Impact Wrestling
Date: August 18, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s time for the next big special show and this one is going on for two weeks. The show is called Emergence, which seems like they came up with the name by looking at shows on network TV which has nothing to do with wrestling. This week’s big match is the Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton, which doesn’t seem to have the most drama. Let’s get to it.

The opening video suggests a new beginning for everything and runs down the bigger matches.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. TJP vs. Chris Bey

Bey is defending and has Raju in his back pocket so Fallah Bahh is here with TJP to even things up a bit. TJP dives onto both of them to start fast with only Raju joining him inside. A headscissors sends Raju outside so Bey takes his place to send TJP to the apron. Bey hits a springboard elbow to the back and it’s Raju coming in again to start the double teaming. TJP counters a whip to the apron and gets the leglock on Bey and the Octopus on Raju at the same time.

Raju escapes so TJP suplexes him for two without letting go of Bey. TJP has to fight out of another double team, this time grabbing the Gory Stretch/Billy Goat’s Curse combination. With that rather complex hold broken up, Raju jumps TJP from behind and the double teaming is on again. TJP ducks a shot so Bey knocks Raju to the floor and walks into a Tombstone. Raju is back up so TJP has to cut him off on top and grabs a superplex. The Octopus has Bey in trouble and he puts the same thing on Raju at the same time (ok we get the point).

A suplex drops Raju and they’re all down for a second. Raju is sent outside again so Bey kicks TJP in the face a few times. An over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a DDT gets two on TJP but he’s right back with the double chickenwing gutbuster. Raju makes the save so TJP grabs an armbar on Bey, with Raju blocking the tap. Bey gets caught in the ropes, with TJP going up after him. That’s broken up by Raju, with Bey falling into the Tree of Woe. Raju shoves TJP down…. hits the Alberto double stomp on Bey for the pin and the title at 10:47.

Rating: B-. I like the ending as it was the first time that Raju has shown…well anything of note in his time in Impact. It makes sense and sends them to a few different options in the future, including TJP getting another shot. Bey will be fine and can get back into the title hunt immediately so there isn’t much of a worry there. If nothing else, nice job on trying someone new as a star, which is certainly a good idea given all of the current situations.

And now, Wrestle House.

A puppet dog (who seems to be voiced by Father James Mitchell) and a stuffed monkey talk about Taya Valkyrie vs. Kylie Rae later tonight. The monkey agrees to cheer for Taya…and the dog leaves, revealing John E. Bravo as the voice (vs. the monkey as played by Crazzy Steve).

Steve thinks people are losing their minds from being stuck in here and he loves it.

Larry D. has cologne made of ring rust and Acey Romero doesn’t like his changes. Oh and it’s LAWRENCE D. now.

The Good Brothers say Ace Austin and Madman Fulton have their attention. They’ve lit a fire in them and tonight, they can thank the Brothers for making them famous.

Here’s what to expect on the show.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Trey Miguel

Trey is challenging after Moose thought he was Suicide last week. After the Big Match Intros, Trey tries the chops and is knocked down in a hurry. We take a break thirty seconds in (erg) and come back with Moose hitting a running uppercut in the corner. Trey tries a very springboardy wristdrag but gets stopped with straight power. A dropkick puts Trey on the floor and Moose drops him face first onto the apron.

Back in and Moose sends him flying with a toss into the corner and there’s a fall away slam into a nipup. Moose grabs the ear and throws Trey down again. Trey can barely even breathe but manages some chops, only to be run over with a hard shoulder. A rip at the face has Trey in even more trouble, allowing Moose to shout that this was supposed to be Suicide.

Trey gets in a superkick and a dropkick to the back puts Moose down for the first time. Moose pops up and tries a delayed suplex but Trey reverses into a DDT. That’s enough to send Moose outside, where he catches the flip dive and swings Trey into the barricade. A powerbomb onto the apron gives Moose a nine count but the spear (now called Lights Out) finishes Trey to retain at 12:15.

Rating: C+. Good stuff here, but at some point Trey has to actually win something. He keeps getting these big singles matches and loses all of them. It’s fine to put him out there because he’s good enough to make it work, but he never even won the X-Division title. Granted maybe that’s just me being a big Rascalz fan and wanting them to win SOMETHING but it is eventually going to take away any hope of seeing him win.

Post match EC3 runs out and drops Moose with a reverse DDT. EC3 steals the title to crank things up.

Reno Scum gives Hernandez his money back and he gives them their cut. He has more work for them later so come see him again.

Eric Young talks about how he’s done everything around here and this is his purest form. He won’t be pushed aside or swept under the rug. It takes more than two years of non-existence to get rid of him. Not another “WWE didn’t use me right so let me show you what I can do!” character.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eric Young b. Kurt Angle in a stretcher match from Impact, May 11, 2015. That was around the time when I never needed to see Young again so thanks for that people.

Willie Mack isn’t cool with Eric Young retiring Rich Swann. Brian Myers comes in and steals interviewer Jimmy Jacobs for his own sitdown interview. Myers is sick of being told he’s just a good hand and having his career in the hands of a seventy year old man who sits in on production meetings. Mack, not happy with having his interview stolen, jumps Myers and the camera falls down. As I said a minute ago: Not another “WWE didn’t use me right so let me show you what I can do!” character.

Heath doesn’t like Joe Biden picking his running mate on a Tuesday because that’s Impact Wrestling day. Now let’s get Heath4Impact trending so he can help Rhino. He needs some more time to fill in his promo so he reminds us that he does still have kids. At least this and EC3’s “we’re not in the bad WWE anymore” characters are being done a little better. Or at least differently.

Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton

Anderson elbows Austin in the head to start and fights out of the corner without much effort. Gallows comes in and drives an elbow in Austin’s face in the corner before handing it right back to Anderson. This time Austin drags him over for the tag to Fulton and the choking is on in a hurry. A corner dropkick gives Austin two so Anderson drags him over for the tag back to Gallows.

It’s off to Fulton as well and we get the monster showdown. They slug it out with Gallows getting the better of it (of course) until Fulton brings Austin in again. A single right hand puts Austin into the corner for the flying kick from Anderson. Fulton offers a distraction though and Anderson gets hit in the back of the head to put him in trouble for a change. Fulton suplexes Anderson onto Austin’s raised knees and we hit the armbar. That’s not enough for Austin as he cuts the fingers with the card, which is a good signature move.

What isn’t the best signature is the suplex onto the raised knees as Fulton does it again, but the third attempt is escaped so Gallows can come back in. House is cleaned and Fulton is sent outside. He’s back in to save Austin from the Magic Killer though, plus to pull Gallows outside for a posting. Austin sits on the top so Fulton can send Anderson face first into the knees (they REALLY like that idea). Fulton pulls Gallows off the apron but gets sent over the barricade. That’s enough for the hot tag to Gallows and the Magic Killer finishes Austin at 10:47.

Rating: C. This was your get to know you win for the Brothers, who haven’t had the big win yet. That being said, it might be better to keep them out of the ring except for more important matches as they lose a lot of their star power once they’re done talking. They’re good in the ring, but you can only get so much out of a team who is obsessed with sending people onto Austin’s knees for some reason. It’s a fine match, but who are the Brothers supposed to face in big matches?

The Deaners’ beer has been stolen and it’s time for a whodunit. Johnny Swinger insists that he is straightedge….before admitting that he’s just on probation. Acey comes up to go into the refrigerator so the Deaners accuse him. A fight is imminent but Susie reminds them of their truth. Rosemary hits on Lawrence, much to Bravo’s dismay. Jake and Susie still seem to appreciate each other.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Kylie Rae

Rosemary is referee. Kylie offers a friendly handshake but gets shoved down instead. Taya gets taken down and Kylie is rather pleased, only to get sent into the corner. The threat of a superkick sends Taya into the corner but she comes back with a kick to the head of her own. Kylie is sent into the corner again and Taya even bites her finger a bit.

Choking ensues on the ropes and Taya mocks her for being #1 contender. Kylie is right back with an armdrag into a low superkick for two but Taya suplexes her down for the same. The kickout has Taya screaming but she almost runs into Rosemary. Kylie hits the superkick for the pin at 4:49.

Rating: C-. I think we’ve established that Rae is the better of the two here but there isn’t much else that they can do with this setup. The idea still works on its own but there does come a point where they need to be back in the arena for actual matches. I’m sure they’ll have some way to get them out of this, though I’m just not sure how long it is going to take.

Post match Rosemary tells Lawrence she’ll see him next week. Lawrence tells Acey he can borrow some ring rust. Steve says that he’s blind but even he can see that Bravo is blowing it. The Deaners still want their beer back.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending in the North’s rematch after losing the titles a few weeks back. Josh Alexander and Chris Sabin start things off with the former running him over without much effort. Sabin is right back up with shots to the head and avoids Ethan Page’s cheap shot from the apron. Everything breaks down though and Page hits a tilt-a-whirl faceplant on Sabin.

We settle down to Sabin getting sent face first into the corner and punched in the face by Page. Sabin fights out of some double teaming though and brings in Alex Shelley to clean house. Shelley dropkicks Alexander’s knee and Sabin kicks him into a DDT so the champs are dominating as we take a break.

Back with Shelley kicking Alexander down again and grabbing a half crab to stay on the leg. Alexander kicks him away though and Page gets in a heck of a right hand from the floor. It’s back to Page for some knees between the shoulders as Shelley is in trouble for a change. Now it’s Alexander’s chance to crank on the leg but they can’t get the hand off suplex as Shelley knees his way to freedom.

Shelley sends Alexander to the apron so Sabin can drop him face first. Sabin comes in off the hot tag and kicks Alexander from the apron, followed by a springboard missile dropkick to Page. Everything breaks down and it’s another missile dropkick into a Downward Spiral to plant Page again. The assisted double Sliced Bread gets two on Page but Alexander breaks up the ASCS Rush so Page can get a rather cocky two.

