Ring Of Honor
Date: September 18, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s another week of the show and we’re back to a regular edition after last year’s Action Dean edition. That means we should be back to the same style that we tend to get around here and hopefully the action is there to back it up. At the same time, it would be nice to see some bigger storyline developments. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Mistico vs. Mansoor

The rest of MxM TV is here with Mansoor, who kicks him down to start, followed by a running shoulder. Mistico is right back with a running hurricanrana to take over. Hold on though as Mansoor claims a cheap shot from Alex Abrahantes, allowing him to jump Mistico and take over again. Mansoor misses a moonsault though and Mistico powerslams him down for two. Taya Valkyrie gets caught interfering and Mistico fights back with a kick to the face. A springboard high crossbody into La Mistica finishes Mansoor at 5:22.

Rating: C+. Mistico is set for a big title match against MJF in CMLL this week and this is his last boost up before the show. At the same time, I’m not sure how much that really matters as this match was barely (if at all) advertised in advance and it’s not like Mansoor means much. I’m still not sure why you would waste Mistico like this, but it’s what they keep doing.

We recap the Women’s Pure Rules Title tournament.

Olympia vs. Viva Van

Pure Rules. Olympia hits a clothesline to start and adds a basement dropkick but Van knocks her into the corner. That’s broken up and Van is back with a slingshot Bronco Buster for two. Van gets in another running shot but Olympia is back with a fireman’s carry and does some squats. That’s escaped as well and Van hits a springboard crossbody. Olympia is right back up with a German suplex into a swinging Side Effect for the pin at 4:49.

Rating: C-. Olympia was impressive here, but there was zero reason for this to be a Pure Rules match other than getting to say it was a special match. There wasn’t even a rope break here, which is often the big focal point of the Pure Rules. We’re getting a lot more of these things and it still feels like they’re just trying to validate having another title that doesn’t need to be around.

Alan Angels vs. The Beast Mortos

Angels actually drops him with a quick dropkick and kicks Mortos out to the floor. A suicide dive connects as well but Mortos is back in with a backbreaker. The Samoan drop finishes for Mortos at 1:52.

MJF’s Abraham Lincoln looking associate threatens MJF in English and Spanish.

Matt Mako vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Pure Rules. Shibata works on the wrist to start and pulls him down into an armbar. The cross armbreaker is switched into a Figure Four, which Mako turns over, but Shibata turns it right back over. The first rope break gets Mako out of trouble so it’s back to the armbar, with Mako’s attempt at a counter getting pulled into a triangle choke. That’s escaped as well and Mako kicks him into a suplex for two. Mako’s choke is countered into a legbar, with Mako going to the second rope. Another legbar makes Mako use his final rope break so Shibata sleepers him into the PK for the win at 7:27.

Rating: C. At least they seemed to understand what kind of match they were having. At the same time, this was another match that felt like it was tacked onto the card for the sake of putting people on the show. Shibata has nothing going on in Ring Of Honor but here he is anyway, doing just about the same thing he always does.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at the Premiere Athletes’ contingency plan, who will join them in the ring next week.

Death Riders vs. Aleah James/Man Like Dereiss

James is sent outside, leaving Yuta to take over on Dereiss. That’s broken up and Dereiss gets to stomp away in the corner. It’s off to the women, with Shafir kicking James down without much trouble. James snaps off a headscissors but Shafir ties up all of her limbs in quite the painful visual.

James gets thrown down again so it’s off to Dereiss for a 619 to Yuta, who kicks Dereiss in the head. Dereiss ducks a clothesline though and comes back with a jumping cutter. A high crossbody gives James two on Shafir, who judo throws her down into Mother’s Milk to make James tap at 5:22.

Rating: C. The Death Riders showing up to wreck people on here isn’t exactly interesting but at least they’re important on another show. At the same time, it would be nice to see Dereiss used for something better than a way to make Yuta look good. He’s a talented star but he didn’t get to show much of that here for the sake of the Death Riders.

Lance Archer beats up various people backstage, including Beef.

The Frat House do frat things.

Satnam Singh vs. CPA

Yes he’s a wrestling accountant. For some reason CPA goes for the leg and loses his tie as a result. Singh finishes with a chokeslam at 1:07.

We go to QTV, where the cast is a bit confused about QT Marshall’s match with Paul Walter Hauser. He’s also not sure what is up with the Costco Guys.

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Janai Kai

Pure Rules. Again. The grappling doesn’t go anywhere to start and they trade armdrags. Sakazaki sends her outside for a dive but Kai nails a big kick to the head back inside. Kai grabs a dragon sleeper and Sakazaki has to use her first rope break. A running hurricanrana and dropkick put Kai down and Sakazaki’s spinning hammerlock slam finishes at 4:42.

