Impact Wrestling
Date: July 21, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on a fresh taping cycle and on the way to the next special. That means we need a new #1 contender and thank goodness that means someone outside of Violent By Design. The main event of this week’s show is Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin for a shot at Josh Alexander and the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the history of the Motor City Machine Guns, both together and against each other. They’re both ready for the chance to be #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

VXT vs. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace

VXT is Deonna Purrazzo/Chelsea Green, who were absolutely needing a team name. Grace and Purrazzo start things off with Purrazzo taking her to the mat but getting reversed into a headscissors for a standoff. Back up and Grace runs her over with a shoulder before sending Purrazzo into the top turnbuckle over and over. Yim comes in for some rollups to Purrazzo and armdrags to Green.

It’s already back to Grace but everything breaks down, with Purrazzo offering a distraction so Green can take over on Grace. Some rams into the corner get Grace out of trouble and the hot tag brings Yim in to clean house. Grace has to save Yim from a double suplex and there’s the big dive to drop VXT on the floor. Back in and Purrazzo Downward Spirals Yim to set up Green’s Stomp for two but Yim grabs a double Stunner. There is no Grace though and VXT hits a kind of double suplex for the pin on Yim at 9:12.

Rating: C. You have to establish the new team with a win here and they did just that by having them pin the #1 contender. Granted this might be more about issues between Grace and Yim, which is a story that needs to be told as well. Nice job on the two birds with one stone shot, and the match wasn’t half bad either.

Post match Yim isn’t pleased with Grace. Good thing they have a title match coming up in a few weeks.

Honor No More wants the Tag Team Titles and aren’t surprised that Impact keeps moving the goalposts on them. They’ll take out Heath instead, because he keeps attacking them one at a time. Eddie Edwards wants to know where PCO was when Heath was attacking Vincent last week. There is no more room for mistakes.

Here’s what is coming tonight.

X-Division Title: Deaner vs. Mike Bailey

Deaner is challenging and has Joe Doering with him. Bailey unloads on Deaner in the corner and kicks him in the chest for a knockdown. The Ultimate Weapon misses but Bailey is right back with a Boston crab instead. Deaner gets out and bails to the apron, only to get kicked in the face. Bailey gets caught in the ring skirt though and Doering runs him over with a shoulder as we take a break.

Back with Deaner sending him into the corner, setting up the running dropkick to the back of the trunks. Bailey fires off the rapid kicks to set up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. Something like a powerbomb plants Bailey for two more and it’s time to chop it out. Bailey gets the better of things and kicks him in the chest and then the head, only to miss the moonsault knees onto the apron. Deaner’s running flip neckbreaker in the ropes takes Bailey down but he slides back in for a heck of a moonsault to drop Deaner on the floor. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon retains Bailey’s title at 12:24.

Rating: C+. Another pretty solid defense for Bailey, but I still can’t get into him with that cheesy grin and bow. You can tell that he’s being presented as a star though and that is more than a lot of the champions. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him, but giving him a weekly match where he gets to show off a bit is not a bad idea.

Ric Flair Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting beats Ric Flair on Impact in 2021.

VXT wants in the Knockouts Title match so Gail Kim gives them just that: a Knockouts Tag Team Title match.

Eric Young confirms Violent By Design’s loyalties to him and tells them to eliminate the sickness.

Madison Rayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Gisele Shaw is here with Rayne. Slamovich rips the face mask off of Rayne and throws her down, setting up the Snowplow for the pin at 1:14. Total squash, again.

Post match Slamovich gives Shaw an envelope, with a picture of herself covered in what looks like blood.

Bhupinder Gujjar still wants a Digital Media Title shot against Brian Myers. That works for Myers, but apparently Vincent has been talking trash about Gujjar so they can fight each other instead.

Killer Kelly says she is always watching you. A man comes up and Kelly says no one knows when to shut the F up.

Bullet Club vs. Honor No More

That would be Ace Austin/Chris Bey vs. Matt Taven/Mike Bennett with Maria Kanellis. Taven and Austin start things off and fight over wrist control until Taven takes him down into a chinlock. That earns Taven a kick to the head and a legdrop, only to have him come back with a dropkick. Bey and Bennett come in to chop it off until Bey snaps off a dropkick for two.

Taven comes back in off a blind tag though and a middle rope dropkick takes Bey down. It’s back to Austin to kick people in the head before sending Taven outside for a shot from the apron. Taven is thrown inside, leaving Bennett to kick Austin down and take over again. The Purple Thunder Bomb gets two back inside and Bennett grabs the chinlock. Austin fights up and avoids a charge in the corner, allowing the hot tag off to Bey to clean house.

A torture rack neckbreaker gets two on Bennett as everything breaks down. Austin gets sent outside and Bennett brainbusters Bey, only to miss Aurora Boreallis. Maria gets on the apron for a distraction so Austin pulls her down, with the distraction letting Bennett get in a low blow to Bey. Cue Heath with a Wake Up Call to Taven though and Austin runs in with the Fold for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what there is to say about a match like this, as it is all over the place near the ending until one of them gets a pin. The Heath deal was a fine enough way to go and follows the story that they have been telling in recent weeks. Other than that, Honor No More loses again, which is almost a trend for them lately.

Steve Maclin isn’t worried about Sami Callihan but the lights go out and Callihan attacks him. Cue Moose to help with the beatdown but Callihan turns the lights out again and disappears. Sami actually having a device to turn the lights off makes this at least a bit more plausible than the normal light powers.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie can’t get Jessica to put the Havok mask on but she’s not down for it. Jessica has an idea and leaves, with Rosemary freaking out over her not being herself. Taya thinks it’s cute, which has Rosemary contemplating violence.

Josh Alexander is ready for Chris Sabin or Alex Shelley, but he knows there are a lot of people waiting on him after Emergence. This includes Rich Swann, who pops in and asks for a title match. That’s currently taken, so Swann gets the debuting Kushida next week in what might be a #1 contenders match but D’Amore isn’t quite clear.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows.

Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

The winner gets the World Title shot at Emergence and somehow this is Shelley’s first ever #1 contenders match. They shake hands and hug to start because this is all about competition. It’s a technical off (as you might have expected) to start with Sabin’s rollup giving us a standoff. Sabin spins around him into an armdrag before another cradle gets two. Shelley needs a breather on the floor as Josh Alexander is watching backstage.

Another rollup gives Shelley two for a change and we take a break. Back with Sabin grabbing a neckbreaker and another one gets two. The neck crank goes on to keep Shelley in trouble and the chinlock goes on. Another neckbreaker gets another two as Sabin certainly has a target. Back up and Shelley takes the knee out and we go to another break.

We come back again with Shelley tying up the legs before working on the arm for a change. Shelley ties Sabin up so much that Sabin is hooking his own leg (that’s a new one) before going with a more basic leg crank. Sabin slips out and grabs a DDT for a needed breather to go back to the neck. A tornado DDT gives Sabin two more but Cradle Shock is countered.

Shelley kicks him in the knee and drives said knee into the mat to cut him down again. A belly to back sets up the Border City Stretch, with Sabin having to go to the ropes. Sabin is back up with a jumping enziguri and another kick drops Shelley for a double knockdown. The Clothesline From Hell, Michigan misses so they trade superkicks. Now the Clothesline can connect but the Cradle Shock is blocked again. Shelley hits Sliced Bread for two and Shell Shock is good for the same. The Border City Stretch goes on and Sabin taps at 24:13.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, as it’s nice to have the kind of chess match that you get from people who know each other so well. You can have all of the flips and dives that you want, but this was more about the technical side of things as the two of them tried to pick the other apart until one couldn’t hang on. Shelley winning is an interesting way to go, but it isn’t like there was a bad choice from the pair.

Post match Sabin raises Shelley’s hand but Violent By Design runs in for the beatdown. Kushida comes out for the save and checks on the Guns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show here as they set things up for the future and did enough to make me want to stick around next week. Kushida debuting at the end was nice, though MY GOODNESS ENOUGH WITH VIOLENT BY DESIGN. They’re the weakest part of the show by a good while and there is nothing to suggest that they are going away anytime soon, which is hurting some of the good will Impact has had going for it lately. Fix that and Impact is one of the better weekly shows going, but there are still some holes to fix.

Results
VXT b. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace – Double suplex to Yim
Mike Bailey b. Deaner – Ultimate Weapon
Masha Slamovich b. Madison Rayne – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Honor No More – Fold to Bennett
Alex Shelley b. Chris Sabin – Border City Stretch

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 2, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentator: Tom Hannifan

We’re closing in on Slammiversary and in this case that means even more Eric Young. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but the good thing is that things haven’t been too terrible so far. Young is set to challenge Josh Alexander for the World Title at Slammiversary but the show needs some more buildup first. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s main event, with Violent By Design beating Josh Alexander and the Briscoes.

We get a new opening sequence, complete with a THIS IS TNA voiceover, albeit set to the current roster.

Mia Yim vs. Savannah Evans

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary and Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. The entrances let commentary explain the still rather complicated Queen Of The Mountain rules. Yim fires off knees to start and sends Evans down early. Evans is right back with a DDT for two as Purrazzo talks about how she never needed an insurance policy. Hannifan: “You don’t remember Matthew Rehwoldt?” Purrazzo: “No.”

Yim fights out of a chinlock but gets powerbombed down to cut her off. There’s a World’s Strongest Slam to give Evans two but she misses a charge into the post. A cannonball gives Yim two, only to have Evans come back with a fisherman’s suplex for two of her own. Evans is sent outside so Steelz grabs Yim, only to have Jordynne Grace run down to cut her off. The distraction lets Yim hit Eat Defeat for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C. More momentum building here, though I have no idea how you build momentum for something as zany as Queen of the Mountain. I’m not sure how great of an idea it is to bring back a match that screams RUSSO as much as this one, but at least they have something going on. Perfectly fine opener here, as Yim gets established again.

Slammiversary rundown.

Earlier today, Shark Boy told Eddie Edwards to treat Impact with more respect. Chris Harris of all people came in to break it up.

The Influence annoys Rosemary and offers her some makeup. Rosemary says they’ll need it after she bites their faces off. The rest of Decay comes in to scare them off.

Kenny King vs. Blake Christian

Trey Miguel is on commentary and King’s Ultimate X spot is on the line. King strikes him into the corner to start but Christian flips around and hits a kick to the face. They head to the floor and neither can get anywhere, with Christian using the steps to jump over him. Back in and a kick to the head puts King on the floor, setting up the big suicide dive as we take a break.

We come back with King hitting a t-bone suplex for two and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Christian fights up and hits a dropkick to the back, setting up a quick splash for two. King knocks him away and comes back with a springboard Blockbuster. The spinebuster gives King two more but Christian manages to drape him over the top. There’s a splash to King’s back but the 450 hits raised knees. The Royal Flush finishes King at 13:00.

Rating: C+. This was your weekly X-Division match and as usual, it worked out fairly well. I was half thinking that they were going to pull a surprise here but King is the bigger name and the logical choice to be in the title match. Christian has been around for a bit but he hasn’t had that match or moment that makes him stand out from the pack. He is still good, but nothing has really jumped off the page yet (with an emphasis on the last word).

Jack Evans of all people is in the Ultimate X match.

Bhupinder Gujjar thanks W. Morrissey for having his back last week and says he has Morrissey’s back anytime. We pan over to PCO, who is losing his mind (I think, as it’s hard to tell).

Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Rich Swann

Swann’s newly won Digital Media Title isn’t on the line, but Matt Cardona has stolen the title anyway, which is in no way or shape code for hiding the fact that this show was taped first. Rehwoldt takes him down to start and poses but Swann goes to the test of strength offer, meaning it’s time to alternate hands into some dancing. Swann dropkicks him to the floor but Rehwoldt gets in a kick to the head to take over back inside. Some kicks rock Rewholdt again but he’s right back with a fireman’s carry slam for two. That’s fine with Swann, who hits a Lethal Injection into a phoenix splash for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C-. This was kind of a weird short form story as Rehwoldt hasn’t been involved in anything for months and then gets a random match with Swann. They didn’t do anything nutty here and it’s fine for Rehwoldt, a former wrestler, to be able to hang in there for a few minutes like this. Not a stand out match or anything but it filled in its time well enough.