Sabin rolls Page up for two with Alexander not being able to make the save in a callback to how they won the titles. Everyone is down until Page superkicks Shelley, only to have Sabin come in with the tornado DDT to Page. The Dream Sequence puts Alexander on the floor and it’s the Skull and Bones to finish Page at 17:11.

Rating: B. Another good match between two good teams here and that is hardly a surprise. I’m not sure where the North goes from here other than either splitting up or facing the Good Brothers in a match that would take some work to set up. The Guns are going to need someone to face too and right now, the tag division isn’t all that deep, at least not in the way things have been put together as of late. Then again the Rascalz vs. the Guns has me rather interested so that would work just fine.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, Impact is better when they have something more down to earth going on, which is where Wrestle House held it back a bit. They can’t exactly make this feel like an important show with the usual shenanigans going on, but at the same time I’m assuming the Wrestle House stuff exists so their in-arena material can last that much longer. Anyway, pretty good show, but not a great one.

Results

Rohit Raju b. Chris Bey and TJP – Top rope double stomp to Bey

Moose b. Trey Miguel – Lights Out

Good Brothers b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Magic Killer to Austin

Kylie Rae b. Taya Valkyrie – Superkick

Motor City Machine Guns b. The North – Skull and Bones to Page

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 21, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re done with a decent enough Slammiversary and the big story is all of the new people around here. I’m not sure what that is going to mean going forward but they have enough momentum that having just a so so pay per view isn’t going to derail them. We have about four months before Bound For Glory so there is a lot to get through before then. Let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

EC3 tells us how we have been controlled for our whole lives, either by corporations, politicians, those that love us or someone else. Are we going to fight back? Control your narrative, like he is going to do. You have been warned.

New opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey

Bey is defending in a rematch from Slammiversary, which rarely works well for the former champion. Bey wastes no time in hitting a running dropkick in the corner before hammering away on the mat. Madison talks about losing on Saturday because she wanted to live a day in the life of Josh Matthews. Egads. Mack fights back with a right hand but gets sent throat first into the bottom rope.

That’s enough to send him to the floor but he pulls a slingshot dive out of the air and slams him down hard. Back in and Mack elbows away in the corner, only to miss a charge. Bey’s neckbreaker out of the corner gets two and we hit the chinlock. A double stomp to the back lets Bey rap a bit, only to miss a standing moonsault. Mack doesn’t like Bey trying his move and hits a pop up right hand. The Six Star misses though and the Art of Finesse retains the title at 5:35.

Rating: C. They kept this moving here and while it wasn’t great, the action was fast enough for a start. I’m not sure what is next for Mack, but losing twice in three days, including clean here, isn’t the best look for his future. Bey is quite good as well though and has several challengers lined up, all of whom could have some awesome matches with him.

Slammiversary recap/show preview. This includes saying that Rich Swann’s night turned into “the ultimate horror story.” Do you REALLY want to reference that show?

Here are the good brothers, with Karl Anderson getting in a Scott Hall “Hey yo.” Anderson: “I’ve always wanted to say that.” After talking about how big “The Big LG” Doc Gallows looks, Anderson talks about how they took over Slammiversary and how they’re the best in the world. They are here to take over and dominate everyone, which is why their shirts have sold out and why Slammiversary was trending #1 worldwide.

They’re ready for some beers but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to interrupt. The Good Brothers showed up and came straight after the top guys, because the best in the business is looking right at them. Austin slaps the beer out of Anderson’s hand and the fight is on, with the Brothers cleaning house with all of no effort.

Heath (Heath: “I’ve got a last name. I just can’t use it anymore.”) can’t get into the building.

Rhino and Hernandez agree to a match for all of the arm wrestling money. Didn’t they do that last week?

Bey and his two handlers are having some champagne when Rohit Raju comes in and takes the glass to give a toast to the new champ. He offers his services to watch Bey’s back, insisting that he is better than Johnny Swinger. Bey will keep that in mind.

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz vs. Nevaeh/Havok

Steelz and Nevaeh start things off with Steelz getting suplexed down and crucifixed for two. Havok comes in for a backbreaker into a sliding clothesline, meaning it’s off to Hogan. That earns her a big boot from Havok and a Hennig necksnap from Nevaeh. Hogan gets in a cheap shot from behind to put Nevaeh in the corner though and the stomping is on.

Nevaeh blasts Steelz with a clothesline and elbow to the face, allowing the unseen tag to Havok. A swinging neckbreaker is enough for the seen tag to Havok meaning it’s some running hip attacks in the corner. Everything breaks down and Steelz hits Havok with a chair for the DQ at 6:05.

Rating: C-. It feels like we see these teams fighting every week or so anymore and that makes things feel rather repetitive. Commentary was talking about bringing back the Knockouts Tag Team Titles and while the division is getting some more depth, that doesn’t mean it needs another pair of titles running around. Develop it first, because right now you have these four and maybe a few other makeshift teams. That’s not enough for titles.

Post match Havok Tombstones Hogan.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eddie Edwards b. Bobby Lashley to win the World Title on Impact, October 6, 2018.

Sami Callihan blames Ken Shamrock for the loss on Sunday. Shamrock says talk to him last week.

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes are back and Forbes is tired of wearing clothes. Next week, everyone gets a free preview.

Hernandez vs. Rhino

They hand the money to the referee and Rhino hits a Gore for the pin at 19 seconds.

The North wants to know when they get their celebration. They have dominated tag team wrestling for a year but then the Motor City Machine Guns show up and get treated like royalty in one night. If the Guns want the celebration, come take the titles.

Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) is coming.

We get some rapid fire promos from everyone who won on Sunday. They’re all happy and proud and looking forward to the future.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about proving herself on Sunday when Kylie Rae comes in. She’s the next challenger so Deonna goes for the armbar but Rae slips out and the brawl is on.

Here’s Eddie Edwards for his first comments as champion. Eddie talks about the journey to get here and now it is time for a new journey to begin. He wants to be the kind of champion that you can believe in and things are about to change. There has not been a title defense in five months so he is going to change that by defending it every week. He is living proof that anything is possible and he wants to give the title credibility.

Cue Eric Young but Eddie cuts him off, saying Young deserves a beating for what he did to Rich Swann. Eric says Eddie is lucky that it was Rich in his cross hairs instead of Edwards. None of this has anything to do with Eddie because Eric made all of this. The fight is on and referees break it up, allowing Young to get in a cheap shot. Hopefully we can get Young out of the way sooner than later.

Moose isn’t putting up his title every week like Eddie because this title is too prestigious. He isn’t worried about EC3 but he’ll face Fallah Bahh tonight.

Eddie isn’t worried about Eric Young but here’s Trey, who requests and is granted a title shot next week.

TNA World Title: Fallah Bahh vs. Moose

Moose is defending and TJP is here with Bahh. Moose shoves him away to start so Bahh fires off some chops in the corner. A running boot to the face rocks Bahh though and a shoulder drops him. There’s a boot across Bahh’s face but Bahh is back up with a running elbow in the corner. The Samoan drop is broken up with a rake to the face and No Jackhammer Needed retains the title at 3:38.

Rating: D+. This is an idea that is going to work for the time being as Moose can spear half the roster until he gets to face someone noteworthy (and by that I mean EC3). It’s a funny gag and they can drop the TNA deal whenever it’s done so it isn’t a big deal going forward. Bahh is still big but you can really tell how much weight he has lost, which is quite impressive.

Post match EC3 jumps Moose from behind with an inverted DDT.

In the parking lot, Ace Austin and Madman Fulton taunt the Good Brothers. Cue Reno Scum to jump them from behind, allowing Austin and Fulton to escape.

Rosemary and John E. Bravo come into a rather nice house. Rosemary seems to hint at something between them but Bravo doesn’t get it, meaning the frustration is on. Cue Taya Valkyrie, much to Rosemary’s annoyance. Rosemary snaps her fingers and various wrestlers start appearing. Next week: Wrestle House! I’ve heard worse ideas.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are challenging. Page and Shelley start thinks off with Shelley cranking on the arm. That’s reversed into a headlock and it’s an early standoff. Sabin comes in but his shoulders bounce off of Alexander. An Octopus hold doesn’t work much better so Sabin goes with the armdrags to take over. It’s already back to Page to pound Shelley but everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside as we take a break.

Back with Shelley striking away at Page in the corner but an Alexander distraction lets Page get in a shot to the face. Alexander holds Shelley so Page can stomp away as the champs take over. Shelley’s elbow to the head just earn him a half nelson backbreaker with Sabin coming in for a save. The handoff suplex puts Shelley down again but Alexander misses a moonsault. There’s the hot tag to Sabin and the pace picks up in a hurry.

The champs are sent into each other and Sabin’s tornado DDT gets two on Page. Sabin dives onto Alexander on the floor and Shelley’s standing Sliced Bread gets another two. Shelley’s spinning Downward Spiral sets up a Gargano Escape on Page, with Sabin grabbing a Texas Cloverleaf on Alexander at the same time.

They’re both broken up at the same time and it’s Sabin slugging it out with Alexander. Everything breaks down again and it’s a cutter into a wheelbarrow suplex to plant Sabin for two more. Shelley is sent outside and Sabin gets kicked in the head, but the Northern Assault is countered into a small package to give the Guns the titles back at 14:14.

Rating: B. This really was the kind of a main event that would have been better off with a crowd there to spice it up. They had a good match, though it didn’t quite hit the level that they were shooting for. The North losing after such a long reign is fine, but having the title match so soon after the Guns’ return didn’t exactly let the title change get the build that it needed.

Jimmy Jacobs leaves but Heath sneaks inside to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was good but you could tell that some of the fire was missing from the past few weeks. That isn’t the biggest surprise as you could go a long way based on the mystery appearances. The problem though is you then realize that two of the big names were Heath Slater and Eric Young, which doesn’t have the same pop once you get over the surprise. It’s still a fine show, but it wasn’t what it was over the last few weeks.

