounds like he’s getting ready for a painful medical procedure all night long) and cut the length down a bit and it’s that much better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

Supercard of Honor XII
Date: April 7, 2018
Location: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for one of the biggest shows of the year in front of the biggest crowd Ring of Honor has ever had. I know I criticize them a lot but drawing 6,000 people (at least mostly paid, if not the vast majority) is no small task and they deserve some serious credit for pulling that off. Tonight is a double main event with Cody vs. Kenny Omega as part of the Bullet Club Civil War and Dalton Castle defending the World Title against Marty Scurll. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament Semifinals: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein

Instead Iwatani goes up and scores with a double stomp for no cover again. Klein blocks the snap dragon suplex but can’t block the reverse hurricanrana. Well she kind of can’t as she goes down, but lands on her back like a German suplex instead of flipping over. That’s good for two as well but Klein is right back with a front face DDT. A good northern lights suplex gives Mayu two but Klein suplexes her into the End of the Match (guillotine choke, with a great name) and Iwatani is out at 8:59.

Rating: C+. Klein winning here makes sense as the victory over a big international name makes her feel like a bigger deal. In addition, you don’t build Klein up as undefeated and then have an outsider come in and get the first win over her. This sets Klein up to lose in the finals, allowing whoever beats her to look like an even bigger deal.

Pre-Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament Semifinals: Sumie Sakai vs. Tenille Dashwood

Sakai is a veteran who has been around Ring of Honor for the majority of the company’s history. However, I couldn’t tell you much about her because she’s just a woman who wrestles without much else to her. Dashwood is the ball of charisma that used to be known as Emma. A very early clothesline gives Dashwood two but a spinning fisherwoman’s suplex gives Sakai the same.

Dashwood sends her into the corner over and over and grabs the Tarantula as they’re certainly starting fast. Sakai gets sent outside for a heck of a dive and it’s Dashwood in full control early on. Back in and it’s time to work on Sakai’s knee as Ian goes through Sakai’s wrestling lineage. That’s escaped so Sakai goes for a cross armbreaker into a Crossface.

It’s too early for a submission though so Sakai misses a charge into the corner and Dashwood adds a Taste of Tenille (running crossbody in the corner) for two. A Batista Bomb gets the same but Sakai is right back with Smashmouse for the same. With nothing else working, Sakai heads up top and gets release German superplexed back down for another near fall. The Spotlight kick misses though and Sakai grabs a crucifix to advance at 7:54.

Rating: C. Commentary helped Sakai here as I know nothing about her save for the little bites I’m getting here and there. I need something more than “she wrestles and she’s been here for a long time” and this was at least inching in that direction. I’m also surprised that they had Dashwood lose here as her vs. Klein seemed like a bit of a layup. Sakai better win at this point or there’s not much of a point in this result.

Post match Klein comes out for the photo op but decks Sakai from behind instead.

The opening video takes a quick look at the history of the promotion (as in about thirty seconds with clips and a standard “we’ve been doing this for a long time” voiceover) before moving into the quick clips about each match. Cody vs. Omega’s clip is on last, which I get here for a change. Cody’s line that Omega is everyone’s favorite underground band but no one can name any of their songs is still awesome.

The crowd looks great and it’s very cool to see this company reach this point.

Chuckie T. vs. Jonathan Gresham

Feeling out process to start with Gresham taking Chuckie down with almost no effort but letting him right back up. Chuckie takes him down and works on the leg with Gresham not being able to spin out. Who knew Chuckie could do that? Gresham blocks a lift from the mat with a wag of the finger (oh it’s on now) so Chuckie goes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker instead. The moonsault misses (as is its custom) and Gresham snaps off a hurricanrana to put Chuckie on the floor.

Gresham tries a suicide dive but goes over Chuckie’s head for a nasty looking crash. Chuckie’s friend Trent Barretta offers a distraction though and Chuckie’s second backbreaker gets two. A rollup into an ankle lock has Chuckie in more trouble as Gresham is starting to roll. Chuckie slips out and gets two off a Falcon Arrow but Gresham gets in a knee to Chuckie’s knee. That just earns him Soul Food (Eat Defeat) and a small package gives Chuckie the pin at 8:29.