Rating: C. Yeah it’s another one, as we have Sakazaki in the tournament so she needs to beat someone who isn’t around very often in a Pure Rules match. It’s still not a particularly good match as they barely had time to do anything and the Pure Rules didn’t change anything. Why should that matter though when we have another tournament for a new title? That’s what matters most right?

Shane Taylor Promotions wants competition.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kingdom/AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Fox and the Kingdom are challenging and they’ve at least won a match as a trio before. The champs clear the ring to start until Bennett gets caught in the corner for some running forearms from the Infantry. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Taylor for a loud chop in the corner.

Bennett fights out of trouble and shrugs off a knee, setting up a bit clothesline to put Taylor down. Taven comes in to clean house but misses the Lionsault. Fox is in with a spinning suplex, followed by Taven and Fox hitting big dives to the floor. Back in and Rockstar Supernova into a 450 gets two on Bravo with Dean making the save. Taylor knees Fox into the double stomp to give Bravo the pin to retain at 6:38.

Rating: C+. That’s one of the best parts of the show, as if nothing else it had something of a story to build upon and that helped. Fox and the Kingdom worked well together, though it still only means so much when they’ve barely teamed up before. At least it wasn’t more Pure Rules for a change.

Overall Rating: D+. This was the latest edition of Ring Of Honor where they threw a bunch of matches out there and tried to act like there was some reason to have them out there. Instead, it was a bunch of people having matches which mean very little, with a big focus on the Pure Rules stuff. As in the tournament that took months to be set up, started, and is now getting what feel like preview matches because we have to stretch this out longer and longer. Just more matches to fill in time that doesn’t need to be done and that’s going to be the case most of the time.

Results
Mistico b. Mansoor – La Mistica
Olympia b. Viva Van – Swinging Side Effect
The Beast Mortos b. Alan Angels – Samoan drop
Katsuyori Shibata b. Matt Mako – PK
Death Riders b. Aleah James/Man Like Dereiss – Mother’s Milk to James
Satnam Singh b. CPA – Chokeslam
Yuka Sakazaki b. Janai Kai – Spinning hammerlock slam
Shane Taylor Promotions b. AR Fox/Kingdom – Double stomp to Bravo

 

 

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 11, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Dylan Hales, Johnny Mosley

This is a special show produced by Ring Of Honor and Action Wrestling under the name “Action Dean 3”. This was previously done back in May and the show was fun enough, though I have no idea what to expect here. There will be a bunch of luchadors included, which could make for an interesting night. Let’s get to it.

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

Hechiero/Xelhua/Dr. Cerebro vs. Blue Panther/Virus/El Panthera

2/3 falls, submission only. Cerebro and Panthera start things off with Panthera taking him down to escape a headlock. Panther and Xelhua come in and they go to the mat for a quickly escaped headscissors. Panther goes after the legs and rides around a bit before getting us to a standoff. Virus and Hechicero come in with more grappling, including Hechicero rolling him around for a cradle but realizing that there are no pins. Hechicero is sent outside so Panther can hit a diving hurricanrana off the apron. Back in and Xelhua ties Virus (almost a reverse cross armbreaker) for the tap and the first fall at 7:35.

Panthera sends Xelhua into the corner and headscissors him down, meaning it’s off to Panther vs. Hechicero. Cerebro has to come in for a save so Panther armdrags him down. Virus dropkicks Cerebro into a frog splash from Panthera and Panthera ties Xelhua’s arms and legs up for the submission at 13:27.

Xelhua comes back in and takes Virus down with an elbow to the face but Virus ties up some limbs. Hechicero makes the save so Panther breaks that up, leaving Cerebro to armbar Panthera. That’s broken up so Hechicero comes off the top with a forearm but quickly lets go of Panthera’s leg. Panther dives onto Hechicero on the floor, leaving Panthera to crawl to the ropes. Back in and Panthera sunset flips Hechicero, which means nothing, so Hechicero ties up all four limbs to make Panthera submit for the win at 19:57.

Rating: B-. I never know what to say about a match like this because I barely know anything about it. That’s the thing with this kind of a show: I need to know a lot more about what I’m seeing and that isn’t being offered. Instead it’s just “here these people are, have fun”. That made for a good enough match, but commentary only offered so much here.