On BTI, Alisha Edwards was given an envelope by Masha Slamovich.

Edwards reveals that it was an 8×10 of herself with a red X drawn through it. Gisele Shaw comes in to suggest that Edwards is in trouble.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat. After confirming that his skinny jeans look good, Karl Anderson talks about getting to face the Briscoes at Slammiversary. We hear about all of the places they have won gold over the years, from Las Vegas to Tokyo to London to Saudi Arabia. The Briscoes have won a lot but they can’t touch the Good Brothers. Sure they might be the Delaware State Sack Racing Champions, but the Good Brothers were at Madison Square Garden.

Anderson has a special video though: the top ten things the two of them have done here in Impact Wrestling. 10-7 are a variety of Magic Killers, but then we get to 6-2, which is THAT TIME WE BEAT THE BRISCOES! #1 is…actually cut off by the Briscoes themselves as things get a bit serious. Dang I wanted to know what was on top. Jay calls the Good Brothers soft, because the Briscoes are the ones out there putting in the work every day.

They’re still on the farm working hard because that is what they do, but Anderson wants to tell us what was #1: it was THAT TIME WE BEAT THE BRISCOES. The fight is on with the Briscoes clearing the ring to send the Brothers running. Despite the Good Brothers physically towering over the Briscoes (that’s still weird to see), this feels big and like an actual major tag team showdown. It’s also weird to see the Brothers as someone I don’t mind, but stranger things have happened.

Josh Alexander is ready for Eric Young, but not so ready for getting jumped by Violent By Design.

Come to some upcoming shows. The fact that these shows are happening is almost hard to fathom when you consider how low Impact reached at some point.

Josh Alexander wants Joe Doering next week but Scott D’Amore tries to talking him out of it. Alexander gets the match anyway.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Rhino/Heath

Eddie Edwards is on commentary. Bennett and Rhino start things off with Rhino shouldering him down early on. Heath comes in to crank on the arm before it’s off to Taven. That doesn’t go well either as Taven is knocked outside and we take an early break. Back with Heath in trouble as we keep looking at Edwards and Hannifan on commentary.

Bennett drops an elbow for two and we hit the chinlock to keep Heath down. That’s broken up though and a missed charge/enziguri…isn’t enough for Heath to bring Rhino back in. A clothesline drops Taven though and now the hot tag brings Rhino back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Taven Climaxes Rhino for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C. Honor No More continues to kind of just be there without much of note going on. Odds are they’ll be in for a high enough profile match at Slammiversary and that is about the best you could ask for from them. They need something to do and maybe that is what they get in the coming weeks.

Post match Honor No More runs in for the big beatdown on Heath and Rhino, complete with a bunch of chair shots to Rhino’s knee. Frankie Kazarian and the Motor City Machine Guns make the save.

Post break Rhino is put in an ambulance with Heath riding along. Kazarian and the Machine Gus want Honor No More so Scott D’Amore tells them to find two partners who have been in Impact at any time ever to settle this.

Slammiversary/next week rundown.

Moose/Steve Maclin vs. PCO/W. Morrissey

Matthew Rehwoldt joins commentary for the first time. PCO isn’t having any of Maclin’s headlock to start so it’s off to Moose vs. Morrissey instead. That means an exchange of chops in the corner with Morrissey getting the better of things and handing it back to PCO. Everything breaks down with PCO and Morrissey cleaning house with running splashes in the corner.

There’s a double chokeslam to Maclin and Morrissey gets to choke Moose with a boot. A cheap shot allows Maclin to come back in though and it’s time to start working on Morrissey’s knee. The standing leglock goes on but Morrissey uses the good leg to kick Maclin out to the floor. PCO comes back in to clean house, including the Cannonball to Maclin.

The Deanimator crushes Maclin on the apron and a belly to belly puts Moose down. PCO’s running flip suicide dive drops both of them again but the PCOsault misses back inside. That doesn’t seem to bother PCO as he is right over for the tag to Morrissey so everything can break down. Morrissey gets tied up in the Tree of Woe so Maclin can hit a spear in the corner, followed by a suicide dive to PCO. Back in and a double arm DDT finishes Morrissey at 14:19.

Rating: C+. The match itself was good and I’m glad Maclin got a win, but this was kind of a weird set of pairings. It felt almost like something you would get if you pulled names out of a hat and then aired it as the main event. I’ve heard of worse ideas for matches and it worked well, but it felt fairly random.

Post match Moose spears PCO but Sami Callihan appears and baseball bats Moose down.

Overall Rating: C+. Another solid enough week here as we move that much closer to Slammiversary. They had some good enough action here, but they also set up another match for the pay per view and advanced some of the stories that were already made. Impact might not be flashy a lot of the time, but it is doing enough efficiently to make things work, as they did again here.

Results
Mia Yim b. Savannah Evans – Eat Defeat
Kenny King b. Blake Christian – Royal Flush
Rich Swann b. Matthew Rehwoldt – Phoenix splash
Matt Taven/Mike Bennett b. Heath/Rhino – Climax to Rhino
Steve Maclin/Moose b. PCO/W. Morrissey – Double arm DDT to W. Morrissey

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 19, 2022
Location: Promowest Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are on the way to Slammiversary and as of last week, we have a new #1 contender. Eric Young won Gauntlet For The Gold to earn the title shot against World Champion Josh Alexander, but that leaves a lot of the card to be filled in. This week will feature the Briscoes defending the Tag Team Titles against Violent By Design in an Under Siege rematch so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Gauntlet For The Gold, with Eric Young beating Chris Sabin to win the title shot.

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Laredo Kid vs. Mike Bailey

The winner moves on to Slammiversary. They trade legsweeps and no counts to start before flipping to their feet. An exchange of armdrags sends Bailey outside but he blocks a dive with a kick of his own. Back in and the fans are behind Bailey as he kicks Kid down for two more. The exchange of kicks goes to Kid and he grabs a neckbreaker for two.

Kid sends him outside for a suicide dive into the barricade and Bailey is in trouble for a change. Back in and back to back moonsault elbows to the back give Kid two but Bailey kicks him to the floor. That means another big flipping dive (you may notice a pattern here) and a missile dropkick gives Bailey two more back inside.

Bailey’s big kick to the head is countered into a powerbomb for two but Kid has to avoid the Ultimate Weapon. Bailey catches him on top but gets headbutted back down. Kid misses a dive though and a kick to the head gives Bailey two, setting up a pinfall reversal sequence to give Bailey the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. I’m still only kind of feeling Bailey as that bow he does at the beginning is hardly the most appealing thing. He can have a pretty good X-Division style match though and that is what they’re going for here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves Slammiversary with the title, but coming in I would have said something similar about Kid. There is talent in this division, and now they are starting to feature them a bit more often.

Ace Austin, in Japan for the New Japan Best Of The Super Juniors, is glad that Bailey has qualified because Bailey deserves punishment for his lack of loyalty. He has already won his first match in the tournament and that is because he is the best in the world. After the tournament, he is heading straight for Nashville to retain the title at Slammiversary.

We get a weird Slammiversary ad, featuring Josh Alexander hearing something and leaving his locker room. Eventually he finds a coat over a crate featuring the old TNA logo.

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green, on the beach, laugh at the idea of being inside Rich Swann’s head. Cardona may be always ready but he’s not always available, because they are on their honeymoon. Green is ready to get the Knockouts tItle back at Slammiversary.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Jordynne Grace/Taya Valkyrie/Mia Yim

Purrazzo and Grace trade wrist control to start and it’s an early standoff. That means Steelz and Valkyrie come in with Valkyrie getting the better of things without much trouble. Some running knees in the corner crush Steelz and we take a break. Back with Grace hitting a running elbow to crush Steelz in the corner, setting up a delayed vertical suplex for two.

Evans comes in for a cheap shot though and it’s Purrazzo taking Grace into the corner. A butterfly suplex gives Evans two and the beating is on. Grace suplexes her way out of trouble though and the tag brings in Yim (the fans approve). There’s a Cannonball to Steelz and everything breaks down. Purrazzo gets in a shot to Yim to take over but Taya grabs the sliding German suplex. Eat Defeat gives Yim the pin on Evans at 11:23.

Rating: C. Evans taking the fall here was the logical way to go as she isn’t in the Queen of the Mountain match so there is no point in having someone else take the loss. Giving Yim the pin to get her a bit more over in the fans’ eyes and she is already one of the more interesting players in the division. Now just don’t make the Queen of the Mountain stuff its usual mess and they could be going somewhere.

Post match the lights go out…and it seems to have just been a glitch. Well that’s not nice teasing.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Tenille Dashwood as this week’s guest host. This week they are talking about the locker room itself, as they are glad to have gotten rid of some of the worse people. Cue Johnny Swinger, still in his mini Wrestlemania III ring cart, with Zicky Dice pushing him. Decay pops in and wants their Knockouts Tag Team Title shot but are told to go earn it. Dice thinks he recognizes Havok from the Dungeon and pain ensues.

Chris Sabin is disappointed by last week but he’s glad to be here for twenty years. There is one person he remembers from the start and he wants that match next week. That man: Frankie Kazarian.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin defeating Frankie Kazarian to retain the X-Division Title, June 25, 2003.

Eric Young talks about wanting to go to Wrestlemania III when he was a kid but his parents were too poor. We go through his career, including some cool old footage from his Team Canada days, plus his time in the Band. Then he turned into a star and went up to the top of the company, which he will do again at Slammiversary.

Josh Alexander acknowledges what Young has done and thinks he might be the MVP of the first twenty years of Impact. Alexander asks who gets to usher in the next era in Impact, but knows it’s going to be him.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Good Brothers

The rest of Honor No More and the Bullet Club are here too, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett on commentary. Bennett and Anderson lock up to s-tart and slug it out as commentary brings up Maria’s history with the Good Brothers in Japan in 2015 but she moves on as fast as she can. It’s off to Gallows to clothesline Taven down before Anderson comes back in to whip Taven into the corner.

A blind tag lets Bennett come back in for a double hot shot though and the villains take over. Taven’s missile dropkick gets two and Bennett is smart enough to dropkick Gallows off the apron like a good villain should. We’re right back to the chinlock but Anderson pops up without much trouble.

The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house, including something like a spinning Big Ending to Taven. The chokeslam is broken up though and Taven hits a Lionsault for two. Bennett superkicks Taven by mistake though and it’s the reverse 3D for…no count as Maria gets up on the apron. Maria comes in and Bennett accidentally spears her down by mistake. The Gun Stun finishes for Anderson at 10:36.

Rating: C+. Oddly enough, the Good Brothers are working slightly better as faces. Maybe it’s the lack of being the cool heels but this is an upgrade over what they have been doing. Maria costing Honor No More the match is a way to keep them a bit stronger, though the team continues to not exactly do much.

Sami Callihan is glad Moose broke his leg because it gave Sami the better part of a year to think about what he could do to Moose.

Masha Slamovich vs. Shawna Reed

Slamovich unloads on her in the corner to start and the Snowplow is good for the pin at 51 seconds. As usual.

Post match Havok comes out for a showdown with Slamovich.

We get part two of the Josh Alexander’s Slammiversary ad, as he looks at the crate with the old TNA logo. He opens the crate and we get a highlight package of the company’s history.

Raj Singh and Shera yell about Bhupinder Gujjar not joining them. Gujjar comes in and says let’s settle this in the ring. Singh laughs about him being by himself, but W. Morrissey comes in to say Gujjar isn’t alone. Deal.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Violent By Design

The Briscoes are defending and it’s still bizarre to see them here. Doering and Mark start things off with Doering shoving him down. Jay comes in and locks up with Doering, who hands it off to Deaner pretty quickly. The champs take over on Deaner and put him in the corner for some elbows to the face. Deaner gets stomped down in the corner before being thrown outside. The Bang Bang elbow connects but Doering gets in a shot to the face as we take a break.