Rating: C. Fine choice for an opener here as the fans like Chuckie and it’s not like Gresham loses anything by taking a fall here. He got to do his stuff and then get pinned so it all works out well. Not a bad match either with the fans getting to see something fun, though this probably could have been a pre-show match rather than the tournament stuff.

Some demonic looking guy comes up to the announcers’ table, leaving something there (later revealed to be an alligator claw) and saying something I couldn’t make out.

Punishment Martinez vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Non-title (Ishii won the Rev Pro UK Heavyweight Title the night before in a great match and has the title with him here) and this could be fun. Martinez now comes out of a casket and has a mask during his entrance. Well that’s certainly more intimidating. Ishii gets a crazy reaction and you shouldn’t be expecting anything else. They do the tall vs. short staredown and Ishii goes straight to the forearms and shoulder blocks.

Martinez shrugs it off and takes him into the corner for some clotheslines. Ishii shrugs off some kicks to the face and hits his own running corner clothesline. A heavily muscled up suplex drops Martinez for two but he’s right back up with a kick to the head to send Ishii outside. The over the top dive overshoots Ishii and Martinez lands ON HIS HEAD with Cabana clearly sounding nervous on commentary.

Rating: B-. Sweet goodness what a showcase for Martinez. If nothing else, to beat the heck out of a monster like Ishii is a big deal, especially in Ring of Honor where New Japan guys are revered. This should move Martinez up the ladder and towards the World Title, which is a place you could keep him in for a long time in an athletic Kane kind of role. Ishii barely got in anything here and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rematch somewhere else, perhaps in Rev Pro for the title.

Hangman Page vs. Kota Ibushi

No backstory here but it’s part of Kenny Omega reforming the Golden Lovers with Ibushi, which didn’t sit well with the Bullet Club, including Page. They start slow with Page powering him around off a lockup and then headlocking Ibushi for good measure. Page’s standing shooting star misses but so does Ibushi’s kick to the chest. The second attempt at the kick works far better and Page is down with Ibushi not following up.

A neckbreaker across the middle rope (hangman style of course) puts Ibushi down again though and the fans are not pleased with Page. It takes a lot to get the Bullet Club booed so well done. A bridging fall away slam (meaning it’s not exactly falling away) gets two as Colt talks about wrestling in every Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in America. Ibushi gets tired of the trash talk and hits a very smooth dropkick to put Page down, followed by a standing moonsault. They’re doing well with giving Ibushi those bursts of offense while Page controls for the most part.

Ibushi hurricanranas him to the floor but Page is ready to break up the moonsault to the floor. Page jumps to the barricade and Ibushi GERMAN SUPLEXES HIM ONTO HIS HEAD (making my mouth come open on the terrifying landing), thankfully with Page writhing in pain instead of, you know, not moving.

Now the running moonsault to the floor drops Page again and you know that’s getting a standing ovation. Back in and a kneeling Tombstone gives Page two and he can’t believe the kickout. Ibushi goes with the simple idea of kicking him in the head but gets backdropped onto the apron. A great looking moonsault to the floor drops Ibushi again and the Buck Shot Lariat gets two.

The pinfall reversal sequence gives us a sequences of reversed pinfalls until Ibushi grabs a German suplex for two more. They slug it out from their knees and then on their feet with Ibushi asking him to hit harder. It turns into a slap off until Page hits the discus forearm to the jaw. The sitout Last Ride gets two and an arm trap German suplex gets the same. That’s it for Ibushi who SMASHES Page in the face with a knee for the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B+. That knee alone was worth it. These two beat the heck out of each other and it turned into a great spectacle with both guys showing how hard they were working to beat the other. The dives were awesome and the shots were hard, which is all you could ask for here. Page was awesome as well and looked like he belonged on this level, which says a lot when you consider that he was a young boy when they were in New Orleans for Supercard of Honor in 2014.

We recap the pre-show tournament semifinals.