Results

Chris Bey b. Willie Mack – Art of Finesse

Havok/Nevaeh b. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan via DQ when Steelz used a chair

Rhino b. Hernandez – Gore

Moose b. Fallah Bahh – No Jackhammer Needed

Motor City Machine Guns b. The North – Small package to Page

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 16, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

This week should be a big deal with the Young Bucks getting a Tag Team Title shot against the Briscoes, which is about as high profile of a tag match as you’re going to see around here. It might be the biggest tag team match you can have and with a bigger stage, would be one of the featured matches on any major pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelly Klein vs. Madison Rayne

You can tell Kelly is serious here as she ties her hair back. Madison tries to speed things up to start but can’t get a sunset flip. Instead it’s some clotheslines to put Madison in trouble and we take an early break. Back with Klein choking in the corner and yelling at the crowd a lot. Madison comes back with some forearms and a cutter for two but the Rayne Drop is broken up. A second attempt works just fine for two but Klein is right back with a Samoan drop. With that not working, it’s a knee to Madison’s face for the pin at 8:12.

Rating: D+. That’s a big enough win and the kind of thing that Klein needed after her loss at Supercard of Honor. The logical move would be to have her earn another title shot and take the title from Sumie Sakai, but there’s every chance that ROH will go with one of their other unknown names to take the title instead. It’s not like it’s unprecedented.

So Cal Uncensored is ready to face the divided Bullet Club.

Jay Lethal is a better wrestler than Punishment Martinez so he’s not worried.

Here are the Motor City Machine Guns for a chat. They’ve accomplished their goal of winning the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles but what do they do now that they’ve lost the belts? Split up? Or win the titles again? The truth is they’re not sure but they know they’re brothers for life. Cue the Dawgs and the match is on.

The Dawgs vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns clean house to start and an enziguri into a Downward Spiral sends Ferrara to the floor. The Dream Sequence is broken up though and we take a break. Back with Ferrara being thrown into Shelley’s ribs in the corner but Ferrara dives onto Titus by mistake. Sabin comes in for a dive onto both of them but Titus hits both of them in the face. Now the Dream Sequence connects on Titus, who pops up with a running big boot to Sabin. The Doggy Splash gets two as everything stays broken down. Titus gets tied in the Tree of Woe though and Ferrara gets suplexed into him. Skull and Bones puts Titus away at 7:35.

Rating: C-. I still can’t stand the Dawgs but as long as they’re not talking and losing their matches, they’re not the most annoying things in the world. The Guns teasing a split is interesting as well and that could lead somewhere, though their previous singles feud in TNA really didn’t do anything for me.

The Young Bucks are ready to beat the Briscoes again.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Facade vs. Eli Isom

You never know what you’re going to get in this tournament. Facade describes himself as a ninja and has a woman named Danni with him. They grade near falls to start and that means an early standoff. Isom gets in a jumping knee to the face to take over as the face pace continues. A springboard spinning kick to the face of a seated Isom puts Facade down but Isom is right back up with a t-bone suplex. That doesn’t get him very far though as Facade sends him outside for a springboard flip dive, followed by a springboard clothesline back inside. And never mind as here’s Bully Ray to clothesline Facade for the DQ at 4:40.

Rating: C+. That was already better than most of last year’s Top Prospect Tournament matches as Facade was entertaining and memorable while Isom was at least trying. This thing can be VERY hit or miss and last year’s offered Josh Woods alone as an interesting prospect. At least this seems to be off to a better start. Oh and again, it’s a DQ and not the no contest that they’ll bill it as. When you interfere and hit one person, it’s a disqualification whether you want to go with that story or not.

Ray says that as the enforcer (because he wasn’t fired after yelling at his boss and beating up wrestlers at Supercard of Honor), he’s firing both of them for being bottom feeders in the wrestling business. Cue Cheeseburger (Ian: “We needed somebody to stand up to Bully Ray!” Whitmer: “AND IT’S THIS PIPSQUEAK???”) to call Ray a piece of ****.

A one armed chokeslam drops Cheeseburger so here’s COO Joe Koff to fire Ray. Well at least it was only a short term stupid move. Ray unretires, meaning he’s back as a wrestler. As long as they don’t expect me to care about Cheeseburger pinning Ray, fine. He puts on the Hall of Fame ring, which is censored ala the REAL World Title back in 1991.

The Bullet Club is ready to win the Six Man Tag Team Titles but Cody and Marty Scurll disagree about who is going to win the World Title at Best in the World.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending. Mark throws in a chair before the bell but Jay and Nick are fighting, allowing Matt to pelt it at his head instead. The brawl and match start on the floor with Nick being suplexed onto the apron and Matt getting double teamed on the other side of the ring. Nick is right back up though and the Briscos are powerbombed onto the apron to send us to a break. Back with Mark cutting off Matt’s attempt to run around the floor and get to the hot tag.

A spear cuts Mark down instead and now the hot tag connects so Nick can start in with the kicks. The Superkick Party is on and a shooting star press/standing moonsault combination gets two on Mark. Cease and Desist can’t go on so the Briscoes grab a rear naked choke and Sharpshooter of their own. Like most submissions on faces, the holds are broken up in short order. Instead it’s a Razor’s Edge into a neckbreaker (sweet) for two on Matt but the Doomsday Device is broken up. The Jay Driller gets two on Matt but Mark uses a chair to break up the Meltzer Driver for the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This needed more time and was starting to get really good by the end of the match. The Bucks are far better to watch as faces than heels, which is something that should have happened far sooner than it did. That being said, the Briscoes are just on another planet right now and they’re the most entertaining things about Ring of Honor at the moment.

Post match the Briscoes wreck the Bucks with chairs but Mark is smart enough to hide behind the entrance and take out Adam Page and Flip Gordon as they try for a save. Cody comes out a few seconds later but gets beaten down as well. Great ending sequence to make the Briscoes look even more awesome.

Overall Rating: B. This show worked very well with a variety of stories being told and nothing, save for Cheeseburger’s mere existence, felt like a waste of time. The main event was good and the World Title situation could be a lot of fun once Dalton Castle is back to full health. Good show here, and one of the best, most efficient episodes they’ve put together in a long time.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 18, 2018
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still in the vacuum of the post pay per view stretch and that means it’s time for another stand alone show. This time around though we might get some videos inserted to talk about some stuff from Supercard of Honor. You never know what you might get from these shows match wise though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Hang on a second as Takahashi has to bow to Daryl (don’t ask). Feeling out process to start with Kazarian getting two off an early rollup and nipping into a standoff. They head outside with Kazarian sending him hard into the barricade, which may banged up his knee. Back from a break with Kazarian hitting his spinning springboard legdrop to the back of the head. A backbreaker keeps Takahashi in trouble so he superkicks his way to prosperity and a near fall of his own.

Takahashi sends him to the floor for a running knee from the apron with Kazarian sprawling across the floor. Back in and Kazarian slips out of the Time Bomb and hits a sloppy slingshot DDT. Kazarian isn’t happy with the near fall so he yells at the referee, allowing Takahashi to roll him up with trunks for two. Another superkick sets up the Time Bomb to end Kazarian at 11:04.

Rating: C. I was never big on Takahashi when he was Kamaitachi and the Time Bomb persona is only somewhat better. The match wasn’t too bad but nothing more than a stand alone show filler. That being said, I’m MUCH happier with the New Japan guys making less frequent cameos. For a long time there it was almost every week. Now it’s every few weeks and that’s so much better. Don’t take away the special treat feeling they bring with them.

Earlier today, Brian Milonas and Beer City Bruiser attacked LSG before the tag team gauntlet match tonight.

Caprice Coleman is on commentary.

Tag Team Gauntlet

There are six teams involved and the winners get a Tag Team Title shot at some point in the future. Brian Milonas/Beer City Bruiser are in first with Shaheem Ali coming in and saying he’ll fight without LSG because Coast to Coast never gives up. Ali wastes no time in diving over the top to take Bruiser out but Milonas catches a crossbody back inside. Some elbows get the overly large man down and there’s a dropkick to the face. A standing double splash crushes Ali though and the beating begins. Bruiser backdrops him into a sitout powerbomb for two and we take a break.

Back with Ali headbutting them both down, followed by a lifting Downward Spiral on Bruiser. Not that it matters as a superplex into a frog splash gets rid of Ali at 6:28. Next up are the Dawgs because I did something horrible in a previous life. The Dawgs offer beer but get kicked down for their efforts. The beer is spat into the monsters’ faces and a pair of double noggin knockers has some effect. Milonas is low bridged to the floor and a dropkick gets one on Bruiser. The size catches up with the Dawgs again though and Ferrara gets crushed in the corner as Milonas just sits on him.

Back from another break with Milonas missing a sitdown splash, allowing the hot tag to Ferrara. Does it count as a hot tag when I want the ring to collapse and both teams to fall into a hole? Titus manages a monkey flip onto Bruiser with Ferrara adding a tornado DDT on the floor. The announcers make Punch Out references to make this a little easier as Ferrara bicycle kicks Milonas down. Not that it matters as Ferrara gets caught on top with a superplex sending Milonas and Bruiser on at 15:04.

The Motor City Machine Guns are in fourth with Milonas’ falling splash crushing Sabin. Bruiser kicks Shelley into a spinning side slam but misses the Cannonball in the corner. The rapid fire offense has the big guys in trouble and a double superkick rocks Bruiser. Skull and Bones gets rid of Bruiser at 16:52 and it’s the Young Bucks in fifth.

Back from another break with a double slugout, as should be the case with these four. It’s the Bucks taking over (of course) with their dropkicks until they both run into Shelley’s boots in the corner. A missile dropkick puts Matt down and he’s sent head first into Nick’s crotch. Stereo running boots in the corner have the Bucks in more trouble and there’s the Dream Sequence to Matt.