Back with Jay getting slammed and elbowed for two but he manages to get over for the tag to Mark. That means house can be cleaned, including Deaner being thrown off the top for two. A powerbomb gets the same but Doering posts Mark on the floor. Doering spinebusters Jay for two and Deaner’s top rope headbutt is good for the same. Mark is back in but the Doomsday Device is broken up. While Mark is dealing with Doering, Jay rolls Deaner up to retain at 13:58.

Rating: C+. After watching them for years, it is great to see the Briscoes on a slightly bigger stage and they are every bit as good here as they are in Ring of Honor. They are instantly the best team around here and that could be the case for a long time to come. Violent By Design isn’t the most thrilling team and now that they’re gone, the Briscoes can move on to someone else, perhaps the Good Brothers.

Post match Eric Young comes in to help with the beatdown but Josh Alexander comes in for the save to end the show and probably set up the six man next week.

Overall Rating: C+. We’ll call this one good enough, as Impact is on its way to Slammiversary and that could be a solid show. What matters is that they are setting up the card, or at least the pieces of the card, and you can see some of the show from here. Young vs. Alexander could be turned into something big, though they still have a long way to go to make it happen. Nice show this week, as they aren’t coming off of a bad post pay per view show for a change.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Laredo Kid – Rollup
Jordynne Grace/Taya Valkyrie/Mia Yim b. Deonna Purrazzo/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans – Eat Defeat to Evans
Good Brothers b. Matt Taven/Mike Bennett – Gun Stun to Bennett
Masha Slamovich b. Shawna Reed – Snowplow
Briscoes b. Violent By Design – Rollup to Deaner

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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Rebellion 2022
Date: April 24, 2022
Location: Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s back to pay per view for Impact and this time they have made me want to see what they have to offer. The main event is a long awaited showdown between Moose and Josh Alexander for the World Title, after Moose took the title at Bound For Glory and then went after Alexander’s family. The rest of the card looks pretty good too so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Bey

Bey is replacing an injured Jonathan Gresham. There are no seconds here for a change and the fans are behind Bey, complete with the TOO SWEET/HOWEVER YOU SPELL THE WEIRD BARKING THING THEY SAY AFTER TOO SWEET chants. Feeling out process to start with Bey grabbing a headscissors but getting taken down with a shot to the face. An overhead belly to belly suplex drops Bey again but he fires off some kicks to send Edwards outside.

There’s the big running flip dive, sending Rehwoldt into a weird Inception reference. Edwards hits a running knee for two, only to have Bey come back with a running clothesline. Some YES Kicks rock Edwards but he’s back with a failed tiger driver attempt. A Backpack Stunner gets Edwards out of trouble for two but his Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a cutter for two. The Art of Finesse misses though and Edwards’ tiger driver gets two. The Diehard Driver is enough to finish Bey at 9:22.

Rating: B-. This is the right way to open up a show, as they had a hard hitting, fast paced match until one of them got caught with a big move to shut them down. They had some bigger names in this one than you would see in most Kickoff Show matches and it was a good, back and forth match. Edwards beating Bey is a big win as Bey has had some moments lately, though hopefully Bey doesn’t have to start from scratch again.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Influence vs. IInspiration

The Influence is defending and jumps the IInspiration before the bell. We settle down to McKay vs. Rayne to start but it’s quickly off to Lee to send Rayne into the corner. Dashwood comes in to send Lee face first into the mat as we’re told Rebellion starts in about seven minutes. Good thing they didn’t waste time letting us think this might be some epic match.

Lee manages a rollup for two on Dashwood and they knock each other down for a double breather. The double tag brings in McKay to go after Rayne but has to send Dashwood into her in the corner. A bulldog Rayne face first onto McKay’s knee for two but Dashwood sends the IInspiration into each other. The Spotlight kick gets two on Lee, who kicks the belt out of Rayne’ hands for two. The Idolizer is broken up with a spear and the Clap (double Stroke) retains the titles at 6:35.

Rating: C. It doesn’t help that this is the Knockouts tag division for all intent and purpose but they were given no time here and the clock made it even more obvious. You can only get so far when you’re going home as soon as things start cooking and that caught them here. I’m not sure who comes after the titles next, but this is about it for the IInspiration going after the belts for the time being.

The opening video talks about how everyone has a spirit in them that wants to rebel and win, which they’ll try to do tonight.

Steve Maclin vs. Jay White vs. Chris Sabin

These three have been fighting back and forth for a few weeks. Stat during the entrances: White has competed in 3 triple threats, Maclin has competed in five, and Sabin has competed in SIXTY EIGHT. Dang that’s a bit nutty. Maclin has a skull painted on his face for some unexplained reason and it’s White bailing to the floor to start. Sabin gets run over with a shoulder and punched down, only to send Maclin to the apron.

White pulls him down and Sabin runs both of them over on the floor to pick up the pace a bit. Back in and Sabin hits a spinning crossbody to drop White but Maclin hits some backbreakers to take over. They all head outside with White dropping Maclin ribs first onto the apron and taking Sabin down as well. Back in and White suplexes Sabin into Maclin in the corner for two but Sabin kicks both of them down.

A double high crossbody leaves Sabin the only one standing before he chops away at both of them. The tornado DDT gets two on White but Maclin drops Sabin as well to put everyone on the mat. White’s swinging Rock Bottom gets two on Maclin but the Tower Of Doom is broken up.

Sabin knocks White into the Tree of Woe and missile dropkicks Maclin, who puts Sabin in the Tree of Woe as well. Maclin spears White but misses another to Sabin, sending Maclin flying out to the floor. That leaves Sabin to counter the Blade Runner into a rollup for two (how he beat White at Multiverse of Matches) before hitting the Cradle Shock….but Maclin rolls Sabin up for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: B-. At some point you have to pull the trigger on someone and Maclin has come a pretty long way in recent months. Having him pin Sabin is a big enough deal but giving him a win over White (even without pinning him) means even more. I’m glad to see Maclin getting a chance after having his chance cut in WWE through no fault of his own, and it seems like he’s making the most of it too. Good for him and a pretty sweet opener.

We run down the rest of the card.

Josh Alexander arrived with his wife and son, with the former talking about how important tonight is for him. Scott D’Amore comes in and gives Alexander a bit of a pep talk.

We recap Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the AAA Reina de Reinas Title. Valkyrie returned at Multiverse of Matches and challenged Purrazzo for the title, but also wants revenge for Purrazzo beating her for the title in the first place.

Reina de Reinas Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending and the fans are behind Valkyrie to start. An armdrag into the corner doesn’t get Valkyrie very far so she runs Purrazzo over for two instead. The Shinsuke Nakamura sliding German suplex drops Purrazzo but she manages to pull Valkyrie head first into the post. Back in and a clothesline gives Purrazzo two and it’s a Downward Spiral into a Koji Clutch. Valkyrie powers out and bails to the floor for a breather, setting up a Russian legsweep to drive both of them back first into the apron.

They get back inside where Valkyrie hits her own clothesline for two but Road To Valhalla is broken up. The standing moonsault connects but Valkyrie goes straight to the rope to escape the armbar. Purrazzo goes up and dives into a sitout powerbomb, setting up an STF. That sends Purrazzo to the ropes for a change but she is right back with a kneebar. With that broken up, Valkyrie slips out of the Queen’s Gambit and hits the Road To Valhalla for the pin and the title at 9:02.

Rating: C+. They had to take at least one of the titles off of Purrazzo sooner or later and you had to know Valkyrie was getting the AAA title as soon as she showed up at Multiverse of Matches. Purrazzo had a heck of a ride up to the top but had to come down eventually. Next up will probably be dropping the Ring of Honor Women’s Title and that is the way this should go. If nothing else, it is nice to have Valkyrie back though and hopefully she sticks around with Impact for a bit.

Tasha Steelz isn’t worried about Taya Valkyrie or Rosemary, the latter of whom doesn’t know what is coming for her tonight.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is more about Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin with champion Trey Miguel trying to remind us that he is there too.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending. Austin talks too much trash to start and gets double teamed down, allowing Bailey and Miguel to take turns kicking him in the back. A missed dropkick makes it even worse for Austin, who is sent outside. Austin is able to break up Bailey’s handspring but Miguel takes Austin down with a suicide dive. Bailey takes down both of them with a springboard moonsault but Miguel strikes away back inside.

The big stomp to Bailey’s back is cut off as Austin powerbombs Miguel onto Bailey instead. That doesn’t work well for Austin as he is sent outside, leaving Miguel to avoid the Ultimate Weapon. Now it’s Bailey being sent outside so Miguel counters the Fold into a rollup for two (how Miguel beat Austin on Impact), leaving Bailey to hit a great moonsault to Austin. Miguel isn’t having that and dives onto both of them on the floor, giving them a much needed breather.

Back in and Bailey uses Miguel to set up a German suplex to Austin. Bailey’s double knees take both of them down, leaving Bailey to hit Austin with the Ultimate Weapon for two as Miguel makes the save. Some rollups get two each and it’s Miguel hitting the top rope Meteora for two on Bailey with Austin pulling the referee out. The Fold hits Miguel to give Austin the pin and the title at 10:24.

Rating: B. As expected, this was all action with the three of them not stopping for the ten minutes that they had. Austin getting the title back is interesting, but it is hard to imagine Bailey isn’t champion by Bound For Glory at the very latest. Total sprint here and I had a good time with it, as you kind of had to expect, even with the changes to to Jonathan Gresham’s injury.

Honor No More says they’ve had a great night so far and they’re ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

We get a vignette for EGV, complete with some binary code.

Jonah vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Battle of the monsters time and they go nose to nose to start. Ishii fires off forearms but Jonah knocks him back with just one. Jonah eventually runs him over and then hits the Vader standing splash to drop Ishii again. Some elbows to the neck let Jonah send him into the corner for some forearms to the head and the chinlock goes on.

Ishii fights up and starts his growling but Jonah forearms him back into the corner. That’s broken up again but Jonah is way too big for the brainbuster. Ishii wins the slug out in the corner and they slug it out again until Ishii goes after the knee to take him down. Back up and Ishii sends him into the ropes for a German suplex, setting up a hard lariat for two.

The sliding lariat is blocked though and it’s a shoulder to drop Ishii for a change. The Jonah Bomb gets two and a hard clothesline is good for the same. One heck of a spear cuts Ishii down but he avoids the Tsunami. Now the sliding lariat can connect for two and the brainbuster finishes Jonah at 14:35.

Rating: B-. Ishii isn’t at his former speed anymore and this is a formula that has been done many times, but my goodness they beat each other up here and I was surprised by the ending. Jonah continues to be an absolute beast and it gives Ishii a big boost to beat him. I’m not sure if that is the right move, but dang it was a fun monster fight.

Violent By Design is ready for all comers.

Tag Team Titles: Gauntlet Match

Violent By Design is defending and there are eight teams in total. The Major Players are in at #1 and Jordynne Grace/W. Morrissey are in at #2, because irony tends to be strong in gauntlet matches. Grace hits Myers in the face a few times and manages a suplex from his knees (egads) before handing it off to Morrissey vs. Cardona. With that not working, Grace comes back in as Morrissey gets in a chase on the floor. The melee lets Cardona roll Grace up for the pin at 2:17.

Hold on though as Morrissey chokeslams both of them and Grace hits the big dive through the ropes. The powerbomb through the table is broken up by a Green low blow but Morrissey is wearing a cup. That means Green is powerbombed through the table and the fans seem to approve. The Good Brothers are in at #3 and the Magic Killer finishes Cardona at 6:36 (total). Zicky Dice/Johnny Swinger are in at #4 and, after Dice hits Swinger by mistake, the Magic Killer finishes Dice at 8:41.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann are in at #5 and jump the Brothers to start in a hurry. Swann headscissors Anderson to properly start fast and it’s Mack adding a corner splash. Anderson rips Swann’s face though and it’s Gallows coming in to miss a charge into the corner. A big boot cuts Swann off though and Gallows hits those weird weird punches in the corner. Gallows suplexes him down and grabs a chinlock, with Swann jawbreaking his way to freedom.

