Dynamite
Date: September 25, 2024
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the big show with grand Slam as we are at a tennis stadium in New York and we have a double main event. This show will see Bryan Danielson (probably) face Nigel McGuinness rather than the man who tried to murder him last month. Instead, the attempted murderer is getting a #1 contenders match because he wants the title of the champion he tried to smother. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson

Non-title and after two weeks of “will Danielson be able to wrestle”, he comes out with no real drama. They go technical to start before striking it out and fighting over wrist control. Danielson fires off a kick which might have been low before taking McGuinness to the mat. Danielson wins a fight over the LeBell Lock but McGuinness makes the rope. They head outside with McGuinness sending him into the steps and then ramming the arm into the post.

Back in and the London Dungeon (a seated armbar) stays on the arm but McGuinness takes him into the corner. That’s cut off with the running knee but McGuinness is back with his handstand in the corner. A flip away lets McGuinness hit a standing clothesline for two but Danielson moonsaults over him out of the corner, only for McGuinness to hit the rebound lariat for one.

Back up and a hammerlock lariat gives McGuinness two but Danielson kicks out of the London Dungeon. Instead it’s the Tower Of London (hanging Stunner out of the corner) for two and the London Dungeon goes back on. That’s broken up as well and they’re both down. Back up and McGuinness hits a heck of a clothesline for two, but his arm is down in the LeBell Lock. Danielson cranks back and, after a THANK YOU, McGuinness taps at 20:41.

Rating: B. It was a good fight though it never reached a top level. Granted there was only so much you could expect when McGuinness hasn’t been an active wrestler in well over ten years. I’m glad the match took place as they had set it up for so long on commentary but they made it such a mess with the Moxley stuff that it was a bit of a distraction. Still though, McGuinness looked good in what very well could be his last match so points for getting to do this.

Post match Christian Cage teases cashing in but Kip Sabian steals his pen. Cage runs off but gets stopped by Claudio Castagnoli and Pac.

FTW Title: Roderick Strong vs. Hook

Hook is defending and the Kingdom is here with Strong. They fight outside to start with Strong grabbing a kendo stick, which Hook takes away and uses on all three villains. A Russian legsweep with the stick sends Strong into the barricade but a Kingdom distraction lets Strong send him flying into the post as we take an early break.

Back with Hook throwing him around with suplexes, including a northern lights version out of the corner for two. Strong gets in a shot of his own and wedges a chair in the corner. Hook goes head first and a swinging belly to back faceplant gives Strong two. Strong gets sent through some chairs but he’s right back up with a gutbuster onto the open chair. Then Hook pulls him into Redrum for the win at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This was Hook in a hardcore match and that’s most of what we’ve seen from him for a long time now. Strong walking Hook through a twelve minute match could do a lot of good for Hook but instead it’s more of the same weapons stuff over and over. I get the idea of putting Hook on the show in New York but there was nothing special to see here.

Post match Strong and the Kingdom actually show respect. With the villains gone, Hook talk to Tony Schiavone and thanks the fans who have supported the FTW Title. Hook officially retires the title and hands it to Taz, who sheds a few tears. Thank goodness as there was no reason for the title to exist. Take away some of the clutter.

Tag Team Titles: Kyle Fletcher/Will Ospreay vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending. Matt takes over on Ospreay to start but it’s off to Fletcher to kick Matt down. Ospreay uses Fletcher as a step up for a moonsault, setting up stereo moonsaults to take the champs out on the floor as we take a break. Back with Ospreay coming in with the Phenomenal Forearm to Matt, setting up the double Pele Kick. A standing skytwister press gets two on Matt but Ospreay gets caught in the flipping splash into the sitout powerbomb for two.

The EVP Trigger is countered into a double Oscutter for a rather delayed two before Matt is back up with an X Factor to Ospreay. Fletcher 450 Matt but Nick drops Fletcher for the quadruple down and a big reaction from the crowd. The Bucks are back up first with the TK Driver onto the apron but Fletcher beats the count back in. We take another break and come back again with Ospreay cutting off another TK Driver, setting up stereo Styles Clashes for two.

The Stormbreaker gets two on Matt with Nick making the save so Fletcher gets up and cleans house. A Tombstone is cut off by a superkick but another TK Driver is cut off with an Oscutter. A TK Driver hits Matt for two and Coriolis gets the same, followed by a super brainbuster with Nick making the save.

Fletcher sends Matt outside for a suicide dive int o the steps, so Don Callis gives Fletcher the screwdriver. Fletcher loads it up but Ospreay takes it away and hands it off to the referee. Ospreay yells at Callis and then Fletcher, allowing Matt to get in a belt shot. Another shot from Nick knocks Fletcher into a rollup for two. The EVP Trigger retains the titles at 19:30.

Rating: B+. This was the popcorn match of the night, with the Bucks getting in their usual ridiculous kickouts and getting to do their flips before retaining the titles again. The tag division is in a shambles these days and the Bucks are probably going to get to hold onto the titles for a good while. That’s how the division tends to go, as the Bucks get to keep padding their stats.

The Conglomeration welcomes Rocky Romero to the team and are ready for the Learning Tree on Collision. The word of the day is vociferous, which is what the crowd will be tonight and on Collision.

Here is Prince Nana, who says that Swerve Strickland is fighting hard to come back but isn’t cleared just yet. Cue MVP, who interrupts to say that Swerve is the most phenomenal talent to ever set foot in an AEW ring. MVP lists off the people Swerve has defeated and was rather impressed. Then he saw Swerve lose to Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page, so why are they allowed to walk around smiling? MVP blames Swerve’s management for that and gives Nana his card to give to Swerve, saying he’s ready to talk business.  That’s a big one and MVP is already one of the best talkers in the promotion.

Jack Perry is driving to the stadium for Collision.

Women’s Title: Mariah May vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Sakazaki is challenging and dives onto May during her entrance. A 619 on the apron has May down on the floor and they head inside with the bell ringing and Sakazaki getting two. May sends her outside for a running dropkick, followed by a spinning side slam back inside. Sakazaki manages a choke in the corner, followed by some spinning rollups for two each. The Merry Go Round is broken up though and May hits a nasty German suplex for two of her own. Sakazaki is back with the northern lights bomb but the Magical Girl Splash hits raised knees. The running knee into Storm Zero retains the title at 6:11.

Rating: B-. Sakazaki never felt like a big time challenger to May, though for now there isn’t much of anyone to be that challenger. I know Mina Shirakawa is probably next up for her at Wrestledream, but that’s not exactly a top AEW name. Other than that though, it might just be waiting around for Toni Storm again.

Post match May loads up the belt but Willow Nightingale runs in for the save. Mina Shirakawa comes out and distracts Nightingale so May can get in a belt shot, which doesn’t seem to have been Shirakawa’s intention.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

For the Wrestledream World Title shot and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Feeling out process to start until Moxley hits him in the face. Allin is busted open early on and gets whipped hard out to the floor for a nasty crash (going through the middle ropes). Allin rakes the back on the floor though and hits a running dropkick, only to get planted back onto the floor. They get back to the apron where Allin ties the arm into the post (which has a hole on top) until Shafir makes the save.

Allin hits a big Coffin Drop off the top to the floor, setting up the big flipping suicide dive. A chair is set up but Shafir gets in Allin’s way and adds in a cheap shot. Moxley ties the arm around the post and we take a break. Back with Moxley elbowing away but Allin fights back up. Moxley heads to the floor and has a seat in the chair, with Allin dropkicking him out in a big crash. Back up and Moxley knocks him hard to the floor again. Shafir does as Moxley says and rips off the floor mats, revealing a rather hard surface.

Moxley can’t hit the Death Rider on the floor but he can avoid a dive to send Allin into the floor. A suplex drop onto the steps gives Moxley a nine count, where Allin gets a quick rollup for two. The Coffin Drop goes flying into Moxley’s rear naked choke but Allin fights up, foams at the mouth, and makes the rope. Moxley takes him up top but Allin strikes away and bites the head. Shafir gets on the apron for a distraction though and super Death Driver gives Moxley the title shot at 18:45.

Rating: B. This was one of those matches where the result was kind of obvious, as losing the title shot he didn’t have to defend is a rather Allin thing to do. The match itself was the usual AEW brawl, with a bunch of stuff happening and the referee just sort of going with it. It was still a total mess to get here, but Moxley is clearly the bigger deal right now and Allin can have his title shot later.

Post match Bryan Danielson runs in with a neck tie to choke Moxley. Shafir runs in for the save but here are Claudio Castagnoli and Pac to pull Danielson off instead. Private Party and Komander make the save. Moxley is pulled away from the running knee so Danielson threatens a hard head kicking at Wrestledream to end the show. If your backup is Private Party and Komander, just give Moxley the title now.

Overall Rating: B+. The big matches worked well and set up the right match for Wrestledream and thankfully the ending got to the point it should have been at a long time ago. For a free television show, this did feel big, and that’s the best thing that can be said about a show like this. The middle part of the show wasn’t as strong, but the opener and main event were good enough to carry this show rather far.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Nigel McGuinness – LeBell Lock
Hook b. Roderick Strong – Redrum
Young Bucks b. Will Ospreay/Kyle Fletcher – EVP Trigger to Fletcher
Mariah May b. Yuka Sakazaki – Storm Zero
Jon Moxley b. Darby Allin – Super Death Rider

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: September 21, 2024
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the last show before Grand Slam and that means it is time to start the final push towards the show. There is still a chance that we find out whether or not Bryan Danielson will be appearing at Grand Slam, along with anything else that might be added. Other than that, we have the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles on the line, as AEW shows continue to host a lot of the other promotion’s title matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes vs. Kingdom

The Kingdom is challenging in a Bunkhouse Brawl. Rhodes and Guevara come out in local hockey jerseys to make them even more popular. It’s a brawl on the stage to start as commentary points out that the Kingdom is from around here. The champs fight back inside as we talk about Dusty Rhodes giving Dustin the belt buckle he is wearing.