Women of Honor Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Kelly Klein

The title is vacant coming in and Daffney is at ringside. I’m not sure why as she was never a champion that I know of, but she wrestled in the previous generation so she’s a legend or something. Sumie isn’t up for waiting on the bell and jumps Kelly before the bell, only to get suplexed down for her efforts. A rollup gives Sakai one so Kelly grabs a Stun Gun. They head outside with Klein in full control as the announcers talk about how Sakai is pretty much done. Just get her nameplates ready then.

The End of the Match goes on outside but Klein lets it go in a hurry. Why? Other than the twenty count she could hold that thing as long as she wants. Back in and Sumie slips out of a super fall away slam and hits a kind of rollup powerbomb to drop Klein. The fisherwoman’s suplex looks to set up a victory roll but Klein muscles her over for a German suplex.

Cue a bunch of people from the tournament to watch at ringside as Sakai gets dropped with another shot to the chest. Klein gets two off a northern lights suplex and Sakai grabs a fisherwoman’s buster. Sakai misses a moonsault (she might have grazed Klein) so it’s a really bad looking DDT to put Klein away (her first pinfall loss in ROH) for the pin and the title at 7:44. The DDT was so messy looking that I wouldn’t be surprised if the moonsault was supposed to be the finish and Sakai did whatever she could for the finish.

Rating: D+. What the heck was that? We spent months (years in some cases) talking about how important this thing was and the final doesn’t even get eight minutes? In a pretty lame match too? The ending was bad as well as you can’t even have Sakai hit her finisher? And why is Sakai champion again? She’s been here a long time? That’s the best reason you have?

I really don’t know about this as you have better, more interesting options but this is what we get, possibly as a thank you for her work in the division. You know, the thing that wasn’t even worth eight minutes and had its other matches (neither of which broke nine minutes) on the pre-show. This felt like ROH saying “there, you have your title now” and that’s not how this was built up, which is a lot more annoying than anything else. Not a very good match and an even more questionable choice to win the thing.

Sakai holds up the title in what feels like a very rushed celebration.

We get a graphic for the next match and miss Klein and Sakai hugging. Back in the arena, the rest of the women hug Sakai as the graphic for the next match is still on the screen. Good grief if you don’t care, don’t pretend that you do.

We recap the Six Man Tag Team Title match. So Cal Uncensored and the Young Bucks/a variety of partners have been feuding over the titles for months now with So Cal Uncensored winding up with the titles thanks to doing horrible things to Matt Jackson’s back. They need to hold onto the titles to avoid being fired at the end of the year so tonight it’s a ladder match with Flip Gordon fighting on the Bucks’ side.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Young Bucks/Flip Gordon

So Cal Uncensored is defending in a ladder match with Shane Taylor on commentary. It’s a brawl to start (well duh) and Gordon kicks the first ladder into Scorpio. Nick hits a corkscrew dive over the top to take Daniels down and Kazarian gets a ladder tossed into his face. Sky tries a flip dive….over the Bucks….who are holding a ladder….which they use to cover themselves. Even Cabana has no idea what that was supposed to be.

Back in and Daniels accidentally clotheslines Kazarian over the top but miscommunication drops Matt as well. Daniels uses the distraction to go up but Matt throws Nick onto the ladder for the save. Gordon and Kazarian clothesline each other down, leaving Daniels to throw Nick off the top and onto the ropes. Now it’s Kazarian and Gordon both jumping onto the ladder for a slugout on top until Kazarian takes him down with a huge TKO. All six are back in with the Bucks and Gordon suplexing Daniels and Sky.

The Bucks start taking over and let’s hit those….Wild and Crazy Kids references? I KNEW I WATCHED THIS SHOW FOR A REASON! With Daniels on the ladder on the bottom rope, the Bucks backflip Gordon into a 450 for the next crazy spot. Kazarian is back up with the ladder around his head but Gordon nips up to avoid shot after shot. The double superkick to the ladder brings Kazarian down, followed by Matt hitting the 450 onto Sky onto the ladder.

Matt goes up top but a ladder to the back brings him down again as the champs take over. Sky is back up and snaps off a super hurricanrana to drop Gordon. Celebrity Rehab onto the ladder rocks Matt again but Gordon is back up with a series of kicks and a monkey flip to send Kazarian into the ladder. Another flip dive drops Daniels, leaving the Bucks to beat up Scorpio.