We hit the chinlock (not the move you would expect in a fast paced match like this) as the announcers talk about the Women’s Title tournament without actually saying who won the thing. The first superkick gets Matt out of trouble and a few more are enough for the hot tag to Nick. That means the slingshot X Factor and apron moonsault, followed by a suicide dive as things speed way up.

Double superkicks have Shelley down on the floor but Shelley gets out of the Meltzer driver. A superkick and spear set up a springboard splash/standing moonsault for two on Sabin. Shelley comes back in and tries Sliced Bread #2 but gets taken down instead. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up but Skull and Bones is countered into a backslide to pin Sabin at 26:29.

Back from one more break with the Kingdom beating on Matt as his back has flared up again. Marseglia can’t hit a Russian legsweep so he takes Matt down and puts a knee into his back for a chinlock instead. Matt gets in a shot but O’Ryan pulls Nick off the apron and takes his place. That earns him a superkick and Nick comes in off another hot tag. To be fair he’s pretty good at it so it’s harder to complain. A big flip dive takes both Kingdom guys down but it’s too early for a 450.

Instead he gives O’Ryan a German suplex on the apron and a tornado DDT from the same apron to Marseglia. There’s the Sharpshooter on O’Ryan and Marseglia’s right hands aren’t enough for the break. Instead he grabs the ax but murder is a bit too far. The referee takes it away so Marseglia uses the bat to give O’Ryan two instead. Just a baseball bat shot you see.

Another shot misses and it’s off to Matt to forearm away until O’Ryan gets him in the bad back. Matt gets taken to the floor for a powerbomb on the bare boards but Nick makes the save with a kick to the face. The Meltzer Driver, with Nick helping Matt lift O’Ryan for the Tombstone, is good for the final pin at 37:02.

Rating: B-. See, the Bucks selling and making a comeback instead of beating the heck out of everyone for the whole match makes things that much easier to sit through. The rest of the teams, save for the Guns, were really just there for the sake of filling in time, which is the common trend for a match like this. It didn’t feel long either so it’s not that much to sit through. Good match, but really just there to set up something later on.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event made this a good show with one big thing taking up most of the show instead of trying to build the storylines without actually advancing any of the stories. It was fine for a way to get through an hour and hopefully next week gets us to something fresh. I can live with something like this for awhile but you’re only going to get that far with stand alone episodes. At least this one was good though and that’s all you could hope it would be.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

16^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 9, 2018
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Sunrise Manor, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for another Ring of Honor pay per view and that can mean a mixed bag of results. The main event this time around is World Champion Dalton Castle defending against Jay Lethal in what should be a good match. Other than that we have the Briscoes defeating the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles. I would say challenging but it’s about as obvious as you can get. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the go home show if you need a recap.

Pre Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament First Round: Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Kimura is from Stardom in Japan and one half of their Tag Team Champions with her partner Kagetsu, at ringside. Sumie’s offer of a handshake is ignored and Hana pounds her down to start. A whip sends Sakai outside and Kagetsu chokes away like a villain should.

Back in and Hana pounds away, followed by a surfboard with a few presses up and down. A half crab stays on Sakai’s back but she’s still able to counter a suplex into a DDT. Sakai gets two off a bridging belly to back, only to have Kagetsu grab her leg on top. Hana’s brainbuster is good for two but it’s time for some heel miscommunication. The team is sent into each other and Sakai dives onto both of them in a good visual. Back in and Hana hits a Helluva Kick for two but Sakai grabs something like Cross Rhodes for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on a match like this as you’re basically expected to watch the YouTube matches and Stardom to know who these people are. Sakai has been around Ring of Honor for a long time now and other than the fact that she’s a wrestler and from Japan, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about her. That’s the case with most of the women’s division and that’s not good. Work on that and the division will get better in short order.

Post match Sakai gets beaten down by both villains.

Pre Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Brandi Rhodes vs. Tenille Dashwood

That would be Emma if you’ve already forgotten and Mandy Leon is on commentary. Tenille easily takes the rookie Brandi down for some early near falls but gets taken down by a shoulder. Brandi points to her head….and gets tripped down with Tenille not even getting off the mat. Point to Dashwood.

Back up and Brandi runs the ropes for a crisscross but Tenille just stops, leaving her to run on her own. Brandi slaps her in the face and that means the beating is on, including a double leg takedown and some right hands. A chase goes a bit better for Brandi and an awkward back elbow to the face staggers Tenille. Brandi goes with a short armscissors followed by a Sling Blade for two.

Tenille is back with a clothesline for two of her own and two more have Brandi in more trouble. There’s the Tarantula and the Taste of Tenille (Emma Sandwich) gets another near fall. Brandi hurts her knee on a…yeah I’m not even going to bother saying it’s real as the goldbricking sets up Cross Rhodes for two on Dashwood. A middle rope dropkick misses though and Dashwood hits the Spotlight Kick (running kick to the side of the head) for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: D. This really wasn’t good as it was clear Brandi had no business being in the ring with someone like Dashwood. I get why Brandi is getting a push (gorgeous smile, married to Cody, has a ton of potential) but she’s REALLY not there yet and it’s showing badly. They did play up the idea that she was in over her head but that’s not exactly how you want to be presenting a title tournament match.

Post match Brandi won’t shake hands and leaves with Leon.

The opening video is presented like a short documentary with wrestlers talking about their favorite memories over the last sixteen years. It switches up to a standard opening video for a very nice setup.

Bully Ray is in the ring and welcomes us to the show, promising a great night. He’s very good in the role of a hype man.

The announcers run down the card that we’ve already paid to see.

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Flip Gordon

They fight over a wristlock to start, which really needs to stop being the opening to every match in so many promotions. Gordon does his nip ups to avoid everything but Takahashi just dances instead of wasting his time. Smart man there. A shoulder drops Takahashi and there’s a hand walk into a headscissors out to the floor.

Flip hits a non-flipping suicide dive but gets the bad end of a chase with Takahashi dropkicking him off the apron. Back in and Takahashi starts in on the arm but now it’s time to start with his stuffed doll, which is totally a thing in ultra serious Japan. Thankfully that goes nowhere and we hit a figure four necklock to keep Flip in trouble. Back up and Flip hits some forearms, followed by the running shooting star for two. That move is so overused anymore. A low superkick into the Falcon Arrow gets two more and it’s time to head up.

The 450 misses and Takahashi snaps off a Canadian Destroyer, only to get superkicked before Flip goes down. Gordon wins a slugout with another superkick and the Star Spangled Stunner for two. Another 450 misses and Takahashi Death Valley Drives him into the corner, followed by a German suplex for a near fall of his own. A superkick sets up the Time Bomb to end Gordon at 12:22.

Rating: C. Good choice for an opener here as the company clearly sees something in Gordon but can’t put him over a pretty big name like Takahashi. You can tell Gordon is going to be a big deal in the near future and thankfully he has some more things going for him than just high flying offense. He needs more polish, but what he has so far is working well enough.

Quick recap of Punishment Martinez vs. Marty Scurll. Marty wanted to be #1 contender and tried to talk Martinez into giving him a title shot if he won the title. Martinez gave him a chokeslam so tonight we’re having a #1 contenders match.

Marty Scurll vs. Punishment Martinez

Scurll jumps him before the bell and tries the Ghostbuster but Martinez throws it off with ease. The big flip dive to the floor rocks Marty and a curb stomp gets two. It’s too early for the chokeslam so Marty chases the referee to the floor instead. Marty kicks him in the leg and hits a tornado DDT but has to escape a Last Ride attempt. The chickenwing is shrugged off and a full nelson faceplant drops Marty again. They’re burning the mat up so far (at least by their standards) and I’m rather pleasantly surprised.

Back up and Marty breaks up a springboard by kicking the ropes out, banging up Martinez’s knee again in the process. A running knee to the knee (not the smartest idea in the world) allows Marty to go outside and grab a bag, which is quickly taken away. Martinez hits a HUGE dive over the top to take Marty and security down and a curb stomp onto the apron….doesn’t seem to do much damage. Well to be fair it is Ring of Honor.

It’s table time but the springboard flip dive only hits table as Marty is somehow alive after a curb stomp onto the apron. Back in and Marty gets two off a piledriver and it’s more superkicks, followed some hard stomps to the head. Martinez pops up again (to be fair, that’s what a monster should be doing) so Marty loads up the powder, only to settle for a low blow and the rollup pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. That’s more like it and you can pencil in Marty for the title shot at Supercard of Honor. I really could go for him winning the title, if nothing else for the sake of adding another issue tot he Bullet Club as Marty would be the only one holding a major singles title. Martinez is going to be fine as he can pop back up with the monster stuff and chokeslam people in have to recharge.

We recap the TV Title match. Silas Young cheated to steal the title at Final Battle but Kenny King won it back on TV. Tonight is the rubber match in a pretty decent feud.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Silas Young

King, the hometown boy with his daughter in the front row, is defending while Young has the Beer City Bruiser in his corner. Young slaps away a handshake offer and flips out of a snapmare. A dropkick puts King down and Silas takes a lap despite being in control. Back in and Young shoulders him down again but King grabs a trip into a Last Chancery. As usual it doesn’t last long so King is up with a hiptoss and a slam. Those are kind of a downgrade after a hold like a Last Chancery.

The announcers talk about Bob Holly as Silas gets forearmed in the face but still manages to break up a springboard. A chinlock doesn’t last long so King gets thrown through the ropes and into a cameraman for a different kind of crash. Back in and King reverses a suplex into one that goes over the top, putting both guys on the floor in a heap. Just like their previous match, they’re not exactly following a standard pattern here and I’m not sure how well it’s working.