Bennett is already busted open and Guevara whips out a kendo stick to clean some house. A hard shot to the face sends Guevara outside though and something like a diving Doomsday Device on the floor makes it worse. Dustin goes after them but gets superkicked down, only to bulldog Taven off the stage and through some tables. Guevara is back up with a bulldog off the apron and through a table at ringside as we take a break. Back with Guevara being shoved off a ladder and through a table but Dustin grabs a double testicular claw to save himself.

A cowbell to the head puts Bennett down and Taven gets the same as the comeback is on. Dustin powerslams Taven onto a chair and then suplexes him through it for a nasty crash. Two chairs are set up and Dustin charges into a Death Valley Driver onto said chairs. Guevara is back in and gets Bennett in the corner, setting up Dustin’s Shattered Dreams and the Final Reckoning. Guevara’s Swanton off the ladder pins Bennett to retain at 13:19.

Rating: B. It was a good brawl, which is enough to get around the fact that the champions are still not that interesting. Guevara and Rhodes are just two guys who were put together because the show was in Texas for a few months. They don’t have anything special in the way of chemistry and yet Rhodes is a double champion for whatever reason.

The Conglomeration and Hologram are interrupted by the Premiere Athletes, who want no shenanigans. Mark Briscoe looks at these four scalawags and sees one shenanigator in the form of Mark Sterling. Kyle O’Reilly asks if shenanigator is the word of the day. Briscoe: “Close Kyle, but you’re way off.” The word of the day is AZUCAR, because Rocky Romero is here to even things out. As usual, Briscoe is as delightful of a thing as you will find in AEW.

The Dark Order is ready to face Darby Allin later tonight. Allin comes in to say there is a war coming with Jon Moxley and coming. He wants Evil Uno to remind him what he can do tonight.

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. Premiere Athletes

Rocky Romero is here with the good guys to even out the Athletes’ Mark Sterling. O’Reilly and Woods start things off with Woods having to bail to the ropes to escape the ankle lock. Hologram comes in to dropkick Nese, followed by another dropkick for another two. Sterling offers a distraction though and Woods gets in a cheap shot to take over as we go to a break.

Back with O’Reilly not being able to get over for the tag but then tagging in Hologram seconds later. Daivari gets in a knee from the apron though and Hologram has to hand it off to Briscoe for Redneck Kung Fu. The Death Valley Driver hits Woods and Hologram dives onto Sterling, leaving Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller for the pin on Woods at 8:59.

Rating: B-. More of the same as Hologram is put in there with any star AEW can find, but I’m not sure how much good it’s doing him. It’s not hurting him or anything, but it’s a lot of the same stuff that we’ve seen for a few months now. Hologram needs something of his own and while it’s not too late (or even close), I’m not sure what that is going to be.

The MxM Collection say last week (it was last night on Rampage) they promised to give Max Caster’s jacket a makeover. You’ll see what they’ve done…next week.

Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

Non-title. May blows Nigel McGuinness a kiss and he almost falls out of his chair. The distraction lets Frost grab a rollup for two but May rams her into the buckle a few times. May grabs a Stratusphere but charges into some boots in the corner. A middle rope crossbody gives Frost two but May snaps off a German suplex. May’s knee to the face into Storm Zero finishes at 3:29.

Rating: C. May stacks up another win, though she is still looking for that first big challenger. Yuka Sakazaki doesn’t count as such but it would not surprise me to see Toni Storm show up again after the title match at Grand Slam. For now though, giving May another victory is perfectly logical and about all that can be done.

Video on May vs. Sakazaki.

Willow Nightingale will be watching Grand Slam but Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie show up, saying Nightingale isn’t a good friend. Purrazzo offers Yuka Sakazaki protection and we get Nightingale vs. Valkyrie for Rampage.

Acclaimed and Billy Gunn don’t like the MxM Collection, with Max Caster actually rapping again for once.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley with Wheeler Yuta not sure if he should stick with Moxley and company.

Darby Allin vs. Evil Uno

Uno drives him into the corner to start and hammers away, with Alex Reynolds distracting the referee. That lets Uno whip Allin with a belt but Allin fights up and knocks Uno outside. Reynolds offers a distraction though and Allin gets sent into the steps to put him back in trouble. Back in and Allin grabs the Captain’s Hook (bulldog choke) before ripping at Uno’s mask in the corner. Uno is back with a Downward Spiral and Reynolds offers another distraction, earning him a whipping with the belt. Allin Coffin Drops onto the two of them on the floor, setting up the regular version to pin Uno back inside at 5:11.

Rating: C. Just a quick win to give Allin some momentum heading into his match with Jon Moxley at Grand Slam. Heating up Uno for one night didn’t exactly work but being out there for five minutes isn’t going to hurt things. Allin fought through some adversity and won, which is where he tends to shine.

We look at Hangman Page and Jeff Jarrett on Dynamite.

Jarrett promises to fight Page at Grand Slam, even if his wife Karen doesn’t. He proposes a lumberjack strap match because that’s how he was raised.

Queen Aminata vs. Serena Deeb

They start slowly until Deeb takes her down by the wrist. Aminata gets in a quick knockdown for two but Deeb sends her hard into the corner as we take a break. Back with both of them down until Aminata is up with a running boot in the corner. Some suplexes give Aminata two and a release German suplex sends Deeb flying.

The running knee in the ropes gives Aminata two more but Deeb is back with a hammerlock lariat for the same. Deebtox is broken up though and they trade rollups for two each. The big headbutt sends Deb outside but she’s fine enough to grab a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes. Now Deebtox can connect to finish Aminata at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Deeb getting a win is almost weird to see but at least she has some momentum for a change. On the other hand you have Aminata, who felt like she was going to be the next big thing but then she just stopped moving forward. They had a nice match here though, and Deeb can hopefully move on to something bigger.

We look at Saraya challenging Jamie Hayter to a Saraya’s Rules match.

Saraya and Harley Cameron explain the rules: Saraya can do anything and Hayter can’t do anything. Then Cameron eats the rules because she’s odd that way.

Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara are happy to retain their titles but Guevara wants another title. So he’ll face Kazuchika Okada for an eliminator match. Dustin believes in him.

Grizzled Young Veterans/Roderick Strong/Rush/The Beast Mortos vs. Outrunners/FTR/Hook

Drake headlocks Wheeler to start and then runs him over a few times. Back up and Wheeler grabs an armdrag into an armbar. Everything breaks down and Strong gets caught in the big circle of punches as we take a break. Back with Mortos and Harwood striking it out until Mortos knocks him into the corner for the cannonball. Rush comes in for the cocky boot to the face in the corner before it’s Gibson coming in.

That works better for Harwood, who grabs a snap suplex for two. Hook comes in to headlock Gibson but Drake comes in for a shot to the face. Strong chops Hook into the corner as Nigel complains about Schiavone’s lack of professionalism. Hook fights up and cleans house on his own but Mortos gets in a cheap shot so Strong can take over. We take another break and come back with Hook fighting out of a chinlock and escaping a suplex, allowing Floyd to come in.

Everything breaks down and the Paisan Elbow sets up the Shatter Machine (from the Outrunners) for two on Drake. Everything breaks down again and Gibson chokes away on Magnum in the ropes. Strong hits an Irish Curse for two and it’s back to Rush for the running clothesline. Strong grabs the chinlock as commentary talks about Bryan Danielson. Magnum fights up and a double clothesline gives him a needed breather.

The tag is cut off again though and we take another break. Back again with Harwood coming in to fire off the rights and lefts to put various villains down. Triple stereo German suplexes give us a triple near fall before Rush and Harwood chop it out. Mortos breaks up a Shatter Machine and hits a dive, leaving Harwood to get double teamed in the corner. The Bull’s Horns finishes Harwood at 24:17.

Rating: B. The result is a surprise as I was expecting the Outrunners to take the fall here but instead they were out there so the fans can have a good time with one of the most popular teams in the company. Rush continues to get a renewed focus and seeing him get a pin in a TV main event is a big spot.

Serena Deeb wants Britt Baker next week.

Nigel McGuinness is disgusted by the World Champion being a coward. The reality is Bryan Fears Nigel (which is what Nigel’s shirt says) but maybe Bryan should do it for the fans. The fans identify with him but Tony Schiavone interrupts, saying he has had enough of McGuinness. Danielson is not afraid of McGuinness and is only missing because he is not medially cleared.

Schiavone praises Danielson, earning a big threat from Nigel. He doesn’t care how Danielson does it but he wants Danielson in the ring to prove that he is just as good. Danielson knows who the better man is and knows what happens if he shows up at Grand Slam. The ball is in Danielson’s court and Nigel wants him there next week. Nigel is growing more and more unhinged here, which could make for a very interesting showdown.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and main event were both good but this show was in a tough spot. Grand Slam is all that matters and this show was much more about setting things up for next week. This show was good enough, but everything is going to matter next week and this was little more than a preview/prep show.

Results
Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes b. Kingdom – Swanton off a ladder to Bennett
Conglomeration/Hologram b. Premiere Athletes – Jay Driller to Woods
Mariah May b. Lady Frost – Storm Zero
Darby Allin b. Evil Uno – Coffin Drop
Serena Deeb b. Queen Aminata – Deebtox
Grizzled Young Veterans/Rush/Roderick Strong/The Beast Mortos b. FTR/Hook/Outrunners – Bull’s Horns to Harwood

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Collision
Date: September 14, 2024
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re getting closer and closer to Grand Slam and this is another taped show after the kind of weird taping schedule following All In. Dynamite was not the strongest show in the world so hopefully they can bounce back a bit here. That could be easily done as Collision can have some strong shows when given the chance. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is challenging and strikes away in the corner to start. A clothesline gives Perry a quick two and he does that cross pose in the corner. Perry gets two off a running clothesline and a neckbreaker, followed by a more basic kick to the head for one. A missile dropkick gives Perry two more, with Nigel saying Bryan Danielson stole that from Perry. Daniels manages a quick STO and the Death Valley Driver for two. The Angel’s Wings is countered and they trade rollups for two each. Perry puts him down again though and the running knee (with middle fingers, because Perry is tough like that) retains at 5:07.