The hot tag brings in Mack to clean house, including the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault for two. Anderson is back up with the spinebuster for the same and everything breaks down. A pop up right hand gives Mack two on Anderson but Gallows catches him on top. With Swann down, the Magic Killer finishes Mack at 19:20. Mike Bennett/Matt Taven are in at #6 and it’s a Gun Stun to rock Bennett early. A suplex to Taven is loaded up but Bennett trips Anderson down, allowing Taven to get the pin at 21:48.

Hold on though as the Brothers go after the rest of Honor No More so Taven dives….and hits his teammates. That means a Magic Killer on the floor leave Taven down as Heath and Rhino are in at #7. We start with Bennett getting punched in the corner but Maria’s distraction lets Bennett discus forearm his way out of trouble.

Taven hits a middle rope dropkick for two and Bennett puts on a chinlock with a knee in the back. Back up and stereo crossbodies put both of them down and the hot tag brings in Rhino. A double superkick staggers Rhino and Heath runs into him by mistake to make it worse. The Proto Pack is loaded up but Rhino Gores Taven down for the pin at 25:58.

Violent By Design is in at #8 to complete the field. Young clothesline Rhino down for a fast two and it’s a double kick to the head so Doering can come in. A double clothesline gives Rhino a breather and it’s heath coming in to kick Young in the face. The Wake Up Call connects but Deaner puts the foot on the rope for the save. Everything breaks down and Heath powerslams Young off the top for a change of pace. Doering breaks up the Gore though and it’s a piledriver to finish Heath and retain the titles at 33:02.

Rating: C+. This was long and there were parts where it felt like they were stretching, but Good Brothers vs. Mack/Swann was a good match in the middle of the whole thing. I’m not sure they needed to do the eight team thing when some of the teams were either thrown together or a joke, but the match needed to fill a quota so here we are. The division does have a bit of depth though so there might be something for the future.

We recap Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary for the Knockouts Title. Steelz won the title last month and Rosemary won a battle royal to get the shot. They have some history so this is a bit personal.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is defending and Havok is here with Rosemary. They start fast with Rosemary taking her into the corner and then throwing her right back out, complete with some screaming. The Upside Down goes on so Steelz bails out to the floor, where she slaps Havok for some reason.

Havok goes after her instead so that’s enough for an ejection. The distraction lets Steelz get in a cheap shot on Rosemary and the beating is on, including something like the Rings of Saturn. Rosemary makes the rope so there’s a Codebreaker to drop her again. A bite to the trunks slows Steelz down and a reverse DDT gives Rosemary two.

Steelz is back with Stratusfaction and the Blackout gets two, only to miss a frog splash. Rosemary sprays some mist in the face though and a spear connects for a VERY close two, meaning it’s time for Rosemary to be frustrated. She goes back up but this time it’s a running springboard cutter right back down. Steelz grabs a Michinoku Drive to retain at 11:44.

Rating: C+. Rosemary is a good person to have in the division because you can put her into any spot and she’ll be at least enough of a threat to make the match interesting. Steelz wasn’t about to lose the title so soon though and now she has a good first victory under her belt. Rosemary had some nice spots in there and that’s about all you can ask for here.

Slammiversary is coming to Nashville on June 19.

Long recap on Josh Alexander vs. Moose for the World Title. Moose stole the World Title at Bound For Glory with the Call Your Shot title match. Then Alexander had to go through the roster, got sent home, and then came back to go after Moose. That caused Moose to go after Alexander’s family, including spearing Alexander’s wife at an independent show. Now the title match is on, after a heck of a video to recap a months long feud.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is challenging and his son comes out with him in Alexander cosplay. They go nose to nose to start with Alexander taking him down for some knees to the ribs. The very early ankle lock sends Moose bailing out to the floor, where he yells at Alexander’s family. Alexander comes out after him and Moose gets in a cheap shot to take over for the first time. Back in and Alexander gets sent hard into the corner, where he ducks a chop and chops away.

That doesn’t work for Moose, who hits a heck of a dropkick to take over before dropping Alexander face first for two. They head outside again where Alexander gets in a posting, only to be sent hard into the barricade. Back in and Alexander snaps off a belly to belly suplex to put both of them down. Some running boots to the face rock Moose to send him outside again, setting up a running crossbody through the ropes to drop him again.

Back in and the C4 Spike is blocked so Alexander rolls ten straight German suplexes. Moose gets in a shot of his own though and the Sky High gets two. A pump kick staggers Alexander but he counters a crossbody into the ankle lock. The rope is grabbed so Alexander kicks him in the head, which just wakes Moose up. They chop it out until Moose hits a Rock Bottom for no avail. Back up and Alexander wins a slugout, setting up a C4 Spike for a very close two.

Another C4 Spike is blocked and Moose bites Alexander’s head. That’s enough to set up a top rope superplex for two more and Moose is frustrated. The spear is countered into a Styles Clash of all things and the ankle lock goes on. Moose rips the turnbuckle pad off to escape, allowing Moose to kick him low. Now the spear can connect for a VERY close two so Moose takes off the top turnbuckle as well. A buckle bomb into the exposed turnbuckle looks to set up another spear but Alexander cuts it off. The C4 Spike is enough to give Alexander the pin and the title at 23:50.

Rating: B. They got the result right, it came after a hard fought match, and Alexander is the champion as he should have been a long time ago. This felt like a pay per view showdown and Alexander won because he is the better man. Much like the previous match, I’m not sure how much drama there was here, but it was a great way to close up the show.

Alexander’s family comes in to celebrate with him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As has been the case for a little while now, Impact can deliver on the big stage. That’s what they did again here and I liked what we got almost all the way up and down the card. Nothing on here was really anything close to bad and they got the ending right. While their TV can be hit or miss (though it has been more hit lately), the company’s pay per views are usually quite good and this is the latest entry on that list. Check this out if you haven’t been with Impact in a bit as it’s a rather good show.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 24, 2022
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s time for a fresh taping cycle as No Surrender has come and gone. The big story coming out of the show was Eddie Edwards turning on Impact Wrestling to join Honor No More, meaning he has a lot of splainin to do. Other than that, Moose needs a new challenger for Sacrifice on the way to Rebellion. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the rise of Honor No More and the big showdown at No Surrender, where Eddie Edwards turned on the company.

Opening sequence.

Here is still World Champion Moose for a chat. Moose isn’t happy that he has worked so hard and fought so much but now all everyone is talking about is Eddie Edwards. He fought to retain the World Title and nothing changed. Look what happened to people like Josh Alexander and Matt Cardona after he beat them. The Lord knows what is going to happen to W. Morrissey now that he lost.

Cue Heath of all people, to say this isn’t a joke. Eddie Edwards was a huge part of the Impact puzzle and Moose is out here making jokes. We’re at war and this is what the champion is doing. Heath worked hard to get here and yeah he was out for a year, but Impact Wrestling stuck by him. Now he is looking at a leader who is doing nothing.

Moose wants to know where Heath was for the last month but Heath says he has been out with Covid protocols. Now he’s clean though and he wants a World Title shot so the company can have a champion who will fight for its company. Moose doesn’t care about anything or anyone, including Heath and his ugly kids. The fight is on and Heath leaves him laying with the Wake Up Call. It’s just for their version of In Your House and that’s fine.

The rest of Team Impact is glad to see Heath when Scott D’Amore comes in. They’re not happy with Honor No More sticking around but they can deal with it in tonight’s six man tag. No one is putting their hands on Eddie Edwards tonight, but Rhino can take him apart at Sacrifice. Works for Rhino.

Post break Honor No More arrives and they get safe passage until the six man tag. D’Amore wants to know where Eddie Edwards is but here is Moose to interrupt. Moose says he has no problem with them, but stay away from his title. Honor No More leaves and D’Amore yells at Moose about him not being bothered by them. Moose can defend the World Title against Heath at Sacrifice.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Digital Media Title: Matt Cardona vs. Jordynne Grace

Cardona is defending and this is No DQ. Grace comes out swinging with a DVD player (complete with her social media info) and a shot to the shoulder knocks Cardona outside. Back in and Grace blocks a whip and backdrops Cardona to the floor again. That means a suicide dive and it’s time for some weapons as we take a break.

We come back with Cardona stomping away in the corner and hitting Grace with a keyboard. A shot to the head gets two and a neckbreaker is good for the same. With nothing else working, Cardona brings in a chair (which he hit her in the head with at Sacrifice) but Grace drops him ribs first onto the top of said chair.

Some shots with the pieces of a selfie stick keep Cardona in trouble and a running elbow in the corner sets up a Vader bomb for two. Grace whips out a bag full of…cell phones? Cardona loads up a mouse shot to the head but gets powerbombed out of the corner onto the phones for two more. A low blow connects but Cardona has an ALWAYS READY cup (which I believe he used at The Wrld On GCW). He tries to put it in Grace’s face but she kicks him low and does it to him instead. Cardona sends her face first into a chair in the corner though and a rollup with a grab of the rope finishes Grace at 12:12.

Rating: C+. The match was certainly goofy and the theme was as subtle as a boulder to the face but these two have chemistry together. I’m not sure how much damage the phones would have done, though I do appreciate doing something different than the kendo sticks and trashcans. Mix it up a bit and it might be a bit more memorable, which was the case here. Cardona is rolling as a heel too and this was more fun stuff.

The IInspiration and the IInfluence continue to argue over Kaleb With A K. Their Tag Team Title match is on for Sacrifice and Madison Rayne will face Cassie Lee next week.

We look at Ace Austin and Mike Bailey beating #1 contender to the X-Division Title Jake Something and X-Division Champion Trey Miguel on Before The Impact.

Something is annoyed but Miguel says it isn’t that big of a deal. That’s too far for Something, who doesn’t want his pity. Something needs Miguel to fear him, and that’s what he will do.

John Skyler vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Brian Myers is on commentary (with his own table). Skyler tries to jump him to start but gets taken down without much trouble. A top rope splash misses though and Skyler sends him shoulder first into the post. Some stomps to the arm set up an armbar as Skyler certainly knows how to focus on an injured limb. Back up and Gujjar hits something like a Sling Blade before superkicking Skyler down. Skyler goes right back to the arm but a superplex is broken up. Gujjar hits the middle rope spear for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C-. The match was short and to the point but it was a pair of guys who aren’t that interesting, with Skyler being a pretty standard heel. Gujjar on the other hand is the latest name whose character is almost completely defined as “hi, I’m from India”, which is only going to get him so far. It wasn’t a bad match, but it also wasn’t interesting and that’s a problem.

Post match W. Morrissey comes out and goes after Brian Myers but Skyler makes the save. That earns Skyler a chokeslam through Myers’ table.

Steve Maclin doesn’t care what Eddie Edwards has to say because next week, Edwards is answering to him.

Reina de Reinas Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Lady Frost

Purrazzo is defending in another Champ Champ Challenge, with Frost getting to pick the title she can win. An early lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Purrazzo goes with a headlock takeover instead. That’s broken up as well and Frost kicks her in the face, only to get pulled down into a surfboard for the double stomp to the calves.

Purrazzo starts in on the leg, including a good smash onto the apron. Frost flips over her though and hits a dropkick to the back, setting up a Cannonball in the corner for two. A trip to the top takes too long though and Purrazzo takes out the leg. Purrazzo grabs a Boston crab but Frost slips out, only to get pulled into the Venus de Milo to retain the title at 5:43.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time as Purrazzo’s roll over the Knockouts division continues. I’m not sure who is going to be the big road block to finally cut her off but it is making for some interesting television, as it can be fun to find out who is coming through that curtain. Purrazzo is getting a lot out of this too and she could be on this kind of a roll for a long time.

Post match Purrazzo leaves and Gisele Shaw comes in to pose.

Bullet Club, now with the Good Brothers instead of the Guerrillas of Destiny, talk about having to shed dead weight. Violent By Design comes in to say they made a deal and now they should get a Tag Team Title shot. Violence is teased but the Guerrillas of Destiny run in to jump the Club. The Guerrillas and Violent By Design look at each other, with Eric Young saying “all right.”