Kazarian brings in a ladder so Matt stomps onto it, crushing Kazarian’s hand in a nasty crunch. A wheelbarrow cutter sends Daniels into the ladder and it’s off to a Cease and Desist on Sky through the ladder. Flip climbs up at the same time but Daniels uses a ladder for the save. Kazarian tries a hurricanrana over the top but takes out Daniels by mistake, leaving Flip to flip onto all of them.

Since the Bucks aren’t that bright, Nick dives onto everyone else before going up, allowing the Kingdom, in Dudley Boyz camouflage, to make the save. Rock Star Supernova plants Matt but they beat up the champs as well. TK O’Ryan, who isn’t in the match, climbs up but everyone else turns the ladder over. The Bucks superkick So Cal Uncensored down but all six climb at the same time. Gordon gets smart by jumping to the very top of the ladder and touches the belts. That earns him a shot from Daniels, sending Gordon face first onto the top of the ladder and down to the mat in a bad crash.

Kazarian and Matt fight on the top until Daniels takes Matt down with a Downward Spiral from the top. The others go down as well and it’s time to clear some ladders out. It’s time for the big ladder but before the climbing can start, Kazarian gets superkicked. The Kingdom has to be taken out again and Nick DDTs Kazarian onto the apron. Gordon springboards into a double blockbuster to take Sky and Daniels onto the pile….and it’s table time.

O’Ryan and Sky are laid onto said tables and that means stereo 450 splashes to the floor. Daniels is left alone to go up but Matt runs up for a save. In a smart move, Daniels drops down and shoves the ladder over, sending Matt through Marseglia through a table. That’s enough for Daniels to go up and pull down the titles at 24:08.

Rating: A-. It’s a great match but as is always the case with these things, all the ladder matches start to run together after awhile. There’s really nothing here that makes it stand out but the spots were cool and the ending worked. I’m glad the Bucks didn’t win again at least but there was too much Kingdom for my taste. Still though, solid stuff.

Post match the Kingdom steals the titles and run off.

We look at some highlights while the ring is cleaned up.

It’s intermission time and that means we get to see the pre-pre-show match.

Brian Milonas/Beer City Bruiser vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Luke and PJ Hawx

Caprice Coleman is on commentary. I’ve heard a lot about Hawx but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen more than one or two of his matches. PJ (apparently Luke’s son) works on Shelley’s wrist to start before it’s off to Luke for some backbreakers to Sabin. Chris kicks PJ away but Bruiser comes in to lumber people over. Milonas’ falling splash gets two on PJ and the big guys crush him for good measure.

A side slam/big boot combination (the Authors of Pain used to use that) plants Shelley and the big guys are dominating. Sabin comes back in to slug away but gets crushed by Bruiser in the corner. PJ is up as well though and cleaning house with a big dive to the floor. You don’t have a big pile on the floor with Milonas around though and it’s a cannonball to crush them all. Back in and the PowerPlex destroys PJ for the pin at 6:17.

Rating: D+. I still don’t care for Milonas and Bruiser but this was perfectly fine for an opening match to warm up the crowd. They kept it short and the dives were good to move things along. This is a case where the match might not have been the best but it was the right way to do things, which is what matters most in this situation.

The intermission keeps going for a few more minutes.

Tag Team Titles: Jay Lethal/Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending and there’s no story here. Lethal and Tanahashi are two great singles guys and they’re getting a shot at the titles. I’ve heard worse ideas, especially when the Briscoes are such dominant champions. For the sake of simplicity I’ll only refer to Jay Brisco as Jay. Lethal and Jay start things off with a lockup going nowhere. Briscoe shoulders him down and snaps off a hurricanrana (you don’t see him do that very often) and it’s off to Mark vs. Tanahashi.

Mark wastes no time in going after the hair so Tanahashi busts out the crane kick pose. Red neck kung fu is no match for a dragon screw legwhip and we hit the GO ACE chant. The middle rope swanton gets two as we’re still waiting to get into the second phase here. Lethal comes back in for a pair of basement dropkicks and even knocks Jay off the apron as a bonus. You don’t do that to Jay though and Lethal gets his head knocked off as a result.