Nicole Matthews vs. Billie Starkz

Commentary points out that Starkz is reckless, even as she grabs a headscissors. Matthews isn’t having any of the mocking offers of a test of strength so Starkz gives her an Alabama Slam into the corner. With that rather scary crash out of the way, Matthews fights up with some clotheslines but Starkz hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee. A brainbuster gets two more but Matthews misses the moonsault. Starkz kicks her in the head and hits an electric chair driver for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C-. Starkz’s reputation for being sloppy in there is becoming her signature thing, which isn’t a good sign for anyone. This match featured two spots where Matthews’ head took a scary bump and that is far from a one off for Starkz. Either that needs to improve or Starkz shouldn’t be in the ring, because the safety thing can’t be ignored.

Sammy Guevara and Rush, with the rest of La Faccion Ingobernable, is ready for everyone.

Matt Mako vs. Wheeler Yuta

Marina Shafir is here with Yuta. Mako takes him down into a kneebar to start, with Yuta going straight to the rope. An armbar is blocked so Mako goes after him, with Yuta having to cover up. Back up and Yuta sends him outside and then knocks him off the apron, allowing Yuta to work on the arm back inside. Cattle Mutilation keeps Mako in trouble, only for him to escape into a slightly better headlock. Back up and Mako sends him into the corner, where Yuta gets a turnbuckle pad off.

We’ll get to that later as they head outside, with Mako grabbing a choke. That’s broken up so Mako tries his cross armbreaker back inside. Yuta fights out of that so Mako sits him on top for a suplex into a powerbomb for two. Mako’s kick to the face is shrugged off and Yuta German suplexes him for two. They go up top, with Mako flipping him into a cross armbreaker. Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Yuta to go to the eyes. A running knee finishes for Yuta at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Nice technical match here, as Mako has shown some skills during his limited appearances. I’m not sure if there is a place for him in AEW either long or short term, but he’s done well in the chances he has received. Yuta might be boring, but he knows how to do this kind of match rather well.

Video on the Premiere Athletes and their newest acquisition, Sori Denali.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Cheeseburger/Rhett Titus/Eli Isom

Mortos and Titus start things off but it’s Guevara coming in without any contact being made. Dralistico comes in to take him into the corner and it’s off to Mortos for a hard clothesline to Cheeseburger. A triple dropkick puts Isom down and everything breaks down, with Titus being sent into the barricade. Guevara drops the Swanton to pin Isom at 3:41.

Rating: C. Total squash here, with La Faccion getting to smash through some people. That’s nice to see after Guevara and Rush (who wasn’t wrestling here) won the Tag Team Titles, as they haven’t been around much since. It didn’t set anything up, but I’ll take something showing me that they’re at least still here.

Post match Guevara gets the mic and gets booed out of the building. Guevara talks about how great the team is and they want more titles.

Lee Johnson says Swirl is awesome and they want Blake Christian to get the next title shot against Bandido.

Demus El Demonico vs. Mad Dog Connelly

Hair vs. Hair and Connelly has a bad eye. Connelly misses some right hands to start but elbows Demus in the face. What looks like a shirt is used to choke Demus across the ropes as there are A LOT of empty seats visible. They go outside with Demus being sent into the steps but he whips Connelly in as well. Back in and a spinning middle rope crossbody gives Demus two and he goes after the eye.

Demus bites Connelly’s nipple but Connelly is back with a gutwrench suplex for two. A chair to the back has Demus in trouble but a spear only hits the open chair. Demus chairs him down for a change, only to miss a middle rope backsplash. A cradle piledriver gives Connelly two but he gets caught with a kneeling MuscleBuster for the same. Demus ties a chain around Connelly’s neck and chokes him over the ropes for the win at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I’m sure there’s a big story here but there apparently wasn’t time to tell us what that story was. Commentary mentioned a history but not exactly why they’re fighting. Then again there’s really no explanation for why we’re watching most of this so it fits in with the theme of the night. It was a nice enough power brawl, but I’m going to need a bit more of a reason to care about what I’m seeing.

Post match Demus goes to cut the hair but Connelly does it himself.

Video on the Pure Title.

Pure Title: Josh Woods vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending. Woods takes him down by the leg to start and they trade small packages for two. Moriarty starts in on the arm and the Border City Stretch goes on. They go to the ropes, with Woods using the first break. A kneebar makes Moriarty us his first break and it’s time to trade armbars. Back up and Woods hits a release gordbuster but Moriarty uses the ropes to block a fisherman’s buster.

Woods’ gutwrench suplex is countered with a hurricanrana to the floor, followed by another armbar. Woods uses another rope break but Moriarty is right there with a springboard forearm for two more. The cross armbreaker into a triangle choke has Woods in trouble, until he powerbombs his way to freedom. That lets Woods cover him for three, but Moriarty’s foot was underneath the ropes for his final break. An exchange of rollups goes to Moriarty to retain the title at 10:10.

Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the night as both of them are rather good at this style. At the same time, it’s still Moriarty having the same kind of a match that he’s had for over a year as champion. It was barely built up and came and went, as Moriarty’s record setting reign continues.

Shane Taylor Promotions come out to celebrate and Shane Taylor himself wants a fight with someone from Action Wrestling.

Shane Taylor vs. AR Fox

Fox ducks away from some right hands to start and kicks Taylor in the back. Taylor is sent to the floor for some dives but he pulls one out of the air. Fox gets swung into the barricade and some hard chops give Taylor two. A hard clothesline drops Fox for two and a release Rock Bottom puts him down again.

Fox gets in some enziguris and elbows him down in the corner. The skin the cat dropkick connects but they head to the apron, with Fox being thrown onto the barricade. That just earns Taylor a jumping cutter, followed by a Swanton for two back inside. Taylor punches him out for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: B-. For a match that had very little time, they got something going here and I wanted to see Fox win. That’s a good sign for how far he’s come, but at some point he needs to win one of these featured matches. I get it as Taylor is a fresh champion, but dang it’s frustrating to see Fox lose again.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where it felt like I was dropped into the middle of a book and just expected and figure it out from there. Action Wrestling is hardly some big time promotion but we’re thrown into the middle of a tribute show for someone you might not know. The wrestlers aren’t exactly household names either and that made for a show where it’s rather hard to care about what I’m seeing. I’ll certainly take a break from the dull ROH show, but do a better job of telling me what I’m seeing.

Results
Hechicero/Xelhua/Dr. Cerebro b. Blue Panther/Virus/El Panthera 2-1
Billie Starkz b. Nicole Matthews – Electric chair driver
Wheeler Yuta b. Matt Mako – Running knee
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Cheeseburger/Rhett Titus/Eli Isom – Swanton to Isom
Demus El Demonico b. Mad Dog Connelly – Choke with a chain over the ropes
Lee Moriarty b. Josh Woods – Rollup
Shane Taylor b. AR Fox – Right hand

 

 

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 29, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re finally getting closer to Supercard To Honor and that means we might actually get a big story around here for once. Then again you never know what you’re going to see around here as ROH tends to take its sweet time setting up the big events. In this case we’re also getting closer to the Women’s Pure Wrestling Title being a thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Trish Adora vs. La Catalina

The Infantry is here with Adora. They take turns shoving each other down until Catalina grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Catalina snaps off some armdrags, followed by a running dropkick. Adora is right back up with a knockdown and starts cranking on the arm. The Air Raid Crash stretch is broken up and Catalina is back with a running boot. A Pedigree gives Catalina two and a bridging German suplex gives Adora the same. They go up top and Catalina slips down into an electric chair, followed by a top rope splash for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Catalina continues to be someone who works well when given the chance, but she hasn’t had all that much success against bigger names. Until that comes, this is about all she’s likely to do, though hopefully we get to see her doing more. The division needs some fresh blood and Catalina could be part of that.

Post match respect is shown.

Taya Valkyrie brags about her star power and calls the tournament a casting call for the main character. Which is her you see.

Lance Archer vs. Diego Hill

Hill’s springboard high crossbody is knocked out of the air and a swinging Rock Bottom puts him down again. Archer’s nose is busted open somewhere in there and he grabs something like a standing Sharpshooter for the tap at 2:10. The blood dripping off Archer’s face is eerie.

Post match Archer gives him the Blackout for a bonus.

Athena is back next week. In person I’m assuming.

We go to this weekend’s Dean Rasmussen tribute show, co-promoted with Action Wrestling.

Ring Of Honor Pure Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako

Moriarty is defending. Mako, who is known for his cross armbreaker, grabs a cross armbreaker and Moriarty uses his first rope break about 40 seconds in. Back up and Moriarty runs the ropes to grab the Border City Stretch, making it a rope break each. A springboard clothesline sets up something like a seated Octopus to keep Mako in trouble.

Mako belly to back suplexes his way to freedom and a spinwheel kick cuts Moriarty off. They fight over a suplex until Moriarty gets in another Border City Stretch to make Mako use another rope break. Mako superplexes him into a Falcon Arrow and the cross armbreaker sends Moriarty over for another rope break of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Moriarty pulls him into another Border City Stretch, this time with a foot on Mako’s face for the tap to retain at 10:04.

Rating: C+. I haven’t seen much of Mako, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen in him so far. That being said, there is only so much that you’re going to get out of being in a Pure Rules match. The whole thing continues to feel like something that is tacked on I’m really not sure why it needs to be its own championship.