Rating: C. If you must have Perry in the ring so often, this is the kind of win that is going to help boost him up. Daniels is still a name and even though he is miles past his prime, it’s still a nice win for Perry and didn’t take that long. Perry is going to need a bigger challenger coming up though, and I’m not sure who can deal with someone as interesting/tough/amazing as him.

Perry leaves, getting in the Scapegoatmobile, while saying the people who hate him can’t handle the truth.

We kind of look at what happened to Bryan Danielson.

Wheeler Yuta is very upset about what happened and hasn’t talked to the rest of the team. He has a match tonight but you can tell his mind is everywhere else. Yuta sold this rather well.

Conglomeration/Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos/Premiere Athletes

Mark Sterling is here with the Athletes and says he paid Mortos off to team with them tonight. O’Reilly works on Nese’s arm to start and it’s off to Briscoe to stay on the arm. Nese takes him into the corner and Daivari comes in, with Nigel talking about how rich Daivari certainly is. Briscoe isn’t having that and staggers Daivari so O’Reilly can come in with a boot to the face.

O’Reilly stays on Daivari’s arm (he likes that) so Mortos comes in and knocks Hologram out of the air. A rather springboardy armdrag takes Mortos down though and an armdrag gets two on Nese. Everything breaks down and, after a weird wide shot, Josh Woods offers a distraction so O’Reilly can be taken out. We take a break and come back with Briscoe coming in to clean house, including a suplex for two on Nese.

Mortos breaks up the Jay Driller but gets knocked out to the floor. Hologram takes Nese off the top for two with Daivari making the save. Nese dives onto O’Reilly but gets taken out by Hologram’s running flip dive. Mortos hits an even bigger dive, only for Sterling to cut off Briscoe’s dive. That doesn’t work for Briscoe, who hits his own big dive over Sterling to take a bunch of people out. Back in and Hologram hits a tornado DDT into a crucifix to pin Nese at 10:37.

Rating: B. Take Hologram To Your Match Day continues with the Conglomeration getting a turn. It’s not the worst idea and Hologram is getting to rub elbows with some big names, though I’m not sure I know anything about him yet other than he flips a lot. Either way, it was another fun match, with the stars getting to showcase themselves a good bit.

Post match Mortos spears Hologram down, with the Conglomeration making the save.

We look at Orange Cassidy winning at CMLL’s Anniversary show and taking out Chris Jericho to end the show.

The Learning Tree jump Orange Cassidy and put the backpack over his head so Chris Jericho can smash the picture from Dynamite over his head. Well over the bag over his head.

Someone who looks like Stokely Hathaway (we never saw his face) watches a DVD of the Briscoes vs. FTR III.

Mariah May isn’t having her championship celebration this week and still wants Mina Shirakawa back. She can’t have her celebration without her. Yuka Sakazaki comes in to say she wants a title shot. May says she can get in line so May can rip her head off. Sakazaki: “OK! BYE!”

Wheeler Yuta vs. Anthony Henry

Yuta is not into this and Henry has Beef with him. Henry headlocks him down to start and Yuta doesn’t seem to care. A takedown lets Henry kick him in the back but Yuta comes back with a slam, only to miss a backsplash. Henry sends him outside for a suplex into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Henry getting two off an Air Raid Crash but Yuta spins through the ropes and grabs a German suplex for two. Yuta is sent outside again and into the barricade, setting up a top rope double stomp for two. Henry dares to mention Danielson though and Yuta snaps, hammering away in the corner to knock Henry outside for a change. There’s the big suicide dive and Yuta kicks Beef in the face for a bonus. Back in and a missile dropkick into the elbows to the neck into Cattle Mutilation finish Henry at 9:01.

Rating: C+. This is an interesting one as it’s just ok as a match, but it told a story of Yuta, who is usually dull and rather lackluster when it comes to intensity, snapping over his mentor’s name. It’s certainly something, and while it wasn’t a great match, it made me more interested in seeing where this is going, which is a good sign. If nothing else, I’ll take this over Yuta’s Pure Rules stuff, which has turned into one of the dullest things around here.

Post match Yuta almost goes after the referee but calms himself down and leaves in peace.

Serena Deeb wants Queen Aminata to watch her match later, but she doesn’t think Aminata is ready. Aminata doesn’t have time for this, but Deeb will show her how it’s done.

Anna Jay is back from Japan and talks about how much she has grown in Japan. Now she wants a title. If she can actually maintain some momentum, it would mean more than anything she learned elsewhere.

Private Party/Komander vs. Ren Jones/Lord Crewe/Jon Cruz

I wonder if these are the same guys Private Party and Komander were going to face on Dynamite. Kassidy flips over Jones to start but has to throw Crewe over the top. Komander takes Crewe down with a flip dive and Cielito Lindo hits Cruz. Gin and Juice finishes Jones at 1:06. That worked.

Nigel McGuinness explains that while he doesn’t know if Bryan Danielson can go at Grand Slam, he’ll be ready just in case. Tony Khan booked the match almost as a stop gap, with Darby Allin putting his title shot on the line against Jon Moxley because Danielson might not be able to go.

That’s one heck of a way to go to get around a bait and switch and….yeah I’m not quite buying that Allin was told “Danielson is indisposed” and Tony Khan was TOTALLY FINE with changing a match that might still be able to happen (as well as GIVING THE MAN WHO TRIED TO KILL THE WORLD CHAMPION a #1 CONTENDERS MATCH) all in the span of about ten minutes.

McGuinness shows us a video on his history with Bryan Danielson and knows Danielson is still scared of him. If Danielson shows up, Nigel is going to end his career.

Serena Deeb vs. Yuka Sakazaki

The bell rings and Mariah May comes out to join commentary. Then the bell rings again and May tells Sakazaki, who is returning after a broken leg, to break a leg. Deeb ties Sakazaki up in the Paradise Lock as May says Sakazaki is a child so May can’t beat her up. Sakazaki fights up but gets neckbreakered over the rope as we take a break. Back with Sakazaki hitting a missile dropkick as May says she wants to put Sakazaki over her knee and spank her (with a certain look at Nigel).

Deeb hits a hammerlock lariat for two but Deebtox is countered into a sliding lariat for two. Back up and Deeb powerbombs her into a Brock Lock, with Sakazaki crawling over to the ropes. They trade standing clotheslines with Deeb getting the better of things, only for Sakazaki to hit a scoop brainbuster. The Magical Girl Splash finishes Deeb at 10:39.

Rating: C+. I guess it’s time for Sakazaki to be a thing again, as May apparently knows her from her time in Japan and isn’t a fan. Sakazaki is coming back from an injury that kept her out of action for a long time and…well apparently she’s just jumping right into the title picture, despite never being anything significant around here in the first place. That being said, May was an absolute star here, with a great mixture of anger, humor and flirting, plus some outstanding facial expressions. Do more of this everywhere else.

Post match May goes after Sakazaki, who kicks May in the face and picks up the Women’s Title.

Video on the Outrunners, and yes they are training in less than pristine quality video, because….well would you expect anything else?

Top Flight and company had a nice dinner but Action Andretti is ticked off at their losses this week. Why aren’t they winning bigger matches? Andretti says he wants the House Of Black and leaves.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Cage Of Agony

Toa powers Robinson into the corner, where Robinson gives him a quick spank as he slips out. Kaun comes in to chop away at Colten but it’s Austin coming in to trip Kaun down. It’s off to Cage to drop Austin though and we take a break. Back with Austin diving at his partners, who have been knocked to the floor, only for Colten to come back up for the tag a second later.

Colten snaps off some suplexes until Kaun Pounces the heck out of him. The toss sitout powerbomb gets two with Austin making the save. Toa misses a charge and it’s back to Robinson to pick up the pace. Cage blasts him with a discus lariat and powerbombs Austin but Robinson makes the save. The big left into the 3:10 To Yuma into the forward DDT finishes Cage at 10:30.

Rating: C+. The trios division continues to just not be very interesting. So often it feels like a team is either thrown together and wins the titles (like now) or comes out of nowhere to win them. At the same time, you can all but guarantee that the Cage Of Agony will be around, as they are just kind of there no matter what.

Queen Aminata mocks Serena Deeb’s loss.

Queen Aminata vs. Robyn Renegade

Aminata takes her down with a bodyscissors without much trouble and grabs an early crossface. That’s broken up so Renegade snaps her down again, only to get dropkicked into a DDT for two. Aminata is back with a swinging neckbreaker and the headbutt for the pin at 3:04.

Rating: C. It’s amazing how much easier it is to watch Aminata now that she isn’t being featured time after time. There was a stretch there where she was wrestling 2-3 times on TV every week and it was getting old fast. This was a dominant enough performance and she should have a match with Deeb coming. That might not be the most thrilling, but I do like having a feud over something other than a title for a change.

Post match Deeb runs in and takes Aminata out.

The House Of Black knows a bunch of people are coming for them so bring them on.

FTR vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Harwood and Gibson start things off but it’s a four way stand off in short order. Drake comes in and gets shouldered down before it’s off to a test of strength. Wheeler comes in to chop away but it’s back to Gibson to strike away on Harwood. The Veterans clear the ring but Harwood is back in for two off a sunset flip. A belly to back superplex drops Drake hard and we take a break.

Back with Drake cutting off a tag to Wheeler but getting clotheslined down. Harwood makes it over to Wheeler…but the referee doesn’t see it, only to see it a few seconds later. Some rollups give Wheeler two, at least until Gibson comes in to grab him so Drake can score with an enziguri. Wheeler drops Gibson with a clothesline but the spike piledriver is broken up. What looked like a Doomsday Device is broken up as well and Harwood Sharpshooters Drake for the tap at 11:05.

Rating: B. This was just getting going when it came to an end and…the Veterans just lose. One of the biggest problems with AEW’s tag division is how the same teams have been at the top for so long and the Veterans being some fresh blood could have helped. Instead, they lose their first big match in about eleven minutes to FTR, who have been around for the better part of ever. Such is life in the tag division.