Mark’s running apron dropkick keeps Lethal in trouble and I wouldn’t expect that to change for a while. As you might guess, this turns into a discussion of super bands and how they don’t have the most success in the world. Lethal chops both champs and sends Mark outside, with Tanahashi following instead of taking a tag. The suicide dive takes Jay down and it’s off to Tanahashi for two off a standing backsplash. That means a fight over a suplex with neither being able to pull it off. Mark adds in a kick to the back and it’s Jay kicking Tanahashi in the face to take over.

We’re off to the camel clutch, followed by a big double shoulder from the champs. A Sling Blade to Mark is enough for the hot tag off to Lethal as things pick up again. The Lethal Combination and a cutter are enough to set up a Figure Four. Mark comes in with the Froggy Bow for the save and Jay’s brainbuster gets two on Lethal. The Lethal Injection is only good for two on Mark and the fans think that was three. Tanahashi is back in but a Doomsday Device is broken up. Instead Jay gives Lethal a German suplex and the real Doomsday Device retains the titles at 19:36.

Rating: B. As mentioned, this was two great singles guys getting a Tag Team Title match so I’m not sure how much of a chance fans were really giving them. What they did have though was a rather good match, which is all you can ask for here. The Briscoes are as good as anyone right now and there’s no need to do anything more than put in a solid performance. Ring of Honor has a deep tag division but no one is anywhere close to their level (save for maybe the Bucks) so this is as good of an idea as they can do.

We recap Silas Young vs. Kenny King for the TV Title. They’ve traded the title a few times now so tonight is the final battle (as opposed to their match at Final Battle) in a Last Man Standing match.

Before we get to the match, here’s Austin Aries (with a banana in his pocket) to say he wants the winner of this match. He’ll be on commentary here.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Kenny King

King is defending and it’s Last Man Standing. Silas loads up a table before King comes out as Aries complains about not having a place to put all of his belts. King punches him into the corner to start but gets his head taken off by a running clothesline. A swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker puts Young down as the announcers want to know how Aries is allowed to be here. King goes with a Boston crab to slow Young down before switching to the Last Chancery (Aries: “WHOA WHOA WHOA!”). It’s cool as Aries has given his permission, but King is botching the execution.

Young fights up and tosses King over the top and through the table for an eight count. Some whips into the barricade and right hands have King in more trouble but Young stops to yell at the fans. Back in and King manages a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle, followed by an apron Blockbuster to the floor. Aries isn’t sure if that’s worth the risk to your own body and as usual, he’s got a good point. Young is up at eight and they head back inside, only to walk into a spinebuster to stay on the back.

They head to the apron and Young’s back is fine enough to hit Misery, sending King face first onto said apron for an eight. It’s trashcan time with King taking a shot to the back, causing Ian to bust out a Bangin on a Trashcan reference, making him the greatest commentator of all time. King dropkicks the can lid into Young’s face and the Royal Flush onto the can for nine with Young rolling underneath the ropes to land on his feet in a smart save.

A quick suplex onto a ladder has Young in trouble again and a shooting star from the top to the floor drives him through a table in the big spot of the match. They’re both down with Young pulling himself up on the barricade but King’s feet have been tied up by Bruiser, who was hiding underneath the ring. Oh come on with that stupid ending.

Rating: C+. This was good for the most part but that ending was ridiculous. So King hits the big finishing spot but HAHA screwy finish to end the feud! They were trying to make King look good but put the title back on Young too and that’s not a good idea. You have to pick one or the other and trying to go in the middle just makes me roll my eyes as the backdoor they’re trying to go through hit them in the head on the way out. The rest of the match was fun stuff and the usual good brawling, but it could have moved at a somewhat faster pace.

Post match the double beatdown is on but Aries runs in for the save.

Since Ring of Honor apparently doesn’t have scissors, King has to hop away with his feet still tied. Thanks for the big spot dude. Enjoy your reward.