Post match, respect is shown.

Also from the Rasmussen show:

Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Valiente/Virus vs. Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr./Xelhua

So this is a Torneo Cibernetico, which is a ten man survival match. Panther wrestles Xelhua down to the floor to start but Xelhua is right back with a leglock and we stop for a standoff. Cerebro and Virus come in to continue the grappling until Virus takes him down by the leg. Virus’ armbar is broken up and they go to another standoff. They shake hands and it’s off to Valiente vs. the much bigger Euforia. A running hurricanrana sends Euforia outside and we get Neon vs. Volador.

That means a single running hurricanrana and Volador is outside, so it’s Hologram vs. Averno to complete the first run through. Hologram spins around and grabs an anklescissors out to the floor for the big dive. Back in and we get some rapid fire tags until Virus suplexes Xelhua a few times for two each. Virus ties up the arms and neck and Xelhua taps for the first elimination at 9:10.

It’s off to Cerebro but Volador pulls Virus outside. The brawl doesn’t last long until it’s Euforia super press slams Virus. A powerbomb gives Euforia the pin on Virus to tie it up at 11:04. Panther comes in and gets double stomped down but fights up to clean house anyway. It’s off to Valiente, who tries to take Volador down but gets caught with a Backstabber for the pin at 13:21.

Neon gets triple teamed and pulled out to the floor, with Hologram getting the same treatment. A running dropkick takes Hologram down but Panther is back in with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Neon and Hologram hit back to back high crossbodies to take Euforia down, only for Hologram to superkick Neon by mistake. Euforia wrecks the two of them until a super hurricanrana takes him down. A moonsault into a top rope double stomp gives Hologram the pin on Euforia and we’re tied up at 16:33.

Panther comes in and gets rolled up by Cerebro but Panther stacks him up for the pin at 17:25. It’s off to Neon vs. Averno with the latter getting his boots up to block a moonsault. Neon runs the corner for a rather spinning armdrag but Averno is back with a super Pedigree (ouch) for the pin at 19:02.

So it’s Hologram/Panther vs. Averno/Volador with Panther clotheslining Averno but getting sat on the top. A double superplex drops Panther, with Hologram having to make a save. Panther cuts off a double monkey flip, allowing Hologram to get a double cover for two in a clever move. Back up and a superbomb/Backstabber get stereo near falls on Hologram and Panther but they’re back with a cradle/torture rack bomb for the double pin at 23:56.

Rating: B-. This is the definition of not something I’m overly familiar with, as I’ve only heard a few of the names before. I did like what I was seeing though as the concept wasn’t hard to understand and the action was good. It’s not something I’d like to watch week after week, but it was more than fun enough to work for a week.

We look at the Hurt Syndicate beating the Sons Of Texas at Double Or Nothing.

Satnam Singh vs. Facade

Facade tries some kicks to the legs to start and is loudly chopped for his efforts. Some big beals send Facade flying and the comeback is cut off by a chokeslam to give Singh the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was a slightly extended version of the usual Singh match and that means it was….well it was a giant squashing a non-giant. They’ve figured out that Singh is basically the ROH version of an attraction and that’s as good of a use as he has at the moment. Let him go out there and have the fans go ooooo at him. It’s something that has worked for giants over the years and it’s working again now.

We look at Hologram and Bandido’s team winning an eight man tag at Double Or Nothing.

Frat House vs. Rhino/Hologram

Hologram and Garrison start things off with an exchange of dives over the other. Hologram sends him into the corner and it’s off to Karter, with Rhino coming in as well. For some reason Karter slaps him in the face, earning a running shoulder in the corner. Everything breaks down and Jakked Jameson offers a distraction so Preston Vance can send Hologram into the barricade. A double flapjack plants Hologram but he strikes his way to freedom. Hologram gets over for the tag to Rhino, who snaps off the belly to belly for two on Garrison. Hologram hits a dive and Rhino hits the Gore for the pin on Garrison at 7:29.

Rating: C. This was a perfect example of “send them home happy” and it went fine. Rhino is a hometown star and he came in to help a popular wrestler against some goofs. It’s a story that works well for a one off, with the assist coming from Rhino still being able to carry his own in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t a show you needed to see or a show with much going on, but it was also a very different kind of show than you usually see from Ring Of Honor. I’ll definitely take that over what we tend to get, as it at least had me wondering what I was going to see. Now just start talking about Supercard Of Honor, because it’s getting close.