Post match the Veterans jump FTR again but the Outrunners make the save to a big reaction. The big handshake and a lot of posing (Harwood is so impressed that he faints)

Overall Rating: C+. There was good stuff in here and it wasn’t a bad show by any means, but it is the textbook definition of a show that feels like it should have been an hour long but was stretched out to two. There was a fair amount of stuff that felt like it was added in to fill time, which is not the best way to go. That being said, it was a totally watchable show with nothing too bad. I can go with bored for a bit over getting annoyed for large segments, so call this a decent enough show.

Results
Jack Perry b. Christopher Daniels – Running knee
Conglomeration/Hologram b. Premiere Athletes/The Beast Mortos – Crucifix to Nese
Wheeler Yuta b. Anthony Henry – Cattle Mutilation
Private Party/Komander b. Ren Jones/Lord Crewe/Jon Cruz – Gin and Juice to Jones
Yuka Sakazaki b. Serena Deeb – Magical Girl Splash
Bang Bang Gang b. Cage Of Agony – Forward DDT to Cage
Queen Aminata b. Robyn Renegade – Headbutt
FTR b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Sharpshooter to Drake

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 11, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are rapidly approaching Grand Slam in New York but it is also the All out fallout show. The big stories were the attempted murders of Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland at the hands of Jon Moxley and Hangman Page respectively. Neither of them should be here this week but strange things have happened. Let’s get to it.

I was in attendance for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the video screen slightly to my right. The attendance was very bad, with probably around 2,500 people, though the arena holds over 20,000. Seeing the amount of seats tarped off and empty made me say “wow” when I first walked in.

We open with a clip from All Out, with Jon Moxley explaining that he does not like Bryan Danielson’s ego and attacked him because it is Moxley’s nature. That’s a good enough explanation.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out the Patriarchy for a chat. Christian Cage has been told that he has “infinite aura” and now that he has the contract for a World Title match, he knows it is undeniable. When he saw Killswitch grab him by the throat, he knew that he had the perfect monster under his control. The fans chant LUCHASAURUS as Cage talks about how he’s coming for Bryan Danielson. The beating he’ll give Danielson will make his wife Brie wish she was the one with CTE. Cage makes it clear that he is the UNDISPUTED next World Champion.

Don Callis cashes in his favor with Will Ospreay to team with Kyle Fletcher for tonight’s Casino Tag Team Gauntlet Match. Fletcher talks Ospreay into doing it, saying there is no one he would rather team with t do this. As Mark Davis continues to become less and less important.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush

Perry is defending and comes to the ring in his Scapegoatmobile while Rush just has Action Andretti. Perry jumps him to start and the beatdown is on in the corner but Rush fights up with a dropkick to the floor. Rush tries a moonsault to the floor but gets dropped onto the apron for the crash as we take a break.

Back with Rush fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped, which is enough for Andretti to come after him. That’s enough for an ejection but Rush fights up and hits a running Spanish Fly for two. Perry lawn darts him into the buckle though and a snapdragon puts Rush down again. Rush is right back with a poisonrana for a breather but Perry breaks up the springboard Stunner. The running knee finishes for Perry at 8:39.

Rating: C+. This was the way to give Perry some momentum back after his loss on Saturday and could have been a lot worse. Perry is far more tolerable when he stays around this level, which unfortunately does not happen very often. I’m not sure why Rush got this show but there were worse options to come after the title.

Perry goes to leave, saying people like him are crucified in this life so they can be glorified in the next.

We look at Hangman Page beating Swerve Strickland at a rather horrible level at All Out.

Page talks about how he has gone this far to beat Strickland and he would have spent an eternity in pain for a chance to hurt Strickland. Now if anyone stood in the way of him and his revenge, he is coming for them too. Page walks over and glares at Top Flight/Action Andretti before seeing the Dark Order, who don’t know him anymore. Then he runs into Jeff Jarrett, who says Page went too far when he put his hands on Jeff’s wife. The fight is on and has to be broken up.

Private Party and Komander come out for a match….and get jumped by the Blackpool Combat Club. Pac talks about how this company is broken and diplomacy has failed.

The Learning Tree arrives in a Bentley with a HI GUYS license plate. They’re going to show what they found in Orange Cassidy’s backpack tonight.

Ricochet vs. Sammy Guevara

They trade strikes to start until Ricochet sends him outside for the big running flip dive. The fight heads to the stage with Ricochet being sent into part of the set, allowing Guevara t moonsault off the tunnel as we take a break (note that they have been on the floor for 1:13 before the break and the ten count has not even started).

Back with Ricochet being sent to the floor (Fan: “Sorry.”) and into the barricade. Ricochet fights up and hits a jumping flip dive off the barricade) that was great) for two back inside. The Benydriller is countered into a Canadian Destroyer and Guevara hits a top rope cutter for two more. Guevara’s GTH misses and Ricochet kicks him in the head, setting up an ax kick stomp (egads) into Vertigo for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: B. This was definitely a better showing from Ricochet, who got to do his usual stuff and beat someone with some stature. It’s good to have Guevara back, but he has definitely lost a lot of his status in his hiatus. The flips were good and that ax kick stomp was awesome, making this a good match with Ricochet looking like a star.

Post match the Beast Mortos runs in to spar Ricochet, with Guevara making the save.

We look back at Kris Statlander beating Willow Nightingale in the Chicago street fight.

Kazuchika Okada mocks his title defense on Saturday when Konosuke Takeshita and Don Callis come in and want the Continental Title shot. Okada seems interested, complete with the b****.

Here is Darby Allin (to the reaction of the night, with people rising to their feet) for a chat. He gets right to the point and calls out Jon Moxley, who comes to the ring with Marina Shafir. Moxley talks about how nothing has changed between them but Allin cuts him off. Allin talks about how he was a homeless dishwasher and everything he owned fit in the trunk of his car. That’s why he wrestles the way he does and he loved what he saw in Moxley, who wouldn’t change for anyone.

They first wrestled in a high school gym and Allin was so nervous. Then he saw what Allin did to Bryan Danielson, which Allin could never do to someone like Sting. So what does Moxley want? It turns out Moxley wants Allin’s World Title shot at Grand Slam, because Danielson is going to be out of commission. Allin: “What are you stupid? You get dropped on your head? You been drinking again?”

After that gasp from the crowd, the fans hear Allin say Moxley has to earn it, with Moxley offering to earn it in New York. Allin accepts the challenge for Grand Slam, presumably with the title shot on the line. That’s quite the bait and switch for Grand Slam, which sold tickets based off the idea of the title match.

Nigel McGuinness interrupts Christopher Daniels and wants to talk to Tony Khan.

Commentary talks about September 11, which is a nice touch that would be nicer if it was going to a break instead of crammed between matches.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

Non-title. They both miss some kicks to start and trade rollups for two each. An exchange of strikes to the face goes to Aminata but May ties her in the ropes and hammers away. We take a break and come back with May hitting a missile dropkick into the corner. Aminata kicks her away again and snaps off some suplexes. The running boot against the ropes gives Aminata two but May is back with a hanging DDT for two of her own. May’s running knee into Storm Zero finishes at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with May getting a win, but she’s still missing a little something since she won the title. She’s still a good heel and is good at talking down to people but it’s not quite clicking. At the same time, Aminata seemed a bit shaky here and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was banged up somewhere in there.

Post match May lays on the mat with the belt and says she needs to have her championship celebration, but she wants Mina Shirakawa back too.

The Young Bucks mock the fans who say they want a new team to come after them. That’s why they have booked the tag team gauntlet match for tonight.

Learning Tree vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Boulder knocks Jericho into the corner to start so it’s off to Bill for the big forearms. Everything breaks down and Jameson is booted in the face. Keith adds Diamond Dust and Jericho’s arrogant cover gets the pin at 2:27.

Post match Jericho goes on a rant about how he wants his $7000 back from Orange Cassidy, which is why he took the backpack. Inside the backpack is a picture of Cassidy and the former Best Friends. Cassidy pops up on screen and says he has the money. Cue Mark Briscoe driving a big machine full of coins, which he pours into Jericho’s fancy car. Cassidy adds some cash and that should be it. Fans: “KEEP THE CHANGE!” Pouring a bunch of coins into a car seems more mildly inconvenient than anything else.

Here is Nigel McGuinness for a chat. There is not going to be a World Title match at Grand Slam, which must be a breath of air for Bryan Danielson. Like when he let go of choking Justin Roberts with his tie. The World Champion should be in action at Grand Slam, which brings him to the contract he has in his hand. The success that he has should be his and Tony Khan has made the match. At Grand Slam, it’s Danielson vs. McGuinness. So if he can have that match, why can’t he have the Allin match?

Hook wants Roderick Strong for the FTW Title.

Here are the Young Bucks, in AEW office chairs, to watch the main event.

Tag Team Casino Gauntlet

First fall wins and there is no guarantee that all of the teams get in. FTR is in at #1 and Kyle Fletcher/Will Ospreay are in at #2. Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana to Wheeler to start but a sitout powerbomb gives Harwood two. Fletcher is knocked outside and the PowerPlex gets two. The Righteous are in at #3 and a Boss Man Slam into a Swanton gets two on Wheeler. Fletcher is back in to clean some of the house until the Kingdom is in at #4.

Fletcher gets knocked down to start and a running knee gets two on Ospreay as we take a break. Back with the Acclaimed coming in at #5 (the fans approve) and cleaning house. An AA gets two on Dutch and a pair of Fameassers put Harwood down. The MxM Collection is in at #6 to a big reaction of their own. Everyone brawls until the good guys manage a triple suplex. We take another break and come back with everyone brawling on the floor again with Top Flight coming in at #7.