A spinning kick to the face knocks Young outside again and now the dive hits him instead of the hardworking crew. Back in and a high crossbody gives the champ two but Young gets the same off a spinebuster. Neither guy can hit the finisher so Young settles for the springboard moonsault for two instead. The ref gets bumped and OF COURSE Silas hits Misery a few seconds later, giving him a delayed two. I’m really, really over that trope. As expected, King hits a quick Royal Flush to retain.

Rating: C. I still don’t like these two together but it’s nice to get this done once and for all. King is turning into a nice midcard act and someone who could be moved up the card with a big feud. He has the natural charisma and the athleticism can go along with it. Young needed to hold the title a little longer, but at least he got to win something.

Post match AUSTIN ARIES comes out with his belt collection, saying he’s never won the ROH TV Title. That’s a challenge, and odds are it’s going down in New Orleans.

Long recap of So Cal Uncensored vs. Bullet Club. So Cal Uncensored seems sick of dealing with the Club on top of the promotion (preach it brother) and had the Six Man Tag Team Titles won via cheating, only to have new enforcer Bully Ray restart the match. Tonight it’s a street fight for the titles.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Young Bucks/Adam Page

The Bucks and Page are defending. The champs dive onto So Cal to start and it’s already time for an assisted dropkick to stagger Daniels. A buckle bomb into stereo kicks to the head have Daniels in more trouble and a chair is brought inside. Page drops Sky onto the chair and scores with a dropsault for good measure. Sky’s misfortune continues with Page toss powerbombing him onto the ramp.

Thankfully Sky is back in with a kendo stick to save Kazarian from a belt whipping but the beating continues, including a shooting star off the apron onto Daniels. Kazarian is busted open as the Bucks pull a table out. Daniels is up to shove Matt through said table though and So Cal pops up to triple team Nick. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor drops Page and Nick gets crotches with the kendo stick.

Sky sticks Daniels by mistake but Matt gets pulled into a cutter to keep him down. Stereo dragon sleepers have the Bucks in trouble but it’s Page coming in with a trashcan lid for the save. Page’s belt with nails sticking out is whipped onto Kazarian’s back and somehow doesn’t horribly main him. A backbreaker through the chair keeps Matt in trouble and it’s time to set up some pieces of the barricade on the floor. Nick is back up to save his brother and we hit stereo Sharpshooters.

This time it’s Kazarian making the save so Daniels chokeslams Page and hits the BME for two. Daniels gets thrown through the barricade pieces though and everyone is down again. With Kazarian on the table, it’s time for a ladder. Sky makes a save with a cutter onto the apron but here’s Matt with an elbow off the ladder through Kazarian.

Back in and a 450 onto a trashcan onto Sky gives Nick two with Shane Taylor coming in for the save. Nick can’t slam him (thank goodness) but Page can give Shane the Rite of Passage. It’s Daniels up with some zip ties to tie Page to the post though and Sky hits Matt in the bad back. A Boston crab/dragon sleeper combo is enough to end Matt for the titles at 19:03.

Rating: A-. This was a lot of fun as they didn’t bother trying to waste time with the wrestling. The story called for a wild brawl and that’s what we got. If nothing else it’s fun to see the Bucks lose and having them be in tremendous pain makes things even better. So Cal Uncensored winning makes for a more interesting story as they’re trying to stick around after their contracts expire at the end of the year. Obviously we have a bunch of stuff to get through first, but this was a great start. Very solid match.

Post match the Kingdom comes in to beat the Bucks down until Ray makes the save.

We recap the pre-show matches. Any excuse for more Dashwood is a good thing.

We recap Matt Taven vs. Cody. They both want to be in the World Title hunt so Taven stole Cody’s ring (of honor). Cody turned face as a result, which is actually a better fit for him, at least in the short term.

Cody vs. Matt Taven

There’s no Kingdom with Taven but Cody brings out Brandi and the All-In Bear. Taven bails to the floor to start before coming back inside to exchange standing switches. The threat of Cross Rhodes sends Taven outside again but Cody follows, only to rub his nose against the bear’s. Back in and the American Deathlock has Taven in trouble but a rope is grabbed in short order.

Taven hot shots him to take over and stomps away but heads outside and yells at Brandi and the bear. A dive misses and Cody stays in trouble, this time with a reverse chinlock. Cody’s uppercut gives him a breather but Taven is right back with a Boston crab to stay on the back. Taven tries a Lionsault but hits knees, meaning it’s time for a slugout. Cody’s snap powerslam with a lack of snap gets two and an Alabama Slam gets the same. With nothing else working, the Bear tells Brandi to grab a chair but the referee takes it away.

The distraction lets Taven score with a kendo stick shot, followed by Cross Rhodes for a pretty good near fall. Cody’s Beautiful Disaster is kicked out of the air but the second attempt works just fine. Taven is right back up with the Climax (1%er) for two more and there’s the required ref bump, followed by a double knockdown. Cue the Kingdom to help with a low blow but Cody has a cup. Bully chases the Kingdom away and Cross Rhodes ends Taven at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was a little more overbooked than it needed to be, though at least the right person won. Cody is actually clicking as a heel but the Kenny Omega match is going to be a huge deal for him. He needs that kind of character development and this is a big step for him going forward.

Post match Cody gets the ring back but the Bear knocks him down. It’s Kenny Omega, who knocks Cody out with a V Trigger. Brandi makes the save and kisses Omega, saying to tell Kota Ibushi that he liked it. You think the fans went a little nuts over that one?

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Briscoes are all serious again and want their titles back. That means crushing the Motor City Machine Guns in by far the biggest layup on the card.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending and the fans are very solidly behind the Briscoes. Mark suplexes Sabin for an early two and it’s already time for an early exchange of stomping. Sabin gets over for the tag to Shelley so house can be cleaned in a hurry as everything breaks down. Double superkicks from the apron have Mark in trouble as the announcers go over various former Tag Team Champions.

Mark is right back up with the Blockbuster from the apron but Jay takes a hanging swinging neckbreaker to keep the champs rolling. With Mark busted open, Shelley rakes away at the cut and rubs the blood on the referee’s shirt. Dude at least pay for the laundry. How much do you think these guys make? That’s enough for Jay as he comes back in and kicks the champs in the head.

Shelley is taken outside and manages to dodge a dropkick through the ropes, sending Mark into Jay instead. A hot tag brings in Sabin and the rapid fire double teaming begins. An assisted Sliced Bread #2 sets up the Cradle Shock with Jay making the save. There’s the Dream Sequence but Sabin dropkicks Mark by mistake for a double knockdown. The Froggy Bow gets two on Sabin but the Doomsday Device is countered into a rollup for the same. Jay gets two off the Jay Driller and I’m rather surprised on the kickout. Instead, the Doomsday Device connects to give the Briscoes the titles back.

Rating: B-. This was an obvious ending but at least the Guns were game here. The Briscoes are just on another level right now and there’s no reason to not have the titles back on them. I’m not sure who could take the titles from them anytime soon and if that means more awesome, surly Briscoes, I’m very pleased.

We get the same promo from Castle that we’ve seen twice on TV as of late, with him saying he can feel it in his belly.

Jay Lethal is ready to get his title back and isn’t leaving Las Vegas without it. At least this was something new.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Dalton Castle

Castle is defending and of course we get Big Match Intros. Lethal’s leg trip attempts don’t get him anywhere and Castle is laughing. Castle shoulders him down and an early Bang-a-Rang attempt sends Jay outside. Back in and we hit the peacock pose before Castle forearms him in the corner. Castle blocks some suplex attempts and grabs one of his own to put Lethal in the most trouble yet.

Jay is right back with a trip to take it outside but Castle snaps off a hurricanrana of all things. That might mean a knee injury though and Castle is backpedaling in a hurry. Well as much of a hurry as you can have with a limp. Back in and an enziguri knocks Dalton off the apron for two suicide dives. The third is blocked though and Castle muscles him over for a German suplex on the floor.

Castle can’t follow up so the Boys fan the knee. How can you not chuckle at that? A chop hits the post though and Castle has another injury in short order. A ram into the bell has Castle in even more trouble but he posts Lethal for a breather. Back in and Lethal kicks one Boy off the apron but ring announce Bobby Cruise makes the catch. That earns Bobby a suicide dive so Cabana goes over to check on him.

Castle waistlocks Jay, apparently having recovered while Lethal wasted so much time. The Lethal Combination gives Jay two so it’s off to a torture rack. For a unique change of pace, Lethal flips forward (think a Regal Roll) and gets two more to keep Castle’s ribs banged up. Castle grabs a bridging German suplex for two, making sure to lift his leg to relieve the pressure.

A quick cutter drops the champ and it’s right back to the knee to keep Castle down. Jay’s Figure Four keeps him in control and the Lethal Injection scores….for two on a heck of a kickout. They head to the apron and a kick to the knee takes Castle down again. Lethal can’t hit a cutter on the apron and it’s Castle German suplexing him from the apron to the floor in a SCARY crash. Back in and they slowly slug it out with Castle barely able to stand. Another Lethal Injection is countered and the Bang a Rang retains at 25:57.

Rating: A-. This is the win that Castle needed. It’s long been established that he can hang at this level but beating Lethal, probably the best big match performer Ring of Honor has at this point, is a requirement. This sets him on a roll going forward, likely with Scurll as the next challenge. The match itself was the back and forth fight that ROH does very well, especially without the standard WWE formula. Throw in a clean pin and no shenanigans and this was all you could have wanted.

Post match Lethal shakes his hand but Marty Scurll comes out for the challenge to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Heck of a show here as Ring of Honor continues to know how to knock the big shows out of the park. I’m looking forward to Supercard of Honor and I wouldn’t have bet on that being the case just a few months ago. Right now everything is clicking and it’s become a very easy show to watch. Even the Young Bucks aren’t as annoying lately, which I didn’t think was possible. Very good show here though and worth checking out if you have the time.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com, follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: February 7, 2018
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m actually looking forward to this show for once as the company has been more entertaining as of late. The World Title situation has been very fun in recent weeks, which I never would have guessed with Dalton Castle on top. Hopefully the rest of the show can be just as entertaining as we move forward. Let’s get to it.