Results
La Catalina b. Trish Adora – Top rope splash
Lance Archer b. Diego Hill – Standing leglock
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Mako – Border City Stretch
Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Virus/Xelhua b. Valiente/Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr. – Double pin
Satnam Singh b. Facade – Chokeslam
Rhino/Hologram b. Frat House – Gore to Garrison

 

 

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

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WrestleCon Supershow 2025
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Nick Knowledge, Veda Scott

This is one of the biggest independent shows of the week, though in this case it is being presented by GCW as part of the Collective. The matches have pretty much no continuity and are designed to have the most fun possible. That can make for some very entertaining shows and hopefully they continue the tradition. Let’s get to it.

We open with a tribute video to Mark Hitchcock, a former Highspots employee who passed away, with the show being named in his honor as a result.

Team Arez vs. Team Gravity

Arez, Latigo, Toxin, El Bendito, Canis Lupis
Gravity, Spider Fly, Aero Panther, Fight Panther, El Vengador

This is the show’s signature ten man tag and the participants were not announced until their entrances. I apologize in advance for getting the wrestlers wrong, but even commentary doesn’t seem sure which is which. Latigo and Vengador start things off with Vengador working on an armbar but getting rolled up for two. Back up and Vengador works on the arm before Latigo gets another rollup for another two, meaning it’s another standoff.

Arez and Aero runs the ropes rather quickly before flipping next to him. Aero misses a kick to the face and they get up for another standoff. Gravity and Toxin come in with the bigger Toxin slamming him down. Gravity sticks the landing on a flip attempt though and does his moon walk deal, followed by an armdrag out to the floor. The tease of a dive sends Toxin bailing and it’s off to Fly vs. Latigo as we’re getting back to the start of the lineup.

Latigo throws Fly into the ropes but gets sent outside in a heap. Lupis and Bendito both come in and toss Fly into the air for a nasty crash down. Gravity comes in and gets caught in a five on one beatdown. Toxin is tossed into a big backsplash onto Gravity and for some reason we look at one of his partners rather than the cover. Vengador manages to send Arez to the floor and it’s off to Panther to pick up the pace. The Panthers hit big dives and Arez and Latigo follow with dives of their own. Back in and Fly and Gravity hit a hurricanrana and super armdrag, leaving Vengador to faceplant Toxin out of the corner.

Fight gets caught with a bunch of superkicks but a quintuple superkick misses. Lupis is planted with a big spinning slam for two before it’s time to fight over the double…er, triple…uh, quadruple suplex….and then with the other eight huddled together, Aero suplexes Arez onto the pile for an insane visual. Gravity and company go up for dives to the floor, leaving Lupis to hit a super swinging Side Effect for two on Fight. Fly gets triple teamed inside and Arez hits a top rope double stomp for the pin at 16:10.

Rating: B. These wild lucha matches have become a staple of a lot of shows these days (Ring Of Honor went nuts with them for a bit) and they’re still fun. This one didn’t have quite the star power, but there is something special about seeing these people getting this kind of time to showcase their talents. It might not be the highest quality match from American standards, but it is a great display of a very different style and that worked very well.

Post match money is thrown into the ring in quite the sign of respect.

As is tradition, we have a special ambassador for the show: Sean Mooney! And he looks about the same as he did back in the day! The fans seem happy to see him and he thanks them for the reception. Mooney plugs his appearance at WrestleCon and the Wrestlemania IX documentary on Peacock. He’ll be hosting a panel on the show at WWE World and hopes the fans come see him. Mooney wishes the fans a great time to wrap it up. This was a nice surprise as Mooney is someone who has just kind of slipped through the cracks, with even his podcast not being that well known.

Ninja Mack vs. Mascara Dorada

Dorada plays to the crowd a bit to start before winning a battle over a lockup. That’s good for a clean break so Mack works on a wristlock to take over. Dorada reverses into one of his own and walks on his hands into an armdrag, leaving even Mack impressed. They go to the top, with Dorada trying a super hurricanrana but Mack sticks the landing, because of course he can do that. Back up and Mack offers a handshake but instead it’s time for a martial arts pose.

Dorada is kicked to the floor for a series of backflips into a dive, only for Dorada to dive back inside. That means Dorada can hit a big dive of his own and they go up to the stage. Dorado shrugs off some chops and hurricanranas him down the steps, setting up one heck of a dive to the floor. Back in and Mack kicks him down again before flipping out of a sunset flip attempt. Mack’s sitout powerbomb gets two but he misses a….I guess a Phoenix 630? Dorada grabs something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator, setting up a shooting star press for the pin at 9:07.

Rating: B. Yeah this was fun and was the kind of match you would have expected, though it never quite got all the way up to that high gear you might have thought they would do. Mack was doing his incredible flips but Dorada felt like a bit more of a complete star in the ring. Good, high flying match here, and a nice change of pace after the more wild opener.