This time they get to clear the ring until Ospreay kicks Dante in the head. The Shatter Machine hits Bowens but everyone makes the save. The Outrunners are in at #8 and the fans are way into them as well. This time they clean house as well, including the Paisan elbow to Vincent. The Grizzled Young Veterans are in at #8 as Floyd superplexes Mansoor onto the pile at ringside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers inside until Dante’s top rope splash hits raised knees. Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade on Dante to give Fletcher the pin at 22:14.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest of these matches so far as the strength of the matches comes from the surprises and we didn’t have any here. The Outrunners and the Collection got big reactions but it was the makeshift tam winning to continue the “Ospreay is really good at these things” deal. It wasn’t a bad match, but it felt long and was just a bunch of people doing stuff at times.

Overall Rating: C. This was not great by any means and was one of the weaker Dynamites in a good while. There was nothing worth going out of your way to see and the whole Danielson/Nigel/Allin/Moxley stuff is feeling very much like a bait and switch. This show did not feel like fallout from All Out, which was going to be hard to do with so many people missing. It wasn’t a terrible show, but you didn’t need to see it and that’s not a good way to go in this spot.

Results
Jack Perry b. Lio Rush – Running knee
Ricochet b. Sammy Guevara – Vertigo
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – Storm Zero
Learning Tree b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Diamond Dust to Jameson
Will Ospreay/Kyle Fletcher won the Tag Team Casino Gauntlet Match

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

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AND

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All In 2024
Date: August 25, 2024
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinnness, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the biggest show of the year and they’re in London for the second time in a row. That alone should make the show feel important but in this case the card is mostly living up to the hype. The main event will see Bryan Danielson challenging Swerve Strickland for the World Title in a title vs. career match, which has all of the makings. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Private Party/Ariya Daivari/Dark Order/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh/Anthony Ogogo vs. Kyle Fletcher/Rocky Romero/Kip Sabian/Tommy Billington/Lio Rush/Action Andretti/Top Flight

Don Callis is on commentary as Billington and Lethal strike it out to start. Sabian and Ogogo come in for a lockup until Sabian hits a dropkick to kick him down. Everything breaks down and we’re left with Singh and Rush for the visual. Rush’s chops to the stomach don’t work so he grabs Singh’s leg, with Singh walking around anyway. Singh isn’t having that and launches Rush over the top and down onto the pile.

Back in and Silver slams Andretti down and chokes on the ropes, allowing Evil Uno (one of the many extras on the floor) throwing the papers ala Brodie Lee. Private Party hit slingshot hilos and Daivari chops him down for two. Andretti handspring elbows his way out of trouble though and it’s back to Sabian to pick up the pace.

Fletcher comes in with a middle rope cutter to Lethal before knocking Singh off the apron. A brainbuster gets two on Reynolds and everything breaks down, meaning it’s time for the dives. Silly String hits Sabian and Gin and Juice makes it worse. Ogogo gets to punch at various people but Darius is back in with a double DDT onto the Order. Dante drops Daivari and hits a frog splash for the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C+. It was an entertaining match but it was such a mess with that many people in there that no one really got to stand out (save for maybe Fletcher). This was the definition of “get a bunch of people on the show”, but it was also the definition of “most of these people don’t mean much and they’re out there in front of a half empty stadium because the show doesn’t start for over an hour”. That’s not exactly a great start and the wide shot of all the empty seats at the start made me feel more sad for them than excited for the show.

Zero Hour: Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale

The winning team picks the stipulation for Statlander vs. Nightingale next month at All Out. Hathaway is brought to the stage on a sedan, because of course he is. Ishii starts with Hathaway, who isn’t having this and bails out, meaning it’s Nightingale vs. Statlander. Nightingale gets sent into the corner for some shots to the face but comes back with a spinebuster for two.

We pause for some yelling at Hathaway, allowing Statlander to get in some cheap shots to take over. Back up and Nightingale makes the clothesline comeback, only to walk into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Nightingale slips out of a Death Valley Driver and drops a backsplash for two of her own. The double tag brings in the men and for some reason, Hathaway fires off some chops.

This goes as well as you would expect and Ishii runs him over. Statlander comes back in to forearm away at Ishii, allowing Hathaway to actually hit a spinebuster. The fans are rather happy as Ishii pops back up, with Hathaway hammering away in the corner. That doesn’t last long as Nightingale Pounces Statlander, leaving Ishii to hit the sliding lariat for the pin on Hathaway at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This was all about Hathaway and of course he made it work in his limited chances. The bigger story is going to be the stipulation for Nightingale vs. Statlander, which almost has to be either a hardcore match or Nightingale fighting both of them at once. Perfectly fine match here and it would have fit in on any given Rampage.

Zero Hour: Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs vs. Kingdom/Cage Of Agony

Kevin Von Erich is here with the good guys and it’s a big brawl in the aisle before the bell. We get a quadruple Shattered Dreams to the villains and, with the referee ok with all of that, it’s the opening bell with Guevara and Kaun starting things off. Guevara quickly clears the ring and stares it down with Cage, who gets dropped with a top rope cutter. Kaun pulls Guevara outside for a whip into the barricade and they head back inside with Guevara caught in the wrong corner.

A backbreaker/springboard elbow drop combination gets two but Taven misses a frog splash. Rhodes comes in to take over and the snap powerslam puts Taven down. We hit the parade of knockdowns as Excalibur can barely keep track of everyone. Taven is back up with the Flight Of The Conqueror so Rhodes teases a dive but dances into a pose instead. Cage tries a running flip dive but mostly misses, leaving Guevara to shooting star onto the pile.

Back in and Cage gets the worst of a Tower Of Doom, leaving Rhodes to hit Cross Rhodes for two on Taven with the Gates making the save. Rhodes gets tossed into a powerbomb for two but Guevara hurricanranas his way out of the same thing. Shibata’s running dropkick hits Bennett in the corner and Marshall’s top rope moonsault gets the same. Rhodes hits Taven with the Final Reckoning and Guevara adds the Swanton so Rhodes can get the pin at 11:03.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what Rhodes has on AEW but he has been the most active guy in the company (and in Ring Of Honor, because that’s a thing as well) for the last few weeks. That being said, Texas Takes England wasn’t the most thrilling story, especially when it came after a tag match with even more people. This was another bunch of people doing stuff until someone got the pin. The Texas guys don’t do anything for me because I’ve seen them more than I could possibly want to recently, but at least it didn’t go that long.

Post match the villains jump them but Kevin Von Erich makes the save, meaning it’s a group claw to get rid of the bad guys.

Here are the Outcasts, with Saraya’s entire family, for her big moment. Harley Cameron says Saraya is mad, with Saraya going into a rant about not being on the show despite being the best British woman ever in wrestling. And cue the returning Jamie Hayter (now with red hair) to march her way to Saraya, with Sweet Saraya (Saraya’s mother) getting in a cheap shot. The younger Saraya escapes, allowing Hayter to take out Cameron and stand tall.

The last nine minutes of the pre-show are spent on the entrances to the opener so the main show can start fast.

Trios Titles: Patriarchy vs. Pac/Blackpool Combat Club vs. House Of Black vs. Bang Bang Gang

The Patriarchy is defending in a ladder match. The bell rings and Cage runs away to start, leaving everyone else to brawl on the floor. That means a table is already set up on the floor but Austin has to cut Matthews down from a climb attempt. A bunch of people go up but get pulled down, with King dropping Pac with a clothesline. Robinson hits a running flip dive off the apron to take out Castagnoli, leaving Matthews to hit a big flip dive over the top.

Pac dives onto all of them but gets caught with What’s Up from the Gunns. King hits the big suicide dive…and here is Cage again. Cage goes up but gets pulled down by King, who takes Cage outside to be surrounded by a mob. That leaves Mother Wayne to go up, with the Gunns cutting her off and talking some sense into her. Killswitch comes in with chokeslams abounding, including one onto a ladder.

Wayne’s World through a table drops King so Luchasaurus goes up, only for Cage to go up at the same time for the sake of getting the glory. That’s broken up as well so it’s Castagnoli getting to wreck the Gunns. There’s the Swing to Robinson but the Gunns make the save, meaning it’s time for the tables. A bunch of people go up and crash through said tables, leaving Robinson to pull Black off the ladder. Wayne goes up and gets knocked hard through another table so let’s bring in the really big ladder, which is grazing against the bottom of the titles.

Pac goes up but gets pulled back down as Mother Wayne passes something off to Cage. That would be a spray of some kind, which goes into Yuta’s eyes to bring him off the ladder. Cage puts a ladder onto him and unloads with a chair but Robinson blocks Mother Wayne’s spray and sprays her instead. Luchasaurus knocks Robinson through a table, leaving Cage and Matthews to go up a pair of ladders. Cage spears him down through a table but might have hurt his own head in the process. Luchasaurus picks Cage up and climbs but Pac goes up as well and kicks Cage down. Pac gets the titles at 19:10.

Rating: B. Well that was a ladder match with a bunch of weapons and even more people involved. It’s something that has been done time after time and while it can be fun, it’s not something I’m going to get excited to see. This would also be the case with a thrown together team winning the titles. I’m sure it’s to get a British champion on there, but there are going to be more than a few on here without doing this title change.

We recap Mariah May challenging Toni Storm for the Women’s Title. May was Storm’s understudy but then won the Owen Hart Tournament to earn the shot and violently attacked Storm. Now Storm is being serious for the first time in a good while and wants revenge.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mariah May

Storm is defending and has Luther with her. They glare at each other and argue to start before slugging it out. May Day and Storm Zero are both broken up so May dropkicks her into the corner. They chop it out until Storm grabs a DDT, with the fans approving. Storm misses a running hip attack in the ropes and gets powerbombed out onto the floor for a nasty landing.

Back in and May hits a running dropkick, followed by Stratusphere for two. Storm fights up from a slap and hammers away, only to get suplexed back down. May even goes outside and dropkicks Luther, which is just not that nice. To make it even worse, May slaps HER OWN MOTHER (in the crowd) but the delay lets Storm hit Storm Zero onto the steps. Storm goes over to hug May’s mother and now May is busted open.