We look at Matt Taven attacking Cody last week, seemingly turning Cody face in the process.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Best Friends vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending. Sabin and Chuckie start things off and it’s an exchange of armdrags into a standoff. Both guys tag so it’s off to Shelley vs. Barretta with Shelley being taken down. The Friends load up the hug but Sabin breaks that up. Friendship hater. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Friends score with running corner clotheslines. That’s enough for the big hug and we take a break.

Back with Chuckie powerbombing Sabin for two but missing a moonsault. Sabin’s tornado DDT/dropkick combination takes the Friends down, followed by the Dream Sequence. Shelley tries a double Sliced Bread #2 on the floor but gets reversed, setting up a toss into a cutter. Barretta is right back up with a big flip dive and we get another hug in the aisle, only to have the Briscoes run in for the DQ at 9:13.

Rating: C-. I’m not wild on either of these teams but it’s not like it matters with the Briscoes being right there waiting to destroy whomever they face at the pay per view. The Best Friends do the hugging spot too often (twice in the match, plus another failed attempt) and it feels more like they’re just having fun than trying to win a title. That’s not a good thing and it happens too often around here.

Post match the Briscoes beat the Friends down before zip tying Shelley to the ropes. Sabin eats a Jay Driller “onto” a chair.

Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas debut next week.

Video on Punishment Martinez, talking about his fighting background and growing on the streets. He has a good, menacing voice here as he talks about torturing Jay White and various other names. After winning the Survival of the Fittest, it’s time to come for Dalton Castle and the World Title. Good promo here as Martinez shows us a bit of a different side.

Shane Taylor vs. Marty Scurll

Taylor throws him around to start so Marty stomps in the fingers to get a breather. A trip to the floor allows Marty to score with some superkicks from the apron, only to get shoved into the barricade. Back from a break with Shane missing a sitdown splash so Marty can score with a missile dropkick.

The suicide dive is broken up and Marty hits a tornado DDT off the apron. For some reason Marty tries the Ghostbuster, meaning he earns the splash for two. A chokebomb gives Taylor the same and amazingly enough, Marty’s finger break is stopped as he takes way too long. Somehow Marty manages a suplex for two, only to have the chickenwing broken up with ease. Shane grabs the umbrella but has it taken away, allowing Marty to throw powder in his face for the pin at 10:57. Ignore the referee not seeing the cloud of powder, the powder on the mat or the powder on Shane of course.

Rating: C. Marty was in full on face mode here and it was really working for him. I’m starting to get my head around the idea that a villain can be a good guy as Marty’s talents are starting to show more and more every time. I could easily go for Marty vs. Castle at Supercard of Honor and it would be a good match, if nothing else because of the promos.

Post match Scurll calls out Martinez, who sneaks in through the crowd. Next week, Punishment gets a World Title shot against Castle and Marty wants the first shot at the new champ. Martinez nods and then chokeslams Marty.

We look back at Bully Ray’s retirement last week.

The Women’s Title tournament starts next week. It’s about time.

Matt Taven vs. Cody

Taven speeds things up to start but neither can hit an early finisher. A standoff takes us to a very early break and we come back with Cody being tossed to the floor. They switch places though and Cody hits a big dive onto all three members of the Kingdom. Taven sends him arm first into the barricade though, followed by a whip into the post. The Kingdom gets in a few cheap shots in a sequence that works so well that they do it again.

Back in and both guys try a springboard kick to the head, meaning it’s another double knockdown as we take a break. We come back again with Cody hitting an Alabama Slam for two of his own. Taven kicks him down but his frog splash hits knees. The Kingdom tries to interfere again and that means a double ejection. The distraction lets Taven grab his walking stick but Cody kicks him low and hooks the small package for a pin at 11:25.

Rating: C-. I’m still not feeling Taven but I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have Cody go over here. Cody is a much bigger star than Taven and doesn’t need the win here. Let Taven get a pin here, especially if it’s by shenanigans, and build him up a bit if that’s where they’re going. The match was fine, albeit with a lot of the usual Kingdom shenanigans.

Post match the Kingdom beats on Cody, including crushing his hand. Taven forces him to kiss the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The roll takes a bit of a hit here but I still like what’s going on here more than most of the last year. There’s a great top of the roster here and that makes for a good show, especially with the Briscoes being as awesome as they’ve been in years to carry the tag division. Good show here as Ring of Honor has stopped being a chore to watch.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: January 24, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Cheeseburger

After last week’s fairly strong show, we’re back in Philadelphia for more fallout from Final Battle and the return of the Young Bucks to ROH TV. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we’re going, though some more information on the Women’s Title tournament would be nice. They’ve talked about the division for so long now but we still need some actual development. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at what happened after last week’s show with Matt Taven and the Kingdom beating World Champion Dalton Castle down. Taven said he did that because he’s Matt Taven…and that’s about it. They’re building Taven well and if he’s more serious in his promos, I think I can live with this.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: The Dawgs vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending and it’s Shelley vs. Ferrara to start. Alex runs Ferrara over early on as Cabana wants to know where Cheeseburger is keeping his fries. Hopefully away from any actual matches. Sabin gets in a running kick from the apron and it’s Titus getting caught in the middle of some hard strikes to the face. Sabin adds a dive through the ropes and it’s off to an early break.

Back with the Dawgs actually in control until Shelley kicks Ferrara in the face and sends them into each other. A belly to back suplex looks to set up the tag to Sabin but Titus is there to break it up. An STO sets up a frog splash but Rhett only hits mat, allowing Sabin to kick Ferrara in the face. Ferrara can’t get a tornado DDT and the Dawgs are sent into each other again. The Guns hit the Dream Sequence, followed by a bunch of kicks to Ferrara. A Death Valley Driver/Cradleshock combo finishes Ferrara at 7:38.

Rating: C. Nice quick win for the Guns here but you can tell it’s all about setting up the Briscoes as the next champions. I’m not a fan of the Dawgs whatsoever but they put in an acceptable performance here, which is a lot more than I would have expected from them. Giving the Guns a pretty easy win like this makes sense and that’s all it was supposed to be.

Post match the Briscoes come out to say they’re the next champs. They better be.

So Cal Uncensored pays off Shane Taylor to deal with the Bullet Club later tonight.

Kenny King is ready to get his TV Title back. I could go for that.

Josh Woods vs. Jonathan Gresham

Rematch from the Final Battle pre-show where Gresham won. They hit the mat to start with Gresham getting in a slap to the face as the announcers talk about the old Pure Wrestling Title, which Gresham seems to miss. Back up and Woods throws him into the corner, only to get caught with a running dropkick to the knee. Another kick to the face puts Woods down again and it’s off to a neck hold as we take a break.

Back with Woods blocking a monkey flip but getting pulled out to the floor anyway. Gresham tries to dive back in but lands on a shot to the face, followed by Woods kicking him in the jaw to keep Jonathan in trouble. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes into a powerbomb gives Woods two so he knees Gresham in the face. Back up and Gresham grabs a rollup, knees Woods in the back, and rolls him up even more for the same move he used to win the first match at 8:49.

Rating: C. Gresham has certainly set himself apart with the crazy technical stuff and that’s a good thing. There are a lot of technical guys around Ring of Honor and having someone be the best of the group is one of the best things he could do. Being the wrestler is fine for a gimmick, especially if your name and look are both so basic.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit, this week with Coast 2 Coast, who are splitting up if they don’t win their next match. They don’t want to split but they’re ready to start from the bottom all over again. Neither wants to hold back people who deserve the spot more than they do but Coleman runs his mouth about Ali (who came up with the idea of splitting) being the weak link. Ali gets fired up and does a nice promo, only to be shut down when he finds out their opponents are War Machine. As usual, Coleman added nothing here and was just a person in the scene.

Here’s Cody for his first comments since losing the title. He stripped everything away from Dalton Castle and left him as just a man. That man happened to be better though and he took the title at Final Battle. Cody will get a rematch and still has the official Ring of Honor but here’s Matt Taven to interrupt. Taven says Cody isn’t fooling anyone and he sees Cody for the little blond b**** that he is.

Matt goes to leave but Cody mocks him for actually dropping the mic. Cody talks about his hair, which got a bigger pop at Final Battle than Taven will ever get in his life. That line alone almost turns Cody face and we get a CODY’S HAIR chant. Taven actually agrees to kiss the ring but kicks Cody low. Again, I can live with this kind of Taven instead of the weird unfunny kind. Cody as a face is fine too, though it’s quite the sudden turn, if that’s what they’re going for.

Punishment Martinez vignette.

Dragon Lee/Titan vs. Best Friends vs. Young Bucks

Two in the ring at a time. Titan and Chuckie chop it out to start with the fans enjoying the volume. Chuckie kicks him down but it turns into a battle of flips and spins, which of course goes to Titan. A springboard crossbody is dropkicked out of the air though and it’s off to Barretta for a big hug. The double elbow makes up for it a bit and we hit the BEST FRIENDS chant.

Lee gets in a kick from the apron and Titan adds a hurricanrana, only to have Nick come in for some springboards of his own on Lee. A rope walk into a twisting armdrag puts Lee down but since it’s only an armdrag, he’s right back up with a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Bucks both come in for some Sliced Bread and tosses into a dropkick and hurricanrana. The fans love the Bucks of course and don’t mind a bit as they clear the ring for the Rise of the Terminators pose.

There’s a double suicide dive onto the Best Friends, followed by Lee suicide diving onto the Bucks, who just stand there while the luchadors set it up. Titan adds a huge moonsault to the floor but the Friends (after another hug) hit stereo dives onto all four. Barretta takes too long setting up the Two Dog Night though and it’s time for the superkicks. A double Sharpshooter from the Bucks takes us to a break.