Cheeseburger/Eli Isom vs. The Dawgs

We’re nearly three hours into this show, have the double main event to go, and THIS GETS PAY PER VIEW TIME??? The announcers nearly laugh at Cheeseburger for picking Isom when people like Austin Aries, Colt Cabana, or ANYONE ON THE ROSTER is available. The Dawgs jump them before the bell and Isom gets crotched against the post. His knee gets crushed with a chair and here’s Bully Ray for the save.

With the Dawgs on the floor, Ray calls them scumbags for jumping their opponents before the bell. Since Cheeseburger doesn’t have a partner, the match has to be thrown out. Cheeseburger begs Ray to be his partner so Ray can have a final fight to go with his final moment. He appeals to Ray not wanting to disappoint 6,000 people so Ray says ring the bell.

Cheeseburger/Bully Ray vs. The Dawgs

The beating is on with the Dawgs in trouble and a Bionic Elbow to Ferrara. There’s the palm strike and Cheeseburger plays D-Von in What’s Up. Ray tells him to get the tables and then chokeslams Cheeseburger. If you actually call this a match….I’m not sure why.

Ray asks Cheeseburger who he thinks he is for putting him on the spot like that. Cheeseburger is what’s wrong with wrestling (yep) like the rest of his kind. This entire generation is selfish, spoiled and entitled because they think it’s all about them. It’s guys like Cheeseburger, Will Ospreay, Flip Gordon and Ricochet that have destroyed wrestling. Cue COO Joe Koff to ask what’s going on but Ray says signing people like Cheeseburger is killing wrestling. Koff, who doesn’t have a mic, yells a lot as Cabana wants Ray out of the ring (yep).

Now it’s Flip Gordon coming out but Ray loads up a piledriver, which would end the show here and now with no questions asked. Ray tells the young boy to get off the apron, which has Cabana calling the old bitter vets the problem with wrestling. More insults to Koff are followed by Ray putting on his WWE Hall of Fame ring (Cabana: “Then go over there. Go to New York.” You know, where so many of this company’s shows are held.) and powerbombing Cheeseburger to FINALLY end this.

Where do I even begin here? First of all, this was fifteen minutes on a show that is already approaching four hours with two major matches to go. That’s about twice as long as the Women’s Title match received. Second, I can’t stand Cheeseburger so I don’t know why I’m supposed to be disagreeing with Ray.

Cheeseburger is pretty much the Ring of Honor mascot and I need a lot more than that to make me care about him. Wow he’s a small guy with foam cheeseburgers and Jushin Thunder Liger taught him a move. WHO CARES??? I get that he’s not supposed to be taken seriously but he’s been on the show for at least the last few years in the same role and stories. This company doesn’t have a lot of TV time and wasting it on him gets old in a hurry.

Other than that, this very easily could have been done on TV instead of adding even more time to an already long pay per view. Throw in Ray being the face boss for what, three weeks or so, and it’s already feeling like a warmed over WWE/TNA storyline. This was a big waste of time and I was agreeing with a lot of what the heel was saying. Do this later (if you absolutely have to do it) and stop inflating your shows. Modern wrestling companies do not grasp the idea of less being more sometimes and it would really be a nice lesson for them to learn.

We recap Cody vs. Kenny Omega in the battle of the Bullet Club. So a little over a year ago, Cody joined the Bullet Club, led by Kenny, and slowly started trying to take over. This didn’t sit well with Kenny and the rest of the team has been pulled into the middle. Of course to know the full thing you have to watch New Japan and the Being the Elite webseries but since I don’t watch either, those are the details I’m going into this with instead of doing a bunch of research.

Cody vs. Kenny Omega

Cody comes in with Bernard the Business Bear (there better be a good reveal), Brandi Rhodes, and a bunch of cops. The fans lose their minds at the opening bell but hang on because Cody needs a kiss from Brandi. It takes over a minute to lock up….and they immediately cut to the crowd. Cody’s headlock goes nowhere as Kenny kicks him to the floor and runs the ropes until Bernard trips him up.

Omega dives onto Bernard and takes off the head revealing….just a guy, or at least someone not important enough to show. Cody uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot as the bear is ejected. Oh come on now. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Cody loads up Shattered Dreams but stops and flips off the crowd instead. So to clarify: the WWE Hall of Famer who works here is a heel move but Goldust is a face. Got it. I think? The fans sing for Omega and are rewarded by Cody powerbombing him to cut off a comeback attempt.