Sin City Scramble

This is a seven person Royal Rumble with two minute intervals but it’s one fall to a finish and it can only take place when all seven are in. Vaughn Vertigo is in at #1 and TJP is in at #2. They fight over a wristlock to start until TJP takes him down into the headscissors. Vaughn reverses into one of his own but TJP slips out. A rollup to TJP gets…nothing because it doesn’t matter yet. TJP takes him down by the leg but Vaughn kicks him down and hits a standing moonsault…for two, because the referee screwed up.

Super Crazy is in at #3 and takes Vaughn down to work on his legs. TJP breaks up something like an abdominal stretch but Crazy chokes him in the corner. Mike D. Vecchio is in at #4 and comes in with a nice step up elbow to put Crazy down. Vecchio runs over TJP as well and drops him with a suplex as the power/athleticism is on full display here. A double suplex drop Vecchio and it’s 1 Called Manders in at #5.

Manders chops away at Vecchio but Vaughn is back in with a Swanton to a standing Manders (who was nice enough to stay bent over for the better part of ever). Crazy moonsaults onto a bunch of people at ringside and Vecchino shooting stars onto everyone else. Cheeseburger is in at #6 and he slugs away at Vecchino, which goes as well as you would expect. A superkick into the Shotei palm strike puts Vecchio on the floor and TJP hurricanranas Crazy to the outside.

That leaves us with one mystery entrant and it’s….Danhausen in at #7 to complete the field. It’s one fall to a finish so Danhausen curses Cheeseburger, who almost shoteis himself. Cheeseburger fights back though and gets northern lights suplexed. TJP is suplexed as well but Danhausen hurts his hand chopping Vecchio. Danhausen manages a running dropkick to send Vecchio outside so Manders is back in…and gets cursed. Danhausen takes him out and puts the teeth in Vaughn’s mouth. The pump kick is enough to give Danhausen the pin on Vaughn at 16:32.

Rating: B-. This was the definition of fun, goofy stuff at the end, but Vecchio looked like an interesting prospect. Most of the rest of the stars were fine, though Crazy was not exactly looking great. Danhausen was the focus here though and, in addition to looking much more muscular than in previous appearances, it was nice to have him back.

Matt Mako vs. Matt Riddle

Mako is billed as the Evolution Of Combat so I think you get the idea here. They do shake hands and get started and we get a pose off, as tends to be the case on occasion. We get a WELCOME MATT chant before they go to the grappling, with Riddle going for the arm. That’s broken up so it’s a LET’S GO MATT/YOU SUCK MATT dueling chant as the crowd amuses themselves.

Riddle goes for the arm again but Mako gets out, with the fans thinking that MATT IS GONNA KILL YOU. They trade kicks to the chest until a Mako chop fires Riddle up. The chop off has both of them cringing and a cross armbreaker sends Riddle over to the ropes. Back up and Riddle strikes away, setting up a gutwrench suplex into some Brotons. A fisherman’s buster gives Riddle two and he’s starting to get fired up.

They forearm it out with Riddle being knocked into the corner for a boot choke. Mako gets pulled into a triangle choke over the ropes before a suplex sends him flying. Riddle gets in a super fisherman’s buster and the Floating Bro connects for two. Mako catches him on top and pulls Riddle down into a cross armbreaker but Riddle forearms him in the face. The Bro Derek finishes Mako at 9:53.

Rating: B-. This is where the Supershow can be more fun as they know how to mix things up with a nice variety. That’s what you had here, with more of an MMA inspired match. It’s a style that makes sense in modern wrestling and it helps when you have someone who has such an extensive background in the style. Riddle is a talented star, but the baggage that comes with him can be quite the issue. Let him stay around here and be awesome, because he’s quite good at this style.

Maki Itoh vs. Mickie James

Itoh sings herself to the ring and does her big song to get things going. They take their time to get going before going to the mat for a headscissors. Itoh gets out and gives her a cute look, leaving James a bit confused. James wins a test of strength but Itoh takes her down with James running to the floor.

James grabs the mic (James: “Found it!”) and says that there are a lot of people getting in the ring this weekend in an effort to get their five stars. Meltzer has never put her over though (her words) but she’s here to entertain the people. She hasn’t wrestled in about a year but she was interested in facing Maki Itoh, who is pretty good. Itoh is also a J pop star and James is Hardcore Country, so what about a sing off?