Back with Lee blocking a super hurricanrana attempt and catching Nick with the Alberto Del Rio Tree of Woe stomp. It’s off to Barretta so the Best Friends get their own run of double teaming. The Lawn Dirt (reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter) drops Nick but Titan is in with a springboard missile dropkick. Nick is right back up (shocking) with his suicide dive and moonsault, only to have Lee hurricanrana him off the apron.

A springboard frog splash gives Titan two on Barretta but Matt and Chuckie make a save. That means a rather awkward hug, much to Nick’s shock. Of course Chuckie is so MESMERIZED that he can’t avoid the incoming superkick. Lee tries a running hurricanrana but gets powerbombed onto the apron for his efforts. Nick dives onto Barretta before coming back in for the Meltzer Driver on Titan for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. It helps a lot when they’re not trying to do anything more than do a bunch of crazy spots, which is where the Bucks shine more than anything else. The Best Friends aren’t my favorite act in the world but once they drop some of the cuteness, they’re fun enough. At the same time, the CMLL guys were a lot of fun as your standard high flying lucha team and there’s always a place for that in wrestling.

Post match So Cal Uncensored runs in to go after the Bucks but Hangman Page makes the save with a chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring of Honor is at its best when they’re versatile and that’s what they did here. They had a little bit of everything on this show and it made for a fast moving, entertaining hour. The World Title situation is getting hot in a hurry and Castle could have some very fun matches against the top talent in the promotion. Good show here and Ring of Honor is actually getting on a bit of a roll.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 6, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

Things are starting to pick up with two weeks to go before Final Battle. I’ve been liking the shows more and more as of late, which hopefully keeps up this week. They still need some more build towards some of the matches but they’ve certainly been doing more good than bad as of late. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Marty Scurll

Marty gets tossed outside to start so he gets a bit smarter by going after Bruiser’s fingers. Some forearms against the barricade have Bruiser in even more trouble as this is full on face Marty. Bruiser misses a charge and hits the barricade as we take a break. Back with Bruiser missing a frog splash and Jay Lethal coming out to watch. A superkick to the jaw and another to the leg have Bruiser staggered but a hard clothesline takes Marty back down for two.

Marty’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and Bruiser knocks him outside again. That means another missed dive and both guys are down on the floor. Bruiser dives back in at nineteen and it’s off to an octopus hold. The referee gets bumped (of course he does) and the fans say he deserves it. What a bunch of jerks. Marty hits Bruiser in the head with the umbrella for the pin at 10:16 with Jay teasing coming out for the save but standing his ground instead.

Rating: D+. I could go for Scurll as a face actually, even if his name is the Villain. I know it’s a stretch to have a villain as a face, but in a weird way it’s actually working. Bruiser wasn’t the best in the world here but having Lethal tease making the save and then allow Scurll to be the villain makes for an interesting story heading into the pay per view.

We look at Dalton Castle winning the first Soaring Eagle Cup tournament.

Castle talks about being a wrestler his whole life and it being who he is instead of what he does. Then he showed up here and worked his way to the top. It took a long time to get himself noticed and one person to notice him was Cody. They had a match earlier this year where Cody snuck in and attacked him. Cody even shipped the Boys out, which isn’t going to make him weak. Next week: they sign the contract. Castle was a lot more serious here and it worked that much better.

Earlier this week, the Briscoe Brothers went to Bully Ray’s training center but he wasn’t there. The trainees introduced themselves to the Brothers and of course got beaten up. The Brothers went on to break a bunch of pictures with Jay shouting at a picture of Bully, asking what it’s going to take to get in the ring. One of the trainees takes a 3D to wrap this up. Another good segment here for a good story.

It’s Coleman’s Pulpit time and hopefully I can hear him this week. Coleman’s guest is….himself. Coleman is ready for his TV Title shot and thinks Kenny King is just jealous. Kenny isn’t a king, a peasant or a pawn but rather a ho. I still don’t get the point of this show.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Kingdom

The Kingdom (TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia this time) are challenging and this is from a show in Fort Lauderdale. The Guns get jumped from behind to start but come right back with some clotheslines. That means a double dive to the floor, only to have the Kingdom whip the champs into the barricade.

Back in and Marseglia gets punched out of the air, setting up something close to Poetry in Motion in the corner. The champs start in on O’Ryan’s leg and we hit a Figure Four. Marseglia gets one as well but both holds are pretty quickly broken. Everything breaks down with the Kingdom grabbing a spinebuster on Shelley to take over. The Kingdom holds up the titles and we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a high crossbody onto the two of them, only to have O’Ryan grab a Twist of Fate. Marseglia’s Swanton gets two and the assisted Regal Roll gets the same with Sabin driving O’Ryan into the cover for the break. With nothing else working, it’s time for the baseball bat and the ax but TK hits Marseglia by mistake. Since IT WAS A BASEBALL BAT TO THE HEAD, something like a double One Winged Angle is needed to put Vinny away at 11:53.

Rating: C. Hopefully this helps to get rid of the Kingdom being around the Tag Team Title scene. They may not be horrible but I really don’t need to see them near the titles. Watching them wrestling is still better than listening to Matt Taven talk, though that’s not saying much. Good enough match, but they completely lost me after the ball bat to the head. I mean…..really? That’s not even worthy of a cover?

Flip Gordon vs. Adam Page

No transition here as we’re back in Lakeland for the main event. Flip gets shoved away but he backflips to stay on his feet. Page can’t clothesline him due to a series of nipups as the announcers plug the Being the Elite series. They trade flips off the apron and there’s the handstand into a headscissors to put Page on the floor. Another flip dive takes Page down but he’s still able to kick Gordon in the face to take over. It’s chair time with Page launching up into a hard shot to the face as we take a break.

Back with Page getting two off a bridging suplex but Gordon scores with an enziguri. They kind of botch a sunset flip and both guys are down for a bit. A running shooting star gives Gordon two but Page sends him outside for a big moonsault to the floor. Rite of Passage is broken up and the Samoan Pop (a reverse Regal Roll), followed by a springboard spinning Stunner for the pin on Page at 8:44.

Rating: C-. So here’s the problem: Gordon is known for his flips and being all athletic and stuff. They were trying to make him stand out….and then they have Page match him move for move and flip for flip. That just makes me think Page is his equal and a win by a relative newcomer isn’t going to help that. I like the idea of pushing someone new, but they execution didn’t work.

Post match the Young Bucks come in and superkick Gordon down, drawing the big face pop. OH COME ON ALREADY! You just gave Gordon a big, clean win and THIRTY SECONDS LATER you have him getting beaten down again for the sake of ANOTHER YOUNG BUCKS MOMENT! The Bucks didn’t need to be there and it would be nice to have pushed Gordon on his own for a few minutes. But no, let’s push the big stars instead because they’re what matters and they might not get every viewer to their YouTube show if we don’t push them as the biggest deal in the world. My goodness this made me mad and that shouldn’t happen.

Cody says Gordon won’t take the Six Man Tag Team Titles, just like Castle won’t take the World Title.

Overall Rating: C-. That ending just destroyed any good things this show had going for it. I liked the Briscoes segment and the Scurll match was the right idea but none of that matters if we don’t focus on the Bucks AGAIN. Would it be the worst thing in the world to have them leave for a bit? Maybe they could actually have some other names get somewhere and not be so reliant on them all the time. But nah, let’s go with the Bucks every single time because that’s never going to get old.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: November 8, 2017
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

The big match this week is Mark Briscoe challenging Kenny King for the TV Title. Now this brings up a few issues, starting with Briscoe’s elbow injury. Other than that though, there’s the question of Jay Briscoe, who doesn’t seem to like the idea of his brother going after singles gold, meaning he may be a factor here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video on War Machine wanting their Tag Team Titles back and getting more aggressive a few weeks ago.

Opening sequence.

Briscoe vs. King is off for tonight due to the elbow injury. So much for that.

The Dawgs vs. Coast to Coast vs. The Kingdom

Matt Taven joins commentary. O’Ryan and LSG start things off with a slap sending TK into the corner for a tag to Ferrara. Coast to Coast hit a double flapjack for two on Ferrara and Ali adds a flip dive over the top. Titus comes in and throws Ferrara over the top onto the pile, followed by Marseglia hitting a springboard flip dive.

LSG adds his own corkscrew dive and everyone is down. Back from a break with Ali dropkicking the Dawgs down but having no one to tag thanks to the Kingdom. The hot tag brings in LSG a few moments later as everything breaks down. The Dawgs take care of the Kingdom, leaving Ali alone to get double teamed.

Ferrara gets lifted up for a dropkick but the Dawgs starts shoving each other. A catapult into a splash gives Ferrara two with LSG making a save. Coast to Coast hits Coast to Coast on Titus as Taven won’t shut up about some conspiracy against the Kingdom. Speaking of the Kingdom, they come back in and throw LSG out, followed by Marseglia hitting a Regal Roll on Ali while O’Ryan gives Marseglia an AA (kind of complicated) for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C-. I like Coast to Coast more every time I see them but the Dawgs are neither funny nor entertaining. Throw in Taven as a horribly annoying commentator and there was a lot of bad stuff here with the action barely being able to overcome it. There was some good stuff here, but my goodness Taven should never be allowed near a microphone.

The Dawgs get in another argument while the Kingdom laughs and says they want the Tag Team Titles or the Six Man Tag Team Titles because there’s a conspiracy against them.

We look at Cody making a fan kiss the ring at one of the 18 Global Wars shows but it wound up being Dalton Castle, who laid the champ out.

Flip Gordon wants to fight the Bullet Club and shows why he shouldn’t be allowed to talk.

Here’s Cody who wants to issue an open challenge. He asks Ian to come up to the ring to see who should get the shot. Ian, along with the crowd, thinks Castle should get the shot but Castle isn’t here tonight. Cody has an idea though.