The American Deathlock goes on but Kenny makes the rope, only to be slapped by Brandi. In a blatant bit of cheating, Cody has a foreign object thrown in but uses the referee distraction to kick Omega low. All Cody so far. The beating continues on the floor with Cody shifting his focus to the back. Omega gets sent face first into a chair but hang on because Cody has to steal a beer and spit it at fans. Of course that gets Cody a chant and it’s time to slap it out.

Omega gets the better of the chopping but his moonsault hits knees. Cody heads outside and takes one heck of a suicide dive, followed by a sitout bulldog for two back inside. Something like Adam Cole’s old Last Shot plants Cody again and there’s the V Trigger for a big reaction. A pair of Snapdragons makes things even worse but Cody breaks up a third attempt and scores with a Disaster Kick for two.

Another V Trigger in the corner looks to set up the One Winged Angel but Cody reverses into a Figure Four instead. Omega is in trouble and rolls around to little avail. A few slaps to the face wake him up enough for the turnover though and the hold is broken. Cody grabs a dragon screw legwhip to send Omega to the apron and it’s table time (Kevin: “Did we have a banquet earlier today?”).

Cross Rhodes through the table is broken up and a piledriver is blocked as well with Omega trying the Snapdragon on the apron. It knocks Cody down, though it would be a little more effective if Cody’s head actually touched the apron. Amazingly enough that’s not enough to finish Cody, who picks Omega up and drops him ribs first on the side of the table for a good looking crash. Instead of, you know, using the table again, Cody throws Omega back in for two off the Alabama Slam (almost no reaction from the crowd) and they’re both down again.

Another V Trigger rocks Cody and the reverse hurricanrana gets almost no rotation and Cody nearly lands on his back. Again, the fans aren’t reacting to most of this stuff and it’s not a good sign when they’re only about twenty minutes in to what’s likely going to be a crazy long match. Brandi sets up a table on the floor and gets on the apron, meaning it’s a missed V Trigger to put her through the table. Kenny is distracted so Cross Rhodes gets a close two, again with VERY little reaction.

Cody doesn’t know that Brandi is down so here’s Flip Gordon to help her out, following up on a Being the Elite angle. I know that’s the case because commentary tells us about it, which is all I need. A superplex brings Omega back down and it’s time for a whipping with the weightlifting belt as we move into the Hollywood Hogan period. Cody misses the moonsault though and one heck of a knee to the face has him in even more trouble.

Two more running knees get two (Remember: when Omega spams moves, he’s awesome. When someone in WWE does it, they’re not real wrestlers.) but the One Winged Angel is reversed into a Vertebreaker for two more. We get the required ref bump (How else are you going to get the Bucks in there?) and a double crossbody puts both guys down. Cue the Bucks (with a Being the Elite camera) to decide whom to superkick. They aim for Cody but hit Omega instead with reality setting in very quickly. Cross Rhodes gives Cody the pin at 36:35.

Rating: B-. Well, it was good and long (you could have cut 10-15 minutes) and it advanced the story. The problem is this felt like a big chapter but not a chapter important enough for 36 minutes of nothing mind blowing. Cody can’t get to that level and it’s showing more and more every time he’s in a major match. They did a very good job of explaining things that set up the match and feud, which was a major issue coming in so well done there. Overall though, this was lacking and nothing that I’m going to remember as really, the big spot was Brandi’s table bump and that was nothing great. Good, but not what they were hyping.

Omega glares at the Bucks as he’s helped to the back.

We recap the World Title match. Dalton Castle won the World Title at Final Battle and is still trying to prove himself as the World Champion. Marty Scurll beat Castle in his first match in Ring of Honor so he might have Castle’s number. Somehow, this is close to the Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior match in 1990, if that’s possible.

Ring of Honor World Title: Marty Scurll vs. Dalton Castle

Castle is defending and has more Boys than usual. With NWA World Champion Nick Aldis in the crowd, Castle drives Marty into the corner to start. Marty’s right hand in the corner earns him a chest thrust and Scurll is already looking confused by Castle. An exchange of wristlocks gives us another standoff, which isn’t a good sign given that we’re already to nearly four hours with this show and the crowd is obviously tired.