Back in (because the champ’s piledriver onto the steps barely keeps May down for a minute) and Storm throws her around, including a chokebomb for two. May kicks her in the head and hits a bunch of hip attacks but the big one takes too long. Storm is back up and hits her own hip attack, setting up Storm Zero for two.

May goes after the fingers and kicks Storm low before stereo headbutts leave them both down. Back up and May Day gets two so it’s time to grab the title, with Luther pulling it away. Instead May grabs the bloody shoe but Storm takes it away..and can’t bring herself to hit May, who rolls her up for two. May knees her in the face, kisses Storm on the head, and hits Storm Zero for the pin and the title at 15:11.

Rating: B. That was the only result that made sense as Storm’s time as champion had come and gone. It was a hard hitting fight with Storm wanting revenge but coming up short, which is how it should have gone. It wouldn’t shock me to see Storm go a bit more back to normal now, as she can only go so much nuttier. Good stuff here, which overcame a bit of a weak build.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Hook for the FTW Title. Jericho has already beaten Hook but has had to jump through hoops to get another shot at him.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and gets played to the ring by Fozzy. It’s FTW Rules so the Learning Tree gets in and beats Hook down to start. The Codebreaker connects for one but Hook is back up with a German suplex. Jericho drops him again and hits the Lionsault for two, meaning it’s weapons time. That takes too long so Hook grabs another suplex and pulls out a cricket bat. Hook even grabs some cricket balls and hits them at Jericho but Keith comes in with a trashcan lid.

The Walls are broken up so Hook grabs his own version, only to have Bill make the save. They go outside with Keith setting up a barbed wire board on another table. Hook slips out of a chokeslam but Jericho goes after the good eye to blind him again. One heck of a trashcan shot puts Hook down but the Judas Effect is countered into a t-bone suplex, allowing Hook to reveal that his patched eye has healed and he could really see (Remember when Jericho blinded Jon Moxley and Moxley wore an eyepatch but then Moxley revealed he could really see during their match? Just a random thought.).

Redrum goes on with Bill making the save, only to have Jericho accidentally knock him into the barbed wire board. Keith gets up for a cheap shot, which FINALLY draws Taz off commentary to Tazmission Keith down. Redrum makes Jericho tap and gives Hook the title back at 10:11.

Rating: C+. And that should be it for these two. Hook gets his (latest) win over Jericho and Jericho gets to…well probably move on to a bigger feud because he has to be involved in something important every week. For now though, it’s a feel good moment and that’s all it needed to be.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Acclaimed and FTR both want the Young Bucks’ titles but since the Bucks almost never defend them, we have both of them getting a shot at once.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. FTR vs. Acclaimed

The Bucks are defending and Caster rushes through his rap, possibly due to nerves. Harwood works on the arm to start but FTR and the Acclaimed get in a shoving match, all while the Bucks approve. The Bucks do come in but are quickly dispatched, leaving Wheeler to get caught in a Scissor Me Timbers attempt. That takes too long though and Nick makes the save, setting up an assisted standing Sliced Bread to Wheeler. Matt grabs a chinlock for a bit before Wheeler fights up and hands it off to Bowens to pick up the pace.

Now Scissor Me Timbers can hit Nick and we pause for some scissoring. Harwood is back in with the German suplexes, including one to both Bucks at once. The PowerPlex only hits raised knees but so does Nick’s 450. The Tony Khan Driver is broken up as well though with Nick being shoved into a moonsault onto the Acclaimed. Matt walks into the Shatter Machine but Nick pulls the referee out.

Back up and Matt hits a tornado DDT to plant Bowens on the floor, leaving Matt and Caster to hit a VIP Trigger to Harwood. Wheeler makes a save but gets sent outside, leaving the Acclaimed to load up Nick. Matt makes the save with a low blow and it’s time for the superkicks. That’s not enough for Matt, who grabs a title, earning himself a Fameasser from Billy Gunn. The Arrival connects but Nick makes the save. Harwood rolls Nick up for two but gets belt shotted for two. The EVP Trigger to Harwood is enough for the pin to retain the titles at 13:21.

Rating: B-. It was a good match but not top level stuff. The Bucks getting their win back in Wembley wasn’t exactly shocking and now we get to find out who they’ll defend against, maybe by Halloween or so. The story coming in wasn’t overly exciting and it dragged things down a bit, though I do appreciate them not going crazy long, which just wasn’t needed.

Post match the Grizzled Young Veterans come in for a staredown with the Young Bucks, who leave instead. Heaven forbid we get that match here of course, because we needed to repeat the previous combinations instead.

Casino Gauntlet Match

This is a 21 person gauntlet match with staggered entrances, but the fall can happen at any time, even if it is only the first two entrants. The winner gets a World Title shot at any time (basically MITB). Orange Cassidy is in at #1 and Kazuchika Okada is in at #2. Okada doesn’t seem worried so Cassidy dropkicks him down into the nip up. NIGEL MCGUINNESS is in at #3 and the fans go coconuts, especially as he and Okada go with the grappling. Nigel takes Okada down and it’s Kyle O’Reilly in at #4.

O’Reilly ties up Okada’s arm but gets caught in an armbar from Nigel at the same time. Cassidy is back in with a Stundog Millionaire and Zack Sabre Jr. is in at #5. We get the Nigel vs. Sabre showdown and the fans are VERY pleased. They go with the grappling before trading rollups for two each until Okada takes Nigel’s place. Sabre gets in a weird neck crank but Okada slips out and hits the top rope elbow. Back up and Sabre goes for the leg but Roderick Strong is in at #6.

Strong’s entrance takes so long that Mark Briscoe is in at #7 by the time he gets to do anything. House is quickly cleaned and it’s Hangman Page in at #8. Clotheslines abound and it’s Jeff Jarrett in at #9. We get the strut before Jarrett gets to hammer on Page in the corner. Page breaks that up and powerbombs Jarrett onto a pile as Ricochet makes his debut at #10. Ricochet starts firing off the kicks and goes to the floor to hammer on Page. Christian Cage limps in at #11 but Ricochet cuts him off.

Okada dropkicks Page, who fights back and loads up the Buckshot Lariat. That’s broken up with a guitar shot, leaving Okada to Rainmaker Jarrett. Cassidy is back up to clean house until he walks into End Of Heartache. Briscoe is in to wreck everyone until he accidentally helps Nigel hit the Tower of London (hanging Stunner) on Sabre. Cage drops Nigel though and it’s Luchasaurus in at #12. He starts firing off the chokeslams, including one to O’Reilly, with Cage stealing the pin at 25:50.

Rating: B. They were rocking here for a bit before a kind of downer ending. Cage being added to the match and stealing it in the end felt like something out of Unforgiven 2008 with a banged up Chris Jericho winning the World Title. That being said, the good stuff here more than outweighed the bad, with Nigel being a crazy great surprise and Ricochet being a cool moment. I liked this, but make it an annual PPV event, as this is the third time we’ve sen it this year.

We recap MJF defending the American Title against Will Ospreay. MJF beat Ospreay in a match that went about an hour via some cheating and now Ospreay wants the title back.

American Title: Will Ospreay vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending and comes out dressed as Uncle Sam, while Ospreay gets an Assassin’s Creed entrance. Just to make it worse, MJF has a big American flag come down from the rafters, which Taz calls “heat”. They slug it out to start with Ospreay getting the better of things to send him outside. That means a Sasuke Special to drop MJF, who is right back with a running boot against the barricade. Back in and Ospreay can’t hit the Oscutter so they trade rollups for two each.

MJF powerbombs him onto the knee and adds a Kangaroo Kick. That means we get a hip swivel but Ospreay is back up with an enziguri for two. A skytwister press gets two and MJF heads outside, where he catches Ospreay’s dive in a Tombstone on the floor. Ospreay is back on his feet 51 seconds later and catches MJF’s Moonsault in a Spanish Fly. Back in and MJF is draped over the top for a shooting star to the back for two more.

Stormbreaker is countered into Cross Rhodes for two, only for Ospreay to come back with the Oscutter for the same. MJF hits a quick piledriver for two more but has to counter Stormbreaker into a discus forearm. He takes too long to follow up though and walks into the Stormbreaker for two. The Hidden Blade is loaded up but MJF rolls out to the apron instead. The Oscutter misses as Ospreay only hits mat in a nasty crash. A Canadian Destroyer on the apron knocks Ospreay even sillier, to the point where he collapses before MJF can try a Hidden Blade.

The Heatseeker is blocked and NOW the Oscutter on the apron connects. The crash takes out a production crew member though and Ospreay goes to check on him, allowing MJF to grab the title. Ospreay superkicks MJF and goes after him again, only to bump the referee. MJF hits him low and loads up another shot but a man in black jumps up to cut him off. It’s Daniel Garcia, with MJF threatening him as he leaves. The running forearm drops MJF and the Tiger Driver 91 gives Ospreay the title back at 25:36.

Rating: B. This got going and turned into a showdown, with Garcia being a fine way to go. It was either going to be him or Adam Cole and while I’m not a Garcia fan, I’d rather they go with him over reheating Cole vs. MJF. The match was the kind of hard hitting special that works well for Ospreay, though MJF better be out of action for the better part of ever after all the hype the Tiger Driver 91 received. I know he won’t be, but that’s how he should be after the story they were telling.

Post match Christopher Daniels presents Ospreay with the International Title as the America’s Title goes away.

We recap Britt Baker challenging Mercedes Mone for the TBS Title. Mone is the dominant champion but Baker is back to get into the title hunt again.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Britt Baker

Mone, with Kamille, is defending and comes to the ring in a carriage with her corgis. They run the ropes to start until Mone hits a dropkick but Baker is back up to knock her to the floor. Kamille catches her though and Mone poses with the title as a villain should. Back in and it’s too early for the Lockjaw so Baker settles for a superkick. Kamille offers a distraction though and Mone grabs a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle for two.