ROH World Title: Cody vs. Ryan Nova

Cody is defending and Nova has only been training for eight months. The champ offers Nova the ring….and Nova eats it. That’s not cool with Cody so he turns his head, only to get rolled up for two. Nova rolls over into a kick to the head…and walks into Cross Rhodes. The American Deathlock retains the title at 1:13.

Post match here’s Castle (Why didn’t he come out when his name was mentioned?) to ask if that’s it. Dalton thinks Cody is a good….no, great….no, good wrestler, but his performances as champion have been lackluster. Castle wants the title shot, but Cody has a better idea: he can make a phone call to Paul and get Dalton a developmental deal.

Cody walks past him but Dalton drops him with a forearm and the Bang-a-Rang. He loves it here and he’s taking the title. Really good stuff here and I want to see the match, especially with Castle in a far more normal look (sport coat, t-shirt with tinted sunglasses and a peacock pin) and being more serious.

We look back at Bully Ray announcing what sounds like his retirement.

Jay Lethal wants the World Title back because he’s the one everyone looks to and that’s what people expect. I wasn’t a Lethal fan for a long time but he’s turned into the top ROH star, which is a hard role to fill. Honestly it might be the shaved head too, as his hair was a bit hard to take seriously.

We look back at Mark Briscoe’s elbow injury (thankfully with a cutaway when it’s dislocated. Unfortunately we do see it out of joint and EGADS that’s disturbing looking.

Mark wants his title shot next week, injury or no injury. Jay Briscoe comes in to say forget about the singles stuff because they’re a team. Mark points out that Jay is a two time World Champion but Jay doesn’t seem to care.

Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending. Shelley gets sent outside and Fallout hits Sabin for two in the first fifteen seconds. Well they’re certainly starting in a hurry. Rowe’s shotgun knees have Shelley rocked in the corner and War Machine is dominant early. It’s Shelley in trouble with Rowe blasting him with a forearm to the jaw.

The Guns finally get in a dropkick for a breather but War Machine is ready for the double dives. That’s fine with the champs as they low bridge Hanson to the floor for a suicide dive from Sabin. Things slow down a bit, which actually favors the champs here. Shelley takes out Rowe’s knee and we take a break. Back with Rowe throwing the Guns into each other, allowing the hot tag off to Hanson.

The running corner clotheslines have the champs in more trouble as everything breaks down. Hanson hits a handspring elbow to REALLY pop the crowd (not sure if it’s because he’s 300+ pounds or because he did an ECW move) but the Guns are right back with the Dream Sequence. That just earns Sabin a pop up powerslam….and here’s the Addiction to spray silly string at War Machine at Hanson. Kazarian: “GENERIC WRESTLING COMMENT!” Hanson goes after Daniels, leaving Sabin to roll Rowe up to retain at 10:58.

Rating: C+. I was digging the match but, assuming they’re not using this to further a War Machine heel turn (which seems possible), there was no reason to have them take a fall there. The match should have been thrown out with Addiction coming in and the pin makes War Machine look stupid. A heel turn would be good for them, but I’m not sure they can wrestle this high impact fast paced style and still expect to get booed.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m curious as to where they’re going with Final Battle and this show started setting some stuff up. The Castle vs. Cody stuff was good and has the potential to be an emotional main event, though Castle as a World Title contender is a bit of a stretch. Other than that, it’s still not entirely clear what’s coming at the pay per view, which could make the next few weeks a lot of fun. Unfortunately it could also make them annoying if they waste a lot of time, which ROH has a bad habit of doing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: August 30, 2017
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I don’t think we’re up to the newest batch of TV tapings just yet and that means it’s hard to say what to expect from this show. Last week was basically a throw away episode with the focus on the Six Man Tag Team Titles. That means this one could be anywhere really, which isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham/Jay White vs. War Machine

Non-title. Gresham and White jump them during the entrances in a somewhat heelish move. That lasts all of ten seconds though as War Machine slams both guys down, followed by Rowe slamming Hanson onto the pile. Gresham is back up with a dropkick to Hanson as White sends Rowe into the barricade. For some reason Gresham thinks a chop off with Hanson is a good idea, earning himself a battered chest.

White comes in for some more effective chops but Hanson runs him over and brings in Rowe. Everything breaks down and Gresham is LAUNCHED off a t-bone suplex. Rowe misses a dive to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive as we head to a break. Back with Rowe firing off running clotheslines in the corner. After he hits about twenty in a row, it’s a double splash to crush both Gresham and White.

Fallout is broken up so Gresham has to take a springboard clothesline into a German suplex instead. Another Fallout attempt is broken up so Rowe fireman’s carries both of them at once. That goes nowhere though and it’s Gresham enziguring him into a Downward Spiral for a rare near fall.

White’s German suplex gets the same but Rowe comes out of the corner with a seated senton to crush Gresham. Rowe headbutts everyone in sight (save for his partner and the referee of course) until Gresham moonsaults onto Hanson. A 450 is good for two on Hanson but it’s a pop up powerslam (Thor’s Hammer) to put Gresham away at 13:31.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a back and forth match as I don’t think I remember a bad White match. He does his thing very well and makes for some entertaining action. War Machine is better than your average power tag team and while it would be nice to see them get the ROH titles back. Then again that might suggest the Young Bucks aren’t the most amazing things ever and we just can’t have that. Really fun match here though.

Post match Punishment Martinez runs in and chokeslams White as War Machine leaves him to do so.

Caprice Coleman wants to know where his stuff is. He seems to think he’s a preacher and yells at the production staff. We get a nice rant about how he wasn’t respected when he was in the Rebellion and he’s tired of it. They have a week to get this stuff set up.

QT Marshall is out for commentary. Oh yeah he’s a person that exists.

We look back at the Kingdom destroying Jay Briscoe last week.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Taylor attacked Woods a few weeks ago and this is as soon as we can get around to a follow up. Woods goes right after him to start with a flying knee and a kick to the head to put Shane outside. That’s fine with Josh who keeps slugging away, only to be thrown through the barricade to send us to a break.

Back with Woods stopping a corner charge with a raised boot. Taylor switches tactics and kicks him face first into the middle buckle before hitting a running Umaga attack for one. Woods fights up again with another running knee, only to get flattened with a clothesline. For some reason Shane goes after him on the mat and gets pulled into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well so it’s off to an ankle lock and a German suplex for a nice power display. Shane runs him over again but goes outside to grab a chair instead of following up. The referee takes it away though, allowing Woods to roll Taylor up for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C. Taylor still doesn’t do much for me as he’s just another big guy who can do some athletic stuff but nothing that really blows me away. Woods is starting to grow on me though, which is a lot more than I was expecting to after dreading the Top Prospect Tournament for so many weeks. I have a feeling the feud is going to continue though and that’s not the best thing in the world.

Post match Marshall comes to ringside to tell Taylor to beat down Woods. After Josh is destroyed, Marshall pays Taylor off. Oh yeah it’s continuing.

The Young Bucks are ready to defend against the Motor City Machine Guns because it’s not 2009 anymore. Superkicks are promised.

Minoru Suzuki will answer Cody’s challenge for Death Before Dishonor. Yep: another import with no connection to ROH getting the shot because he’s Japanese and therefore awesome. Screw the stories, screw the talent who has worked to get ROH over and screw everything else. Suzuki is a Japanese legend and that’s what Ring of Honor exists for anymore: giving New Japan guys another place to perform and be revered at ROH’s expense. I’m so freaking thrilled.

Cody is livid.

Kenny King talks about being on the Bachelorette and getting his rematch with Kushida at Death Before Dishonor in his hometown of Las Vegas. King was a lot more serious here and it worked a lot better. The Bachelorette could have been cut out though.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Bucks are defending and get straight in the Guns’ faces during the Big Match Intros. Back from a break with the opening bell, meaning Nick can tell Shelley to suck it, which of course makes him the biggest face in the building. The Guns send the champs outside for a suicide dive to both of them as things pick up. Back in and Nick is put on Matt’s shoulders for a Downward Spiral from Sabin and a missile dropkick to the back from Shelley.

That’s a great example of the way too choreographed style that rubs me the wrong way in most Guns matches. There comes a point where I can’t buy that something is natural and the Guns blow past it every match. Shelly dives into a kick to the head though and the Bucks clean house while making sure to soak in some cheers. A flip dive takes out the Guns again and it’s time for Matt to say SUCK IT over and over.

It’s off to a double Sharpshooter with the Bucks throwing in some TOO SWEET’s at the same time. Back from a break with some miscommunication from the champs as everything breaks down. Sabin kicks Matt in the face and dives onto Nick as the Bucks are in some rare trouble. The champs are sent into the corner with Shelley suplexing Matt into Nick. Skull and Bones is broken up and the wheelbarrow facebuster plants Sabin.

Nick comes in off the hot tag to speed things up with the kicks in the corner. The slingshot X-Factor drops Shelley and the moonsault from the apron does the same to Sabin. Shelley is back up with a high crossbody to a seated Nick and the Guns fire off their running dropkick sequence to Matt. It’s superkick time with the Bucks firing off about ten in a row until Shelley takes them down with a double clothesline. And never mind as here’s Addiction for the no contest at 14:27.

Rating: C+. I’m still not much of a Guns fan. I loved their TNA stuff but now it feels so much more forced, which really does hold them back. The ending doesn’t help either as we’re pretty clearly setting up ANOTHER three way title match because we haven’t had anything like that in….oh at least a month or two.

Daniels and Kazarian clean house post match, including shoving a referee and a plant in a Bullet Club shirt (not acknowledge by commentary, who is likely reading their cards instead of paying attention).

Overall Rating: B-. This show was entertaining but it felt really, really long. I’m still not a fan of the tag division (to put it mildly) but Woods is growing on me and the opener was a lot of fun. Basically just keep me away from the Bucks, the Guns and the worship of all things New Japan and I’m a lot better with the show. Good effort this week though as usual, it feels like they’re running with an anchor and without a map.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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