Zicky Dice vs. Jonah

Dice tries a chop block but gets suplexed down. The backsplash into a powerbomb finishes Dice at 57 seconds.

Post match Jonah crushes him again. Jonah goes to the back, where Gail Kim tells him that he can’t do that again. He wants better competition, so it’s Jonah vs. PCO at Sacrifice. Jonah is happy and leaves, so here is Johnny Swinger to say he has been training with Bill Dundee and wants one more shot at Jonah next week. Sure.

Mickie James and Chelsea Green sit down with Gail Kim with Mickie wanting to give Green a Knockouts title match. Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come in to yell about not getting a fair match. The result is Steelz vs. Green for the Sacrifice title shot next week.

Sacrifice rundown. It looks like a good show and I’ll be there live.

Honor No More vs. Chris Sabin/Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Kenny King for Honor No More, with the rest of the team, plus Rhino and Heath at ringside. It’s a brawl to start with Swann being left alone but Mack and Sabin are back in there for the save. We settle down to Sabin working over King but Bennett is in rather quickly. Bennett is kicked outside and kicked in the chest by Sabin so it’s Taven coming in for a neckbreaker to drop Sabin.

We take a break and come back with Bennett suplexing Sabin for two but Sabin sends him into Taven in the corner. That’s enough for the tag off to Swann to pick up the pace as everything breaks down. Mack helps Swann out with a 3D to Bennett and Mack hits Taven with a standing moonsault. A blind tag lets Bennett come back in for a cheap shot, setting up the Proton Pack to finish Mack at 9:09.

Rating: C+. Honor No More continues its roll as they now have their official spots around here. At some point they are going to need to do something a bit bigger if this story is going to really take off, but at least they got the important part out of the way. What used to be Team Impact is now a bit shaken up, but it isn’t like they were some long term serious team in the first place.

Post match Honor No More brings out Eddie Edwards for a chat. Post break, Eddie says you should be angry, but not at him. He bled and fought with and for Ring of Honor and it hurt him when he heard that they were taking a hiatus. Now Honor No More has found the corruption in this industry and it is time to clear everything out. Two years ago, the world changed and it was time to bring in as many outside stars as Impact Wrestling could find to make things better.

Then Rich Swann lost the World Title to Kenny Omega, an outside. Eddie knew he would get his shot and he even beat Omega in a six man tag. Who got the shot to bring the title back to Impact though? Josh Alexander. It was at that point that Edwards knew that Impact had honor no more and it was time to change things up.

Everyone is asking what Eddie did and it is because he gave everything to this company and got nothing in return. Cue Alisha Edwards to ask what Eddie is doing. He taught her to believe that anything is possible and to never stop believing. Eddie needs to be with his family, but he says that’s what he’s doing. Alisha asks if she is still his family but Eddie doesn’t know. Eddie leaves with Honor No More to end the show.

This was a long promo but we got an explanation from Edwards and his reasoning makes sense. It’s also nice to have someone with a long history in Ring of Honor joining the team, as it would be strange to have someone with no real reason to join the team other than it was the new heel faction.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about Impact right now is how many things they are pushing. Honor No More is the top story, but it isn’t the only story and that makes a big difference. There are other important things going on as well and Impact is doing a good job of making those stories matter. They are avoiding the problem that so many promotions have of making one thing so much bigger than others that nothing else really matters. It’s a balanced show and that makes for some much better storytelling throughout. Good show here, as we’re now on the road to Sacrifice.

Results
Matt Cardona b. Jordynne Grace – Rollup with a grab of the rope
Bhupinder Gujjar b. John Skyler – Middle rope spear
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost – Venus de Milo
Jonah b. Zicky Dice – Powerbomb
Honor No More b. Chris Sabin/Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Proton Pack to Mack

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 10, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re almost up to No Surrender and the card is starting to look good. What makes things all the better is that the entire show has been working in the last few weeks. The Bullet Club is here and seems to be going after the Tag Team Titles, which is better than putting them near the top of the card. Other than that, Honor No More continues to look interesting and I want to know where they’re going in the long run. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at W. Morrissey attacking Moose on the way to their World Title match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat, but first he has to soak in some WALKING WEAPON chants. He isn’t about to let Impact Wrestling go to war against Honor No More without him so he’ll be there at No Surrender. That isn’t the only match at No Surrender, as W. Morrissey is going for the World Title against Moose. While he’s going to war, he’s next in line for whoever comes out of No Surrender with the title. Cue Big Kon (Konner of Ascension fame) to interrupt so Alexander says he’ll do this right now. Kon didn’t even say anything. Maybe he wanted to sell some Girl Scout cookies.

Josh Alexander vs. Big Kon

Alexander beats him up in the corner and wins with the ankle lock in 40 seconds.

Post match the ankle lock stays on until Alexander lets go to beat up security. Cue Scott D’Amore for the save, but Alexander shoves him down too. Alexander knows he screwed up so D’Amore talks about their history together. D’Amore remembers him showing up at the Team Canada dojo as a kid still wet behind the ears. Then one of his best friends told him that she had met the one, and that was Alexander.

D’Amore has been there for almost every major event of Alexander’s life, including signing with Impact. Then he became the World Champion, so what does D’Amore want? Alexander gets serious and says he wants his coach instead of the boss. All he can think of is looking at his wife and son crying because he was never able to put the World Title on.

D’Amore says it’s a process to get back to his rematch but Alexander doesn’t want to hear that. That’s too far for D’Amore, who takes Alexander out of No Surrender and sends him home. Alexander: “I AM HOME!” Well that escalated quickly, but it’s amazing to see what kind of a star Alexander has become. At the same time, D’Amore is sounding ridiculous, as Alexander got to the World Title shot at Bound For Glory, lost to an instant cash in, and has run through everyone else since. Why isn’t he getting a title shot?

Post break, Steve Maclin offers to take Alexander’s place at No Surrender. Scott D’Amore says he’s letting Team Impact pick the replacement.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at No Surrender.

Deonna Purrazzo comes out and we have an open challenge for either of her Women’s Titles.

Ring of Honor Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Santana Garrett

Garrett is the surprise challenger. They trade the rollups to start but Purrazzo isn’t interested in a handshake. Instead, she sends Garrett to the apron and then knocks her into the barricade a we take a break. Back with Purrazzo staying on the arm but Garrett starts firing off some running forearms. Something close to a Muta Lock sends Purrazzo crawling to the ropes before she switches into a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up as well and Garrett kicks her in the face. Garrett goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar. She manages to spin out for half a second but Purrazzo pulls her into a rollup to retain at 9:33.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted, but you knew they weren’t going to have Purrazzo lose one of her titles to a newcomer here. Odds are she is in for a big showdown with James sooner than later and racking up wins is a good thing for her. Then there is Garrett, who keeps bouncing around from one company to another (including this one before her time in NXT) but never makes a big impact. I’m not sure why, but she was little more than cannon fodder here.

Team Impact wants to pick Jonathan Gresham, but they might want to talk to him first.

Mickie James vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title with Tasha Steelz on commentary. They fight over a lockup to start until Green works on a wristlock. Mickie does it again as commentary turns into an argument over the New England Patriots. A headlock frustrates Green but she slips out, meaning Mickie needs to bail outside. Steelz: “MAKE DONOVAN (Mickie’s son) PROUD!” Chelsea uses the distraction to hit a baseball slide, followed by a cutter back inside. Steelz says that is HER move and throws trash at Green. Cue Savannah Evans to trip Green for the DQ at 3:56.

Rating: C. This was little more than storyline advancement as Steelz continues to annoy James before their title match. I’m curious to see where Green goes in the story, which seems to have some legs after the No Surrender title match. They’re building something up here and that is a great thing to see.

Bhupinder Gujjar is proud to be here after leaving his family to come here. Cue Raj Singh but Gujjar walks away.

The IIconics come up to Kaleb With A K and try to get him to take their photos. Madison Rayne comes up and she isn’t happy. The IIconics leave so Madison yells at him.

Here is Bullet Club for a chat. Jay White says he is back and this time he has brought his friends. Tama Tonga brags about the Guerrillas of Destiny’s success and says they’re coming for the Impact Tag Team Titles. Then there is Violent By Design, because the Good Brothers want their own group.

Cue Violent By Design, with Eric Young saying this is a family instead of a bunch of guys trying to do what was cool ten years ago. White laughs off the idea and lists off everything he has done. Young can face him at No Surrender, but Young says let’s do a six man next week. The fight is teased for now but here are the Good Brothers to interrupt.

The Brothers would appreciate a thank you for everything the Club is enjoying but Tama Tonga laughs it off. Anderson says that they have dominated every company with letters that matters, but Tama says it’s because they keep getting fired. There were some bombs being thrown in there and it was pretty good stuff.

Jonathan Gresham has been attacked.

We look at Matt Cardona turning heel to take the Digital Media Title from Jordynne Grace last week.

Cardona talks about how he was screwed out of the World Title last month. No one apologized to him, so he knew he needed to do something different this year. He has been in the ring with everyone and Grace was his toughest opponent ever. She has a rematch for No Surrender, so she better be ready.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Rhino/Rich Swann

The rest of Honor No More and Team Impact are here too, with Maria on commentary. Taven knocks Swann down to start as Maria lists off Taven and Bennett’s successes. Swann is sent outside, where the threat of a beatdown means Honor No More is ejected (Maria is not happy).

We take a break and come back with Team Impact gone as well as Taven hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Swann. Bennett’s brainbuster gets two more but the spike piledriver is blocked. Swann enziguris his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Rhino to clean house. Maria pops up to throw powder in Rhino’s face though and it’s the Climax to give Taven the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C. Honor No More continues to do pretty well around here as the numbers advantage from the unified team works over a thrown together group of Impact wrestlers. It’s hard to imagine the story ending at No Surrender and that is a good thing, as this has been one of the better things going in Impact. If nothing else, it is nice to have Maria in the role she plays best, because she is kind of perfect for what she is doing.

Post match Swann gets beaten down and former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin isn’t happy. Cue Steve Maclin for the save and Rhino Gores the heck out of Bennett.

In the back, Maclin pitches himself for Team Impact but Eddie Edwards doesn’t buy it. Ian Riccaboni thinks Maclin is a good idea and Chris Sabin welcomes him to the team. The rest of the team doesn’t seem sure but Maclin appears to be in.

Gisele Shaw says she didn’t steal Lady Frost’s spotlight because Frost never had it in the first place. Shaw seems to be the latest stuck up/better than you woman.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

W. Morrissey vs. Brian Myers

No DQ and the Learning Tree is here with Myers. Morrissey takes the Tree out before the bell though and the destruction seems to be starting fast. The Tree comes back in so Myers can hit the Roster Cut. Instead of covering though, it’s time for a table. Zicky Dice is kicked through said table and another one falls down as soon as Morrissey is laid on it. Morrissey fights up again and chokeslams VSK off the top through a table leaned up against the ring.

We take a break and come back with Myers hitting Morrissey with a kendo stick and suplexing him on the ramp. Back in and more kendo stick shots keep Morrissey in trouble, but Myers makes it worse by duct taping him to the middle rope. Myers hits him with various things, including several trash can shots.

Coast To Coast drives the trash can into Morrissey and Myers untapes him for two. Another Roster Cut is blocked with a hard clothesline from Morrissey, who is rather fired up. The kendo stick is broken over Morrissey’s knee and there’s the powerbomb. The fans want one more so Morrissey obliges, albeit on some thumbtacks. A second powerbomb onto the tacks finish Myers at 14:41.

Rating: C+. I’m trying to get my mind around Morrissey as a face (albeit a VERY intense one) and it’s still hard to fathom. Either way, this made him look like a beast who could be a very serious threat to Moose at No Surrender. Myers needed the stipulation to have any kind of a chance here and even then the match was only so competitive. That’s how you make Morrissey look like a monster though and they have done a pretty good job so far.