Another backbreaker keeps Baker in trouble but she fights up. A kick to the back cuts her off and Banks grabs Three Amigos. Baker fights up again and takes Mone up, only to get slammed down from the middle rope for a nasty crash. Back up and Baker tries a stomp but gets countered into a powerbomb. A quick cutter drops Mone but she goes to the back again for some near falls. Mone loads up…something, only to be reversed into the Air Raid Crash for two.

They go up top and Mone tries another slam, which is reversed into a wicked super powerslam to give Baker two more. Mone tries a belt shot but gets caught, allowing Kamille to tease one, only for Baker to drop down, Eddie Guerrero style. Kamille is ejected and the Panama Sunrise hits Mone for two. Lockjaw goes on but Mone bites the fingers and grabs the Mone Maker to retain at retain the title at 17:20.

Rating: C+. This went long and it hurt things a lot, as they could have wrapped it up about five minutes earlier. As usual, Mone is much more about the sizzle and setup than the match itself, though she was doing well here. Just find a finisher that doesn’t look terrible all the time and she’ll be in a much better place. I’m not sure what is next for Baker, but she could use a win in a good feud. Maybe Deonna Purrazzo?

We recap Darby Allin challenging Jack Perry for the TNT Title. Allin doesn’t like how Perry was handed the title and since Perry is the Most Interesting Wrestler Ever, he wants it to be a Coffin Match.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Jack Perry

Allin is challenging in a Coffin Match and goes after Perry with a chair to start. They go to the floor with Perry being sat in the chair for a dive, meaning it’s time for the coffin. Perry cuts off a dive though and it’s already time for a bag of broken glass. The fans sing CRY ME A RIVER so Perry swears at them, only for Allin to drive a skateboard into his back, sending him into the glass.

They go outside with Allin hitting a dive, only to get rammed into the coffin. Now it’s time to go up the ramp and Allin gets thrown off the stage and through a table. Perry throws him into a bodybag and carries him back to the ring….where Allin is thrown into the coffin. A running knee is enough to knock Allin out and retain the title at 10:35.

Rating: C+. Well, there’s your Jack Perry win over someone who is more interesting and better than him. It’s not exactly a shock and Allin is on the way to bigger things with the World Title shot at Grand Slam, but as usual, this felt more about Perry and….yeah it’s still the same guy. The tough guy thing isn’t working for him and they had to get the glass spot in, which might not be the most lucrative call back.

Post match the Young Bucks come out to light the casket on fire…..but STING returns for the save. Perry chairs him in the back for no effect so Perry runs off, leaving Sting to lay the Bucks out. Then Allin is helped out of the coffin to pose, which doesn’t exactly make Perry look like a killer. Granted that might be minor to having a 62 year old retired legend take out the top heel stable on his own.

We recap the AEW World Title match with Swerve Strickland defending against Bryan Danielson. That’s not big enough so Danielson, whose neck is held together by paper clips and a dream, is putting his career on the line.

AEW World Title: Swerve Strickland vs. Bryan Danielson

Swerve is defending and gets rapped to the ring. After the Big Match Intros, Danielson chops away to start but gets taken down by the arm, allowing Swerve to glare at Danielson’s family in the crowd. Back up and Danielson goes to the arm but it’s too early for the LeBell Lock attempt. Swerve misses a dive so Danielson is up with a springboard flip dive to take him down on the floor.

Back in and Danielson starts in on the arm, which is fine enough for Swerve to grab a suplex. The confidence starts to pick up as Swerve knocks him into the corner. Swerve heads outside but gets caught in a triangle choke over the ropes. Back up and Swerve tries a Death Valley Driver, with the referee getting knocked down. That lets Prince Nana slide in the title, with the Driver onto the belt knocking Danielson silly and busting him open in the process.

Swerve asks why we have to do this when Danielson’s family is watching, though he’s fine enough to hit a middle rope elbow to the back. They head back outside where Swerve stomps at the bloody Danielson and then yells at Danielson’s family. The Swerve Stomp misses though and Danielson pulls him into an STF.

That’s broken up but Danielson is right back with a clothesline for the double knockdown. The Cattle Mutilation is broken up so Danielson settles for the YES Kicks. A tiger superplex drops Swerve again and we hit the Cattle Mutilation again. This time Swerve powers out and hits a Vertebreaker for the big, scary crash. That’s enough to pause for the medical team to come in and check on Danielson but deem him ok to continue.

The Swerve Stomp gets two so Swerve hits back to back House Calls…for two more. Swerve is stunned as Danielson gets up and strikes away, setting up a triangle choke. After we cut to Danielson’s daughter not watching the match, Danielson suplexes Swerve down and hits the running knee…which Swerve brushes off. Another House call drops Danielson and the JML Driver gets two.

Swerve loads up his own running knee but cue Hangman Page for a distraction. That’s enough for Danielson to hit the running knee for two, with Nana almost diving in for the save. They slug it out until Swerve tries a roll but gets kneed down. Another running knee to the back sets up the LeBell Lock but Swerve powers out, only to get pulled into a Rings of Saturn variant for the tap at 25:45.

Rating: A-. They did a good job here of making me wonder how it was going to end and that’s a nice feeling. When in doubt, going for a feel good Danielson win is as safe of a moment as you can have and it worked here. It felt like the last hurrah of a legendary career and while he probably won’t hold the title for very long, he had one last great one (so far). Strickland can move back into the Page feud, and thankfully the interference didn’t lead directly to the ending. Heck of a main event and it felt important, which is how a match of this magnitude should go.

Danielson’s family gets in the ring to celebrate, with the Blackpool Combat Club (and Pac) joining them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The matches that needed to deliver did so and they nailed the big happy ending. There were some weaker parts, such as the Coffin Match, Baker vs. Mone and Hook vs. Jericho, plus having SO MANY PEOPLE on the show, but the good stuff was more than enough to make this work. It’s absolutely AEW’s biggest event of the year and they worked out some of the kinks from last time, with a show that not only felt big but was better. Rather solid stuff here, and if they can leave some of the people alone next time, it could be even stronger. Heck of a show, with the big feeling taking it higher.

Results
Private Party/Ariya Daivari/Dark Order/Jay Lethal/Satnam Singh/Anthony Ogogo b. Kyle Fletcher/Rocky Romero/Kip Sabian/Tommy Billington/Lio Rush/Action Andretti/Top Flight – Frog splash to Daivari
Willow Nightingale/Tomohiro Ishii b. Kris Statlander/Stokely Hathaway – Sliding lariat to Hathaway
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara/Von Erichs/Katsuyori Shibata b. Cage Of Agony/Kingdom – Swanton to Taven
Pac/Blackpool Combat Club b. Patriarchy, House Of Black and Bang Bang Gang – Pac pulled down the titles
Mariah May b. Toni Storm – Storm Zero
Hook b. Chris Jericho – Redrum
Young Bucks b. FTR and Acclaimed – EVP Trigger to Harwood
Christian Cage won the Casino Gauntlet – Chokeslam to O’Reilly
Will Ospreay b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Tiger Driver 91
Mercedes Mone b. Britt Baker – Mone Maker
Jack Perry b. Darby Allin – Perry put Allin in the coffin
Bryan Danielson b. Swerve Strickland – LeBell Lock

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Supercard Of Honor 2024
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for another of these pay per views which have a limited connection to what has been going on with the regular show. The main event will see Eddie Kingston defending the World Title against Mark Briscoe, eleven years to the day of Briscoe’s brother Jay winning his first World Title. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Premiere Athletes vs. Rhett Titus/Tony Deppen/Adam Priest

This is the Athletes’ return after a rather lengthy hiatus. Titus and Josh Woods start things off with Woods wrestling him to the mat rather quickly. That’s broken up as Titus fights into an armbar but Woods breaks that up even faster. Tony Nese comes in but gets his arm cranked on as well. It’s off to Deppen for a dropkick, only to have him get hammered down into the corner so the villains can take over.

Said taking over doesn’t last long as Deppen gets over for the tag to Priest to pick the pace back up. Ari Daivari is in for a reverse DDT and two on Priest, who also gets over for the tag almost immediately. Titus’ dropkick into a belly to belly suplex gets two as everything breaks down. Titus is left alone to roll Nese up for two until Woods is back in with a nasty German suplex. Priest gets muscled up over the top into a powerbomb from Woods, setting up stereo top rope fists from the other Athletes for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to get behind the idea of the Athletes being back as they haven’t exactly been impressive during their time in Ring Of Honor. I can go with the idea of pushing someone fresh and this was a nice start, but they did what they could here against fairly low level competition. I’m not sure how far they can go, but at least ROH is trying something.

Zero Hour: Beast Mortos vs. Blake Christian

Mortos is better known as Black Taurus. Commentary even brings up WWE superfan Vladimir being here for the show, which always feels off when WWE isn’t involved. Christian takes the leg out a few times and snaps off an enziguri. Mortos’ headscissors is reversed for a standoff so Christian hits a springboard elbow. Mortos finally gets smart by running him over with straight power before grabbing a bearhug.

That’s broken up as well and Christian’s handstand into a headscissors out of the corner sends Mortos outside. The big running flip dive drops Mortos again and a top rope elbow gets two. Mortos isn’t having this and grabs a pop up Samoan drop for two of his own. Christian is right back with a Death Valley Driver, followed by a spinning tornado DDT onto the ramp for two. They both go up top, where Mortos grabs a super gorilla press into a pumphandle piledriver for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: B-. I got into this one, despite it being another bonus match with no story or even appearances from the people involved. Mortos is a good monster and Christian hung with him well enough, though it isn’t likely going to matter if the two of them are going to be gone again after the show. For now though, I’ll take a nice power vs. speed match, which is as classic of a story as you can get in wrestling.

Post match Komander comes out for a stare of respect at Mortos.

Zero Hour: Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Spanish Announce Project

Maria Kanellis is here with Garrison and Karter, who have stolen Serpentico’s mask. The villains jump them to start but get cleared out rather quickly. Stereo dives to the floor connect but Maria distracts Serpentico with the mask. The ensuing cheap shot puts Serpentico down and they head inside, where Garrison puts on the mask. That earns him a rather violent…sunset flip, which is broken up by Karter.