Scurll flips him off so Marty reaches into his (own) trunks to pull out a middle finger. You don’t offer Marty your finger but Dalton punches his way to freedom before the finger is broken. Instead Marty grabs the golden umbrella but puts it in the corner, allowing Marty to grab a single leg. The chops it out from their backs before going to a standard punch out. Castle goes with the wrestling in the form of some gutwrench suplexes but Marty avoids a charge to send the champ into the post.

As the Boys FAN UP, Marty keeps Castle in trouble with some chops. It’s time to start stomping on the arm as this is definitely going long, no matter what makes sense on this show. Marty snaps the arm back ala Pentagon in Lucha Underground to not much success. That really should be a big deal but here’s it’s just a move. Shows what happens when you get a move over. Castle strikes away and elbows Marty in the face, followed by a simple beal to really get back into this.

Marty sends him outside but Castle grabs a German suplex through the ropes and drops him hard on the floor. Back in and Scurll kicks him in the head (because a GERMAN SUPLEX ON THE FLOOR isn’t a big move) but gets knocked back to the floor. A DDT plants Castle on the floor again (How long are they going to spend out there?) but he powers out of a tornado DDT. The Bang-a-Rang is reversed into a rollup so Castle knees him in the face instead.

The fans finally get into this with some dueling chants but calm back down when Castle can’t hit a gutwrench superplex to the floor. A superkick drops Castle on the floor again (erg) and Marty backdrops him onto the steps in the aisle for a VERY nasty looking bump. Back in again and the already damaged arm is sent into the buckle as the fans have already dropped their short lived interest.

The Ghostbuster gets two and they go outside AGAIN as the match is clearly being extended for the sake of being extended. Castle gets sent into the steps and in the melee, Aldis hands Marty some clippers so he can cut off a turnbuckle pad. A suplex drops Marty though and a deadlift German suplex gets two more.

Marty is back up with a superkick to the back of the head for two of his own….and now it’s time to stop as he looks underneath the ring for something specific. He can’t fine whatever it is so Dalton sends him into the barricade instead. Marty finally finds some powder, which is kicked back into his face. The blindness causes him to break the referee’s hand so there’s no count off the Bang-a-Rang. Well that’s a new way to do a familiar spot so well done.

With the referee on the floor, Marty gets in an umbrella shot for two. The Boys get beaten down and we need a new referee. A brainbuster gets a delayed two from a second referee so LET’S KEEP GOING! The threat of a chickenwing earns Marty another Peacock Pose but he grabs a loose chickenwing anyway. Castle reaches for the rope so Marty BREAKS THE FINGER and stomps away at the champ’s head. Back to back superkicks rock Castle but he pops up with the Bang-a-Rang to retain at 31:41.

The previous match went nearly forty minutes and this should have been cut down as a result. The wrestling was fine and Castle getting a win over a pretty strong name helps him a lot but egads the length just murdered this match. This might have worked better with fifteen minutes cut off on a less overloaded show but as it was, this didn’t work at all.

Overall Rating: C+. There’s a really good show underneath a lot of the dead weight on this one. This show was dying for one heck of an edit/rewrite to make things better but as it is, this is a major struggle. It felt like Ring of Honor was trying to go with a Wrestlemania style show and it collapsed underneath the weight. There was a lot of stuff on here (the Bully Ray turn, the opener, large chunks of both main events and a little of the ladder match, plus the intermission) that could have been left off. This needed to be about an hour shorter because as it is, they’re teetering on the brink where a lot of very good stuff is forgotten.

Now that being said, there’s a lot of very good stuff on here. The ladder match and Page vs. Ibushi are both worth seeing and some of the other matches range from entertaining to more than worthy of being on a show like this. Above all else though this felt like the big show, especially with the huge crowd. They should be proud of what they accomplished here as that’s a heck of a house and a heck of a gate. Just use some of that money to hire someone to say “cut this and cut that”, because it could turn a good show into a great one and now wear down the crowd so much.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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