Post match Moose runs in for the beatdown and wraps a chair around Morrissey’s throat. Another chair is used like a hammer to crush said throat to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. These shows are still rolling along and I’m almost tempted to watch No Surrender. Making me want to see another show that I had no interest in just a few weeks ago is a great sign for what they are doing and I could go for more of it. Good show here, as the World Title gets some more focus after lacking it for a little while now. I didn’t quite need the tacks in the main event, but the rest of the show made up for a lot of it.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Big Kon – Ankle lock
Deonna Purrazzo b. Santana Garrett – Rollup
Chelsea Green b. Mickie James via DQ when Tasha Steelz interfered
Matt Taven/Mike Bennett b. Rhino/Rich Swann – Climax to Rhino
W. Morrissey b. Brian Myers – Powerbomb onto thumbtacks

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 19, 2022

We’re still on the road to April and that means it’s time for another Best Of show. These things have mainly been the Best Of the last year and it would be nice to see something different showcased. That being said, we are just over two months away from the relaunch so you might not want to go too deep into the vault. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay…is not here this week, as we will be looking at the women’s division. Uh, great.

We get a video on the women’s division and what it means to everyone involved.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is ready to interview various women in the Women’s Title tournament. She has done a little bit of everything and now she is part of the Board of Directors. After the Coronavirus pandemic hit, she wanted to build something new and that is what she is doing here.

Some of the women in the tournament are very happy that they were given their Ticket To Gold, meaning their entrance to the tournament. Being in the tournament has helped a lot of them with their confidence as they move forward. They all want to show what they can do and have been waiting for their chance.

Sumie Sakai talks about having the first women’s match in Ring of Honor history and she has stuck around since.

Mandy Leon isn’t happy with Maria leaving the company and then coming back. Now the Allure isn’t going to let her skate by.

Angelina Love doesn’t think there should be a tournament but she’ll win the title.

Danhausen previews the tournament and wants Trish Adora to win.

Maria talks about the different styles of wrestlers in the tournament.

Some of the entrants talk about how wrestling has helped their confidence and to prove themselves. The tournament has even gotten Rok-C to mend her relationship with her mother. Trish Adora wants to win the title for her mother, who has cancer.

We look at the TV taping with the announcement of the tournament and the reveal of the Women’s Title. Chelsea Green debuted as well, though she was injured and couldn’t participate.

Green talks about rising above the haters and trolls while also wanting to provide for her family. And maybe to prove all of those trolls wrong. Green: “Is that bad?”

We look at the first batch of tournament matches. It’s still weird to see these in front of an empty building.

Willow wants to change the perception of women’s wrestling and then lost in the first round.

Chelsea Green wants to face everyone in the tournament.

We look at the rest of the first round, including Quinn McKay beating Mandy Leon in a huge upset.

Maria talks about what a great win that was for McKay, as she got to prove herself.

Mike Bennett talks about how impressed he is with Maria making all of this work.

We look at the second round of the tournament.

Amy Rose has managed a lot of champions and wants to manage Max the Impaler. Then Max got disqualified against Angelina Love.

Allysin Kay is a former NWA Women’s Champion and wants to be the Ring of Honor Women’s Champion. Then Trish Adora beat her in an upset.

The semifinals saw Miranda Alize beat Trish Adora and Rok-C beat Angelina Love. Maria was proud of everyone because it is all about the team.

Then it was time for the finals, with both Alize’s and Rok-C’s families around. We get picks from various wrestlers, who seem to be split.

Rok-C won the title and she was proud.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this, as it was really a documentary instead of a regular wrestling show. I know the women’s division has not been the most popular thing (including from me) but it is clear that they are putting in a lot of effort and trying to make it into something worthwhile. That is great to see and you can tell that the work is there. This was a cool change of pace and I can go for that instead of another Greatest Hits show for a change.

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 12, 2022
Host: Quinn McKay

We’re continuing on the road to the relaunch, which means we get to continue our look through the video vault. So far that has only meant the best of 2021, which I can understand, but it would be nice to mix it up a bit with some of the older stuff. That is the foundation (not to be confused with The Foundation) of the company and a look back at it would be nice. Let’s get to it.

As usual, these will be the full versions rather than the clipped editions that air.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay gives us the usual welcome but this week we have something special: the Best of 2021 Awards!

From Death Before Dishonor, and one of the top five matches of the year as voted by the fans, with Rok-C named the Women’s Wrestler of the Year.

Women’s Title: Miranda Alize vs. Rok-C

For the vacant title so we get the Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start as they head to the mat, with Rok-C grabbing a headlock….and let’s look at commentary for a bit for some reason. Rok-C cranks on a hammerlock before switching over to the leg. That doesn’t last long either but Alize escapes the Fujiwara armbar, giving us a standoff. Rok-C flips out of a headscissors and takes a quick bow, followed by a cartwheel to escape again, meaning it’s another bow.

Alize pulls her out of the corner for a crash though, allowing her to chop away in another corner. Some running kicks in the corner rock Rok-C for two and we hit the chinlock (with Alize mocking some LET’S GO ROK-C chants). Back up and a hurricanrana gives Alize a slightly delayed two and it’s time for a double arm crank. Rok-C fights up and hits a middle rope Thesz press (with an actual press for a change).

Alize knees her down for two more, setting up a Go To Sleep for the same. A hanging DDT out of the corner gets another near fall and it’s off to something like a Crossface in the middle of the ring. The feet on the ropes get Rok-C out of trouble so they head outside with Rok-C hitting a suicide dive. Back up and Alize hits a running dropkick off the apron and another suicide dive leaves them both laying.

They dive in to beat the count and Rok-C wins a slugout, only to walk into a cutter. Rok-C is right back with a running shot to the face, leaving both of them down. The Crossface goes on again but this time Rok-C reverses into one of his own. That’s broken up as well so Alize hits back to back superkicks but Rok-C kicks her right back, setting up Code Red for the pin and the title at 18:15.

Rating: B. This started slowly but they did an amazing job of turning a match with virtually no story into a heck of a back and forth fight. I was into this by the end with the young prodigy getting the big win. Good stuff here and one of the better matches of the night. The division has a LONG way to go but at least they had a heck of a match to crown the first champion.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett presents Rok-C the title and her parents come in for the celebration.

More of the top five matches of the year:

4. Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor – Final Battle
3. Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Briscoe – Fight On The Farm

From Ring Of Honor TV, September 15, 2021, this is another match of the year, featuring the Briscoes as the Tag Team of the Year.

Briscoes vs. Bandido/Rey Horus

This could be good. Honor is shown before the match as we hear about the Briscoes’ history of troubles against luchadors. Bandido and Jay circle each other to start with Jay fireman’s carrying him to the mat for an armbar. That’s broken up and Bandido shows Jay the finger gun and starts flipping around to send us to a standoff/break.

We come back with Mark bringing Jay back in to elbow Rey in the face. A trip to the outside goes badly for the luchadors but Bandido comes back in with a springboard high crossbody to the Briscoes. Rey’s basement dropkick into a running shooting star press gives Bandido two on Mark but Jay is back in to run Bandido over. Mark kicks Bandido in the mask for two and then plants him down for a bonus. Bandido gets away for the tag to Horus though and the pace picks up.

A double chop into a double superkick gives Horus two with Jay having to make the save. Everything breaks down and we get a four way knockdown for a quadruple breather. Mark grabs an Iconoclasm for two on Horus but gets caught with a pop up cutter from Bandido. A Fosbury Flop takes Jay down and Horus flips Mark off the top for two. Back up and Jay sends Bandido outside, leaving Horus to get Doomsday Deviced for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: B-. Take two teams and let them get in there for a fun match. That’s what you should be doing on a show like this and they made it work here. If nothing else, it is nice to see the Briscoes finally getting somewhere against some luchadors. The match itself was a good power vs. speed match and it was a rather nice TV outing all around.

More matches of the year:

Matt Taven vs. Vincent – Glory By Honor
Briscoes vs. OGK – Final Battle

I’m not sure if counting is Ring of Honor’s forte.

Jonathan Gresham is the Male Wrestler of the Year and here he is in action.

From Best In The World.

Pure Rules Title: Mike Bennett vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham is defending and this is under Pure Rules, with an extended pay per view time limit. Cary Silkin of all people joins commentary as the fans seem split to start. An early lockup goes nowhere as they seem to be taking their time here. Gresham grabs a waistlock to start the grappling but gets taken to the mat without much effort. They pop back up with Bennett shouldering him down to make things seem a bit more serious.

The threat of a London Dungeon (seated armbar) sends Gresham going straight to the rope for the first break. Gresham pulls him down and starts cranking on the arm for some unnatural angles. An armdrag sets up a hammerlock and Gresham cranks on the other arm at the same time. Now it’s time to twist the ankle at the same time as Gresham’s confidence is going up. Back up and Gresham’s running shoulder hurts Bennett’s arm again.

The Kimura goes on so Bennett uses his first rope break in a smart move. Gresham is sent outside so Bennett tries a dive, only to get pulled back into the Kimura. Bennett taps to no avail before going back inside for another rope break for a bit of a weird sequence. Back up and Bennett goes for the arm as well, meaning Gresham needs his second break. Bennett uses the good arm to hit a Death Valley Driver for two and the seated armbar goes on again.

With that broken up, Bennett clotheslines him down but the arm gives out on a piledriver attempt. Another clothesline gets two on Gresham but the arm is banged up. Gresham is smart enough to use his feet to pop the arm and Bennett is in a lot of trouble. The Cobra Twist sends Bennett to the ropes for the third and final time so a pair of springboard standing moonsaults have Bennett knocked to the floor. Gresham adds a suicide dive but Bennett is right back up with a powerbomb for two.

That’s fine with Gresham, who pulls him into the Crossface. Somehow Bennett crawls out and rolls Gresham into the corner. The piledriver connects for three…but Gresham gets his foot on the ropes for his final break. Gresham switches it up and pops the knee this tine but Bennett stacks him up on a rollup attempt for two of his own. With the arm not working, Gresham ties him in a nasty looking kneebar for the tap to retain at 19:21.

Rating: B. There is something so fun about watching Gresham pick apart a limb like that as he turns it into a science. Bennett was trying hard here but got taken down piece by piece, with Gresham taking him apart to win in the end. This was a heck of a performance and it is great to see him do it every time. The problem is I’m not sure who is going to be able to beat him, as he is virtually unstoppable in this kind of a match. In other words, whoever takes the title from him is going to look awesome and get a heck of a rub.

Overall Rating: A-. Weird counting to give issues aside, this was another awesome collection of matches and it is great to see Ring of Honor mixing it up a bit. They have a long time to go to get to the new stuff and that could be a little bit of anything, so it is fun to be able to savor this stuff while we can. They showcased a lot of talent here, and hopefully they are still around when the promotion comes back.

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: September 22, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are firmly away from Death Before Dishonor and in theory this should be the tapings where we see some fallout. That being said, last week we got some pre-fallout (Fall-in?) with the Tag Team Titles changing hands. Not that it makes much of a difference given how often they have been swapped as of late, but it’s certainly an event. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card, with a focus on the Pure Rules division.

Pure Rules Gauntlet Match

No word on how many entrants and lost rope breaks carry over from one fall to another. Eric Martin is in at #1 and World Famous CB is in at #2 with Brian Milonas on commentary. They trade the grappling to start with Martin going to the ropes to avoid a drop toehold, which seems a little dumb. Then he uses the next two in rapid fashion and is out of breaks after less than a minute and a half. Martin kicks CB off the top for a crash to the floor and it’s a running corner clothesline back inside. CB is right back with a kick to the face and a choke with knees in the back for the tap at 3:14.

Delirious is in at #3 and it’s time for more grappling to get things going. They hit the mat with both guys tripping the other for some short form control. CB’s headscissors sends Delirious over to the ropes for a break and it’s time to run the ropes in an awkward manner. A dragon suplex sends Delirious flying but he twists around into a cobra clutch. That’s broken up as well so CB tries a bunch of rollups to no avail. Delirious is right back with a cobra clutch backbreaker into a triangle choke while bending the arm the wrong way (GEEZ) for the tap at 13:23.