Itoh sings and James says she has no idea what she just said but she knows it was awesome. James sings about beating Itoh up and her lack of curves (to the tune of her theme song) before decking Itoh with the mic (the fans are NOT pleased). A boot to the face puts Itoh down and James chokes away but Itoh flips her off. Itoh is back up with a headbutt for two and she avoids the top rope Thesz press. The Mick Kick misses and they trade rollup for two each, setting up the MickieDT for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: C. I have absolutely no idea what this was but it was one of the weirdest things I’ve seen in wrestling in a good while. James just went into some random rant about Meltzer and then did a weird heel turn. It wasn’t even much of a match, but this is only going to be remembered for the bizarre part in the middle.

Butterbean vs. Minoru Suzuki

Dan Severn (now with white hair) is guest referee and we have four two minute rounds. They slowly strike away at each other with the exchange of chops going nowhere. Butterbean jabs away in the corner and tries to lift Suzuki up, with Severn not being able to break it up as the round ends. They keep grappling in the corner and Severn has to break it up.

The second round begins with Severn having to make them go to their corners, with the round being almost half over by the time he calls for the bell. So we reset the clock as this is turning into an even bigger mess by the minute. Suzuki takes him down and they fight over a leglock, meaning some grunting until the time runs out. After a sixty second rest period, round three begins with Butterbean punching him in the ribs. Suzuki slugs back and then takes it to the floor where they brawl to a double countout at 9:06.

Rating: F. Oh this was terrible and that shouldn’t be a surprise. They’re both in their late 50s and Butterbean isn’t exactly a wrestler (he’s had three matches since 2012) so what was this supposed to be? It’s a good example of something that sounded fun on paper but then reality set in and there was no way around the whole thing. Absolutely awful.

Post match the brawling and sneering continues, with MMA legend Don Frye getting involved. The fans want one more round (masochists) and Suzuki is willing to do it but they announce the double countout again to make sure that this isn’t fun.

TMDK vs. Flip Gordon/Michael Oku/Hechicero

We get a BAD DUDE (Tito)/OKU chant off before Oku and Haste officially start things off. Neither of them can get anywhere with the grappling so Oku snaps off a running hurricanrana. Tito comes in to shoulder Gordon down but he pops back up and it’s off to Hechicero vs. Sabre Jr. for the real showdown. Sabre’s wristlock is quickly broken up so they tie their legs together and go to the mat. Hechicero pulls him down into a rollup but Sabre is right back up for a standoff.

More grappling doesn’t go anywhere so Hechicero takes him into the corner for some stomping. Oku comes in and allows the tag to Haste, who slams Oku down. It’s off to Tito to plant Oku again before Oku is dropped onto the apron. Sabre ties the legs up for some cranking, followed by Haste’s one arm belly to back suplex for two. Oku DDTs his way to freedom though and it’s off to Gordon to clean house. Some moonsaults get two on Haste but it’s back to Tito to drop Gordon. A dive to the floor hits Gordon again but he forearms his way to freedom.

Hechicero comes back in to kick Tito in the corner before choking Sabre in the ropes. They go to the mat where Hechicero grabs the rolling cradle, followed by a kick to the face. Oku comes in for a European clutch for two on Sabre. The half crab sends Sabre over to the ropes so Oku kicks the leg out again.

Hechicero comes back in for a surfboard, with his partners hitting a double bulldog. Everything breaks down and Sabre is fine enough to grab a cross armbreaker on Gordon. That’s broken up so Oku DDTs Haste to send him outside. Gordon hits a suicide dive but Sabre avoids his 450 back inside. Sabre grabs an armbar to make Gordon tap at 21:33.

Rating: B. This was a good, back and forth match, though it really just made me want to see Hechicero and Sabre go nuts with holds and submissions on their own. The other four were just kind of there for the most part, with only Oku standing out. At the same time, you had Gordon feeling like a relic of a past generation, which was so strange to see. Good main event, but it could have been better with some tweaks.

Post match Sabre teases coming after Oku’s British Heavyweight Title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show started off well and then just crashed hard until the main event helped it a lot. I’m not sure if it’s GCW taking it over or something else, but this was not as fun as the previous years’ editions. Hopefully this was just a one off, as the show can be a blast but this one was something that feels like it sounded better on paper rather than what we actually got.

Results
Team Arez b. Team Gravity – Top rope double stomp to Spider Fly
Mascara Dorada b. Ninja Mack – Shooting star press
Danhausen won the Sin City Scramble – Pump kick to Vaughn
Matt Riddle b. Matt Mako – Bro Derek
Mickie James b. Maki Itoh – MickieDT
Butterbean vs. Minoru Suzuki went to a double countout
TMDK b. Hechicero/Flip Gordon/Michael Oku – Armbar to Gordon

 

 

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