LSG is in at #4 and after a break, Delirious’ headlock doesn’t work very well. Instead they just hit each other in the face until Delirious grabs a neckbreaker for two. LSG blocks a suplex though and strikes away, including some running forearms. With Delirious rocked, LSG pulls him into a Muta Lock for the tap at 21:13.

Joe Keys is in at #5 and, after a break, gets taken down by a headlock takeover (popular way to start). Keys snaps off a backbreaker but gets sent into the corner, only to come out with an abdominal stretch. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker keeps LSG’s back in trouble and we hit a half crab. That means LSG needs to use his second rope break so Keys rolls some German suplexes, meaning LSG needs his third and final break. Keys takes him up top for a superplex but LSG turns it into a crossbody for the pin at 30:28.

Brian Johnson is in at #6 and talks about how he is the best and about to rewrite everything around here. Johnson drives the beaten up LSG into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs but LSG is back with Rocket By Baby. A rope break gets Johnson out of trouble so he throws a right hand (one more and he’s disqualified) and throws his feet on the ropes (which is fine because LSG is out of breaks so it doesn’t count….which I think makes sense) to pin LSG and win the whole thing at 32:56.

Rating: C+. These things are always a little weird to grade because it’s a bunch of mini matches in a row. What we got here was good though, with the right person winning. Johnson coming in to beat a worn down LSG for the win is the perfect thing for him and I liked enough of this to make it work. Nothing great, but it wasn’t exactly supposed to be given the circumstances.

Post match Johnson insists on a handshake, because he’s good at being a villain.

Rhett Titus vs. Mike Bennett

Pure Rules again. They go with the grappling to start and try a test of strength to no avail, with both of them kicking the other away. That’s good for a standoff so Titus grabs a headlock to put Bennett in some trouble. The Cobra Twist makes it worse and we take a break. Back with Titus working on the leg and the threat of a Boston crab makes Bennett burn a rope break.

Bennett has to use a second to save himself from another hold so Bennett goes after the arm. That doesn’t work either so it’s time to chop it out instead. Bennett blasts him with a discus forearm to the jaw and Titus has to use his first break. Bennett pulls him back to the mat and snaps off a DDT onto the leg as we take a break.

We come back with Bennett having to use his third break before getting gutwrench suplexed for two. An ankle lock sends Titus going for the ropes again so Bennett ties up the legs again. That’s fine with Titus, who starts a slap fight from the mat. Back up and Titus’ leg gives out but he’s able to block the piledriver. Bennett kicks the leg out again but gets rolled up for two. They fight over a bunch of rollups and trade clotheslines until the time limit expires at 15:00. The judges give it to Bennett.

Rating: B-. They were doing a grappling exhibition here and that worked out rather well. Titus has come a long way over the last year and a lot of that is due to being in the ring so often. Put him in there against better wrestlers and he is going to get better as well. Bennett held his own here too and it was a good main event as a result.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a very wrestling focused show and it worked out fairly well. What mattered here was they focused on something and it was entertaining enough. It was certainly another show from before Death Before Dishonor and it’s nice to see something like this be able to fill in a week.

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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Best In The World 2021
Date: July 11, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance: 1,250
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the fans to be back here as well, which should make things a little more energetic. Ring of Honor has been one of the more consistently quality TV shows as of late and now they need to make that work on television as well. That might be easier said than done though so let’s get to it.

It really is cool to see some fans back.

Tracy Williams is out of the Tag Team Title match due to being hit by a car a few weeks back, so Jay Lethal will be defending in his place.

Pre-Show: Demonic Flaimta vs. Rey Horus

This is a rematch from the Survival of the Fittest qualifying round. Horus knocks him to the floor to start and snaps off a hurricanrana from the apron. Flamita gets whipped into the barricade but he is fine enough to dropkick Horus out of the air back inside. A running kick to the head gives Flamita a rather arrogant near fall and it’s time to slap Horus in the mask. Flamita stays cocky and cuts Horus down with some chops. Horus gets back up for a middle rope bodyscissors to the floor, naturally setting up the big no hands dive.

Back in and Horus hits a crazy springboard spinning tornado DDT for two. They get back up and slug it out until Flamita gets in a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. A frog splash onto Horus’ lets leaves both of them down until they slug it out from their knees. Back to back superkicks rock Horus, who grabs a satellite DDT for two more. Horus goes up top and gets pulled down with the MuscleBuster into the knees to the chest. Another superkick gives Flamita two so he tries another, only to get sunset flipped to give Horus the pin at 9:49.

Rating: B-. Take two luchadors and let them fly all over the place for about ten minutes. What better way is there to wake up a crowd for the rest of the night? Ring of Honor, like many other promotions before it, knew what they needed to do here and it worked out again. These guys were all over the place and that’s exactly what they should have been doing.

Post match Flamita drops Horus again and even spits on him.

Bouncers vs. PCO/Danhausen

The Bouncers have Ken Dixon with him. Brawler Milonas jumps PCO before the bell and it’s Danhausen in early trouble. Beer City Bruiser comes in to slam Danhausen, allowing Brawler to send him into the corner by the neck. A running clothesline drops Danhausen again and it’s time to choke on the ropes. It’s off to Bruiser for a clothesline of his own and it’s a Samoan drop into Brawler’s falling splash.

Danhausen avoids a charge in the corner though and manages a German suplex, allowing the hot tag to PCO. Striking abounds, setting up a crossbody of all things. PCO busts out a pair of dives onto both Bouncers and helps Danhausen chokeslam Bruiser. Cue Sledge to stare at PCO and Danhausen but Brawler takes PCO down.

Bruiser hits something like a Vader Bomb from the apron to the floor to crush PCO (egads), leaving Danhausen alone. Danhausen gets caught in a powerbomb from Brawler (Danhausen: “NO! PUT ME DOWN!”), which he slips out of to set up a hurricanrana off the apron and into the post. A quick pat wakes up PCO and Danhausen’s headbutt rocks Bruiser. Goodnighthausen is broken up so Danhausen manages an AA onto the teeth. The PCOsault finishes Bruiser at 9:05.

Rating: C. I can go for this kind of lighthearted comedy where they make no secret about what they are doing. Yeah it’s goofy but that’s the point, as Danhausen is in the exact right spot. If you want to have him team with PCO as a goofy team for awhile then so be it, as they aren’t going to win the titles or anything. Have some fun and don’t go anywhere beyond that.

Post match, PCO and Sledge have their staredown with Danhausen breaking it up.

The opening video looks at some of the bigger matches. They’re keeping it simple here.

PJ Black/Brian Johnson vs. Briscoe Brothers

The Brothers are back on the same page after beating each other up on their farm. Johnson yells at the fans on the way to the ring, because they’re all fat people who got fatter during the pandemic. He doesn’t like the idiot Briscoes either because they all like kissing their cousin. We even get a few jabs at Mama Briscoe, which is not likely going to go well. Johnson brags about being the best in the ring and on the mic so everyone will know his name.

It’s a big brawl to start (again, you don’t mess with a mama) and the Briscoes get the better of it, because Black messed with Mama Briscoe. Mark uses a chair for a big dive to drop Johnson and we settle down to Mark chopping at him inside. Jay comes in for the uppercuts and Mark does the same, as Ian says Happy Birthday to his mom (who you shouldn’t mess with either).

It’s off to Black, who kicks Mark in the face a few times to take over. Johnson adds a slam into an elbow drop for two and the referee takes some yelling. Mark isn’t having that though and fights up to bring Jay back in. The yelling and fighting are both on with Jay getting the better of things on Johnson. Black breaks up Redneck Boogie and Jay accidentally knocks Mark outside.

Johnson’s rollup gets two and Black breaks up the Doomsday Device. The Spike Eskin plants Jay and sets up a 450 to give Black two of his own. Jay kicks Black off the apron and Mark hits the kick through the ropes to Black. The apron Blockbuster drops Johnson and there’s the Cactus Elbow. Back in and the Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow finishes Black at 8:06.

Rating: C. This could have been fine as a TV main event so it works out well for a pay per view opener. The main point here was to establish that the Briscoes are back on the same page, which is a nice followup after their Fight On The Farm. It didn’t have much drama, but should there be between these teams?

We recap EC3 vs. Flip Gordon. EC3 was not happy with Gordon cheating to win a tag match because it does not fit with EC3’s Quest For Honor. At least it’s better than whatever he had been doing in the past few months.

EC3 vs. Flip Gordon

I’m not big on either guy so let’s get this over with already. They shake hands to start, with Gordon pulling him into a headlock for the opening bell. A hard shoulder drops Gordon but he’s right back up with the headlock. Gordon goes after the knee to take over and unloads on him with chops in the corner. A Ricky Steamboat style double chop puts Gordon down again but he takes out the knee in the corner.

There’s a dropkick to the knee to put EC3 on the floor, with the fans not sounding pleased. The leg cranking is on back inside but EC3 powers out, meaning it’s off to a chop off. The Psycho Boy takes Gordon down but the knee gives out again, allowing Gordon to bail to the floor. Gordon sweeps the legs and wraps the knee around the post to take over again.

Back in and the Submit To Flip goes on until EC3 makes it over to the ropes. Gordon goes up but gets top rope superplexed back down for the big crash. Gordon’s springboard….something is chopped out of the air but the knee doesn’t let EC3 follow up. A low superkick rocks EC3, who smiles up at him. That means it’s an Angel’s Wings into the Purpose (Bank Statement) finishes Gordon at 11:14.

Rating: C+. They worked a nice match here and both guys looked good, though it wasn’t exactly a smash. EC3 sold the leg well as it messed with his offense, but I’m still not sure I get what he is doing. It seems to be working for him, but a bit clearer of an explanation would be nice.

Post match Gordon slaps him in the face instead of shaking his hand, so EC3 extends his hand again. Another slap gets the same result, so Gordon spits in his face and walks off.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/Eli Isom/Dak Draper vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor/Soldiers of Savagery (Moses/Khan), with O’Shay Edwards) are defending. Castle’s jumpsuit is back and so are the Dancing Boys, because they better be. Draper takes Khan to the mat to start as we hear about Khan being a prince in Cameroon. Khan goes with the power and runs him over, allowing the double tag off to Isom and Moses. A dropkick staggers Moses but Isom tries a waistlock for no apparent reasons.

Castle comes in instead and points out that the fans are chanting for him (not exactly). The threat of wrestling earns Castle a hard push back into the corner but he low bridges Moses outside. The tease of a dive lets Castle drop to to the floor and hop onto the barricade for some more dancing. Back in and Castle gets all fired up on Shane, who drops him with a single chop. Isom comes in again and is planted with a spinebuster, allowing Khan to come back in for a suplex.

It’s back to Draper, who snapmares Khan down to drop a knee to the face, allowing Castle to snap off a t-bone suplex. The fast tags continue with Isom coming back in for a belly to belly, but Castle wants to come in instead. The delay lets Moses come in and wreck the challengers as everything breaks down. Back in and Draper picks up the pace, along with Moses for a powerslam, only to be told that Shane made a blind tag.

For some reason Draper thinks he can Dr. Bomb Taylor, who easily reverses into the Marcus Garvey Driver instead. Castle breaks that up so Isom comes back in for a rather impressive Air Raid Crash….as Castle is being tended to by the Boys on the floor. Isom goes up instead of covering but has to shove Castle off for trying to go up at the same time. That’s enough for Khan to hit a super Jackhammer (geez) and it’s time for the parade of finishers. Taylor has had enough of this and hits Draper with Welcome To The Land to retain at 10:56.

Rating: C. This was a very story heavy match as Castle continues to be a bit of a self obsessed pest, but how can you not love the jumpsuit? Isom continues to look like a star in the making and Ring of Honor is about the only place he could make that work at the moment. I’m still not sure why these titles exist, but the match was ok enough.

We get an ad for Honor Pals, Ring of Honor’s version of Wrestling Buddies, because those are the greatest wrestling toys ever.

Silas Young vs. Josh Woods

Last Man Standing and this former mentor vs. former mentee. They even make things a bit more interesting by pointing out that Young is 3-0 in Last Man Standing matches, making it his signature match. Woods jumps him from behind in the aisle though, because woods is smart like that. Young gets sent hard into the barricade but he is right back up with a springboard clothesline to put Woods on the apron. A hard forearm to the back cuts Young down again and Woods knocks him outside again.

Woods grabs a chair but Young shoves the referee into him (smart) to take it away. A chaos suplex off the barricade drops Woods again and it’s time to set up a table. We’ll add a ladder next to the apron, with Ian explaining that it’s there to fix the lighting. Woods sends him into the ladder and throws in a table of his own. Said table is set up in the corner, followed by a bunch of running strikes to Young in the corner. Young picks him up for a drive through the table though and it’s time to slug it out from their knees.

Woods pulls him into a leglock with Young crawling underneath the ropes and tapping to no avail. Yet another table is set up next to the other one on the floor but Young gets in a low blow for a breather. For some reason Young tries a running hurricanrana and is quickly powerbombed onto the ladder for his efforts. Woods throws in a bunch of chairs but gets caught in a backbreaker back inside. A chair shot to the back has Woods in trouble and Young nails Misery for a nine count. They slug it out on the apron above the two tables….and Woods German suplexes Young through both of them for the win at 13:10.

Rating: B-. That’s how it should have gone as these guys beat each other up for a good while until Woods survived. They built up the idea that Young was the best guy at this kind of match and then had someone beat him. Woods has been ready to break through to the next level for a long time now, though I’m not sure if this is going to be the big step forward.

During Hour One, Vincent challenged Matt Taven to a cage match in August and then beat him down.

From the trainer’s room, Taven accepts.

Brody King vs. Jay Lethal

Tracy Williams is here with Lethal. King powers him down with no effort to start and tells Lethal to bring it. A strike off doesn’t work for Lethal either so it’s a very early Lethal Injection for one. King bails to the floor so Lethal hits four straight suicide dives. That isn’t enough to put King down so Lethal hits a baseball slide, which doesn’t put him down either. Instead, King knocks him down again and throws him over the top by the throat. Back in and Lethal is chopped down in the corner as he can’t get anything to work so far.

King hammers away in the corner but Lethal slips out of a superplex and hits a powerbomb. That doesn’t last long either as King is back with a snap piledriver. King pounds him into a chair and hits a running crossbody to knock them both down. A Death Valley Driver onto the apron gets two on Lethal and he can’t even stand up for the Ganso Bomb. That means a hard running lariat to knock Lethal even sillier, followed by a pair of Ganso Bombs for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C+. The more I see from this version of King, the more I’m expecting him to be the Final Battle World Title challenger. He was treated like a monster here and basically squashed Lethal, whose biggest stuff didn’t do much damage. That’s the right way to go with this and the Ganso Bomb looks like the biggest weapon going at the moment. Nice job.

We recap Mike Bennett vs. Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Rules Title. Bennett won a Pure Rules gauntlet match to earn a title shot but Gresham flat out said he didn’t respect him. Bennett has heard that over and over again but Gresham says this is all about his legacy. Now it’s time for Bennett to prove him wrong.

Pure Rules Title: Mike Bennett vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham is defending and this is under Pure Rules, with an extended pay per view time limit. Cary Silkin of all people joins commentary as the fans seem split to start. An early lockup goes nowhere as they seem to be taking their time here. Gresham grabs a waistlock to start the grappling but gets taken to the mat without much effort. They pop back up with Bennett shouldering him down to make things seem a bit more serious.

The threat of a London Dungeon (seated armbar) sends Gresham going straight to the rope for the first break. Gresham pulls him down and starts cranking on the arm for some unnatural angles. An armdrag sets up a hammerlock and Gresham cranks on the other arm at the same time. Now it’s time to twist the ankle at the same time as Gresham’s confidence is going up. Back up and Gresham’s running shoulder hurts Bennett’s arm again.

The Kimura goes on so Bennett uses his first rope break in a smart move. Gresham is sent outside so Bennett tries a dive, only to get pulled back into the Kimura. Bennett taps to no avail before going back inside for another rope break for a bit of a weird sequence. Back up and Bennett goes for the arm as well, meaning Gresham needs his second break. Bennett uses the good arm to hit a Death Valley Driver for two and the seated armbar goes on again.

With that broken up, Bennett clotheslines him down but the arm gives out on a piledriver attempt. Another clothesline gets two on Gresham but the arm is banged up. Gresham is smart enough to use his feet to pop the arm and Bennett is in a lot of trouble. The Cobra Twist sends Bennett to the ropes for the third and final time so a pair of springboard standing moonsaults have Bennett knocked to the floor. Gresham adds a suicide dive but Bennett is right back up with a powerbomb for two.

That’s fine with Gresham, who pulls him into the Crossface. Somehow Bennett crawls out and rolls Gresham into the corner. The piledriver connects for three…but Gresham gets his foot on the ropes for his final break. Gresham switches it up and pops the knee this tine but Bennett stacks him up on a rollup attempt for two of his own. With the arm not working, Gresham ties him in a nasty looking kneebar for the tap to retain at 19:21.

Rating: B. There is something so fun about watching Gresham pick apart a limb like that as he turns it into a science. Bennett was trying hard here but got taken down piece by piece, with Gresham taking him apart to win in the end. This was a heck of a performance and it is great to see him do it every time. The problem is I’m not sure who is going to be able to beat him, as he is virtually unstoppable in this kind of a match. In other words, whoever takes the title from him is going to look awesome and get a heck of a rub.

Jay Lethal is too banged up to defend the Tag Team Titles so Tracy Williams asks Jonathan Gresham to take his place. Gresham reluctantly agrees.

TV Title: Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee

Deppen is defending, Lee has La Bestia de la Ring in his corner and Kenny King is on commentary. They go straight to the slugout to start with neither being able to get very far with the forearms. They try chops instead with Lee knocking him into the corner, where Deppen reverses for more chops of his own. Lee gets knocked outside so Deppen follows him, only to get kicked in the chest.

Deppen pounds him down again, setting up a suicide Canadian Destroyer, which is only good for two because the Destroyer is more played out than the DDT. Back in and Lee is fine enough to hit a shotgun dropkick in the corner. With Deppen in trouble, Lee puts him on top for an Alberto double stomp to the apron (dang that always looks rough) but Deppen is right back in with a small package for two.

It’s bad enough that King heads to the ring for a distraction so it’s an exchange of no sold German suplexes. Lee hits a poisonrana but Deppen pops back up for the double clothesline to put them both down. Back up and Lee kicks the knee out the Dragon Driver gets two more as frustration is setting in. More kicks just fire Deppen up and he chops away, only to get suplexed into a powerbomb. The Incinerator gives Lee the title back at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was a spotfest and that might get a little annoying in a hurry. What are you supposed to do when a match features a suicide Canadian Destroyer for two? They weren’t even bother to sell a lot of the time here and while I get the idea, it was hardly the best thing to see. Entertaining perhaps, but it took me out of things more than once.

King comes in to celebrate so here are Homicide and Chris Dickinson to chase them off. They’re challenging for the Tag Team Titles next so here are the champs to start the match less than two minutes after the previous one ended.

Tag Team Titles: Foundation vs. Violence Unlimited

Rhett Titus and Jonathan Gresham are defending for the Foundation in a Fight Without Honor (basically a street fight). The brawl is on in a hurry with Gresham beating Dickinson up on the floor. That leaves Titus to send Homicide into a chair in the ring as the violence begins. Dickinson catches Titus on top though and shoves him into an open chair (freaking ow man) but Gresham is back in with an abdominal stretch on Homicide.

With that broken up, Gresham kicks the chairs out….as Titus gives Homicide a Falcon Arrow through the timekeeper’s table. Back in and Dickinson chokes Gresham with I believe a shirt but can’t quite get an armbar. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Gresham and Homicide is back with a super cutter on Titus. That’s not even good for a cover as Titus is up with a powerslam with Dickinson having to make a save. Titus goes Rob Van Dam with a dropkick into a chair (not quite a Van Daminator but close enough), leaving Gresham to Octopus Homicide.

Dickinson breaks it up again and it’s a camel clutch into a Homicide basement dropkick. An STF has Gresham in more trouble and Homicide throws in a table, which Gresham shoves out while still in the hold. Gresham won’t tap so Homicide busts out a fork but Titus breaks it up with a gutwrench suplex. Titus sets up the table but Dickinson breaks up a superplex attempt, meaning it’s a super Razor’s Edge to send Titus crashing through the table. Homicide busts out the always terrifying Cop Killer on Gresham for the pin and the titles at 11:01.

Rating: C. I couldn’t get into this as it was like they had two different matches going on at once. Gresham was trying to do his technical stuff and the other three were having a hardcore brawl (makes sense for Homicide and Dickinson). It also felt like they were flying through everything here to get things done in a hurry, especially with the fast start. Not bad or anything but I couldn’t get into this.

Here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to introduce former Ring of Honor broadcaster Lenny Leonard, who will be calling the Women’s Title tournament. We even have brackets!

Sumie Sakai
Rok-C

Mandy Leon
Vita VonStarr

Max
Holidead

Angelina Love
BYE

Alize
Gracia

Mazzerati
Nicole Savoy

Allysin Kay
Willow

Marti Belle
Adora

Some of those are missing first/last names but that’s as much as we get.

Actually hold on though as Vita VonStarr is out due to breaking rules, so we have a replacement: Chelsea Green, who says this is what freedom looks like. She just spent two and a half years being deemed unworthy so she is here to prove that she is enough. The Maryland Athletic Commission has deemed her unfit to compete, but she will be ringside throughout the tournament watching everyone. Her scars remind her that she is unstoppable and in one month, she is taking this division to the forefront of wrestling. So we still don’t know who is getting the final spot.

We recap the World Title match. Bandido won Survival of the Fittest to earn the shot and he is coming for the unstoppable Rush.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging and gets jumped at the bell, with Rush hitting the Bull’s Horns at six seconds for a one count as he pulls his foot off of Bandido’s chest. They head outside with Bandido being whipped into the barricade to take the beating into the crowd. Back to ringside and a heck of a whip sends Bandido into the barricade, setting up the whipping with the camera cord.

They get back inside with Rush cockily kicking away and stomping on Bandido’s head. There’s another kick to the face in the corner and Rush is feeding off of the crowd. Bandido falls outside and Rush cracks him in the leg with a chair. More playing to the crowd lets Bandido get up for a desperation dive, his first offense in about five minutes. Back in and a shooting star press gets two on Rush as the leg is mostly fine. Rush grabs (kind of) him low to ask where something is but charges into an attempt at the X Knee.

That’s broken up as Rush hits a superkick instead, only to get caught in a crucifix bomb for two. An overhead belly to belly sends Bandido hard into the corner and he gets dropkicked out of the air. Rush sends him outside for a big dive and let’s get a table. Bandido manages to get back inside for a superkick though and a running shove sends Rush through the table. Back in and they trade some snap German suplexes until Bandido hits a pop up touch of the head (supposed to be a cutter).

That earns him a spinning kick to the head (fair enough as it was nowhere near a cutter, which commentary pointed out) and they’re both down again. It’s Rush up first to drag Bandido to the apron by the hair but Bandido is back up with the super fall away slam. The 21 Plex connects for two and the fans think this is awesome. Bandido charges into another suplex into the corner and Rush starts tearing at the mask. A shove of the referee is enough for Bandido to grab a rollup for the pin and the title at 16:04.

Rating: B+. These guys started fast and didn’t stop, which is how a match like this is supposed to go. They had one heck of a hard hitting fight with Rush being the monster who got too cocky and let the athletic freak catch up to him in the end as he went over the line. The match absolutely didn’t feel like sixteen minutes and it was the right call as Rush had been champion for far too long already. Heck of a main event and worth a look as Bandido jumps through the glass ceiling.

Post match, La Faccion Ingobernable runs in to beat down Bandido, with Rush getting in a belt shot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s a rather good show with the main event leading the way, but it was also a bit longer than it needed to be and a match or two could have been dropped. What matters most here though is some stuff happened, as so much of Ring of Honor TV feels like it just keeps happening with no end in sight. Good show here, but it could have used more than a few adjustments.

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