Garrison rips at Serpentico’s mask (as in the one he’s wearing) but Serpentico grabs a hurricanrana, allowing the tag off to Angelico. A small package gives Angelico two as everything breaks down. Serpentico hits a double Downward Spiral so Maria gets in, only to be ejected. Angelico mocks her as she leaves but gets tripped down by Garrison. Back to ringside and Garrison steals Serpentico’s mask, allowing Karter to roll him up (with tights) for the pin at 8:31.

Rating: C. I could go a long time without seeing the stolen mask into a rollup pin finish. Also, after weeks of Angelico and Serpentico being upset over having the mask stolen, they just lose again. For the sake of protecting Garrison and Karter? As in the team who has been stuck in at best second gear since they came together about 68 years ago? I’m not sure why this wasn’t the big revenge moment as it’s just a showdown at one of the biggest shows of the year after more than a month of buildup.

Zero Hour: Momo Kohgo vs. Mariah May

May takes her into the corner for a clean break before taking things up against the ropes for some forearms to the back. Some running knees to the back give May two and she plants Kohgo for two more. Kohgo fights up and sends her to the corner, setting up a 619 for two of her own. May is right back with a missile dropkick but a German suplex is countered with a kick to the head. A DDT gives Kohgo two and they trade kicks to the head, allowing May to hit a Saito suplex. It’s Gonna Be May (running knee) finishes at 6:12.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to see here as it was just a step above a squash. May never felt in danger here as Kohgo was little more than someone getting beaten up. That’s not something you expect from a Stardom wrestler but it did a nice job of showcasing May. She’ll be fine going forward, as the Toni Storm match is going to be a big deal sooner than later.

May decks her post match.

The opening video focuses on Ring Of Honor’s history in Philadelphia while looking at the show’s major matches.

For a bonus, here is Nigel McGuinness to join commentary.

TV Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Lee Johnson

Fletcher is defending and Johnson is on the roll of his career. Since it’s a big show, Fletcher is dressed up as Kishin Liger (Jushin’s evil alter ego). They stare each other down for about a minute before going with the grappling, which goes nowhere. Johnson hits a dropkick, followed by some rather hard chops in the corner. That doesn’t work for Fletcher, who grabs a swing out Side Effect for two of his own to take over.

Fletcher goes up but gets knocked to the floor, meaning it’s a big flip dive to take him out. A charge sends Johnson over the barricade though and Fletcher adds his own running dive. Back in and Johnson gets in a shot of his own, setting up a standing shooting star press for two. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two more but Fletcher catches him on top with a super Falcon Arrow.

Johnson goes up again but gets kicked down, allowing Fletcher to it a sitout Last Ride for another near fall. Some more kicks cut off Johnson’s comeback bid but they head to the apron, where the Big Shot Drop (more like a little shot given how much elevation he got) plants Fletcher hard.

The double dive back in lets them beat the count and they slug it out. Fletcher grabs a heck of a Tombstone for two and they go up top, where Johnson is back with a super Canadian Destroyer. A frog splash gives Johnson two but the Big Shot Drop is countered into a hard Lawn Dart. Fletcher takes him up and hits a twisting brainbuster onto the turnbuckle to retain at 19:52.

Rating: B-. And yes, we continue to keep the title on Fletcher because he just gets so much out of being champion. Johnson’s hot streak was enough to get him the title shot, but it feels like he’s just filling in for Ethan Page. It was a hard hitting opener, but my goodness I do not get the hype with Fletcher whatsoever.

We run down the rest of the card.

Video on Stardom.

Mei Seira/Maika/Mina Shirakawa vs. Tam Nakano/Saya Kamitani/AZM

Stardom showcase. AZM rolls Seira up for two to start as they’re moving rather quickly. Saya gets in a cheap shot from the apron to cut Seira down and it’s Nakano coming in to take over. Seira’s forearms don’t get here anywhere but a superkick and a running Blockbuster do a bit better.

Maika (Stardom World Champion) comes in to suplex Saya and Nakano but the latter’s running knee connects for two. It’s off to AZM for a Disarm-Her as everything breaks down, with AZM hitting a suplex on Maika. Mina comes in to go after Saya’s knee but the Figure Four is broken up. Saya’s northern lights suplex gets two but Mina is right back on the leg.

This time the Figure Four goes on until AZM makes the save and everything breaks down again. Nakano hits a huge dive to the floor to take out a bunch of people, leaving Mina to forearm Saya down. A snazzy rollup gives Mina two with Nakano and AZM making the save. Back up and a lifting reverse layout DDT gives Mina the pin on Saya at 14:26.

Rating: B. This was the match with some rather impressive action to pop the crowd over and over again and that’s not a bad thing. I’m not sure why it needed to be added over something that had been built up on ROH’s regular show but to be fair, this was probably better than anything else they could throw out there. The oddest thing: this was longer than any match on the full Stardom show from the weekend.

Post match here is Mariah May to celebrate with Mina, her Stardom stablemate, though Mina and Toni Storm don’t get along.

Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Infantry

The Infantry is challenging after going to a time limit draw in a Proving Ground match. The champs jump them from behind to start, with Bravo being kicked to the floor as the bell rings. We settle down to Dean chopping Bennett down in the corner and dropping an elbow for two. Everyone but Taven goes to the ramp so Taven hits a running dive to take all of them out.

A table is loaded up at ringside before the Kingdom hits a Hail Mary to plant Dean on the ramp. Bravo gets taken into the wrong corner for a bunch of stomping but he uses the ropes to pull himself away. The diving tag brings Dean back in and a jawbreaker into a German suplex gets two. Taven is back in with Just The Tip to give Bennett two and the Proton Pack hits Dean for two more.

Everything breaks down and Boot Camp hits Taven, with Bennett having to make a save of his own. An assisted swinging Rock Bottom plants Bennett on the ramp and Bravo splashes Taven through the table. Back in and the top rope splash hits Bennett but there is no referee. There is however a Wardlow to run Dean over and give Bennett the retaining pin at 13:50.

Rating: B-. Yeah that isn’t the biggest surprise as this was set up earlier this week so it’s not like it was some big story. At the same time, there was the chance to have a nice moment with the Infantry winning but they went with the heels winning again off some cheating. Ring Of Honor has a real problem with not giving the fans many of those happy moments and that was the case again here, as the Undisputed Kingdom’s lame run continues.

We recap the Women’s TV Title Tournament.

Women’s TV Title: Queen Aminata vs. Billie Starkz

For the inaugural championship. Feeling out process to start with Starkz taking her down but not being able to hit a big kick. Instead Aminata sends her into the ropes for one heck of a kick to the face. A full nelson with the legs has Starkz in more trouble and Aminata sends her flying with a suplex. Starkz fights back up but gets caught with a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two.

Back up and Starkz manages a quick clothesline for a double knockdown and a needed breather. Aminata sends her throat first into the ropes but misses a running dropkick, allowing Starkz to send things to the floor. Starkz’ Swanton only hits apron and a German suplex on to the floor knocks Starkz silly.

Back in and a running Air Raid Crash gives Aminata two, meaning it’s time for doubt to set in. A running kick in the face hits Starkz again but she’s able to knock Aminata off the top. The Swanton hits raised knees though and it’s time for the referee to pause things to check on Starkz. Everything gets all serious and Starkz gets a neck brace applied. Aminata holds the ropes open….and gets German suplexed into a sleeper to make Starkz champion at 17:41.

Rating: B. Well the ending was certainly creative and I think I liked it, as it fits something that a follower of Athena’s “win at all costs” mentality would do. At the same time, Starkz is a much better choice for the inaugural champion as Aminata just caught some fire in recent weeks. Probably the best match of the night so far and the right call.

Top Flight is ready to face FTR on Collision.

Here is Bullet Club Gold, with commentary saying you never know who might show up in Ring Of Honor. Coleman: “Even the champions!” It’s time for an open challenge for the Six Man Tag Team Titles, so here are some challengers.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bullet Club Gold vs. Lance Archer/Alex Zayne/Minoru Suzuki

The Club is defending and I guess we ignore that Archer and the Righteous are a regular three man team but aren’t getting the shot here. White and Suzuki start things off with the fans thinking White’s chops were a bad idea. Suzuki’s sleeper sends White bailing out to the floor, with White promising to knock Suzuki out.

Austin comes in so Suzuki calls him “A** Boy” before no selling his chops. It’s off to Archer for a choke toss to Colten, who pokes Archer in the eye. That doesn’t do much good as it’s Zayne coming in and getting dropkicked down. It’s back to White to take over on Zayne, including the chinlock. Zayne fights up and rolls over to Archer so the house can quickly be cleaned.

Austin escapes the Blackout and manages to knock Archer down for a double breather. Suzuki and White get the double tags with a running kick to the chest getting two on White. The Blade Runner is countered into the sleeper but White breaks that up as well. Zayne comes in with a running hurricanrana out of the corner but White gives him a swinging Rock Bottom. 3:10 To Yuma hits Archer and the Blade Runner to Zayne retains the titles at 15:26.

Rating: C+. This was your “here is a random team to challenge for the titles because these titles still exist because reasons”. I’m aware that Archer/Zayne/Suzuki have enough of a connection in New Japan. Why that is enough to warrant a fifteen minute title shot on a show that is probably going to run over four and a half hours isn’t clear.

I really hope the Six Man Titles are unified with the Trios Titles sooner than later, as these matches just drag things doing, even when they include Suzuki and his “I make funny faces and don’t sell much but I’m a legend so it’s cool” status. I get that he’s a legend but he shows up infrequently and doesn’t really do much of note these days. Find someone else to do it instead.

Post match the champs brag about their win so here are Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed for the brawl. Anthony Bowens gets taken down with a Blade Runner and the Club bails.

We recap Dalton Castle vs. Johnny TV. Johnny and Taya Valkyrie have stolen everything from Castle, including the Boys (who got fired due to no showing events so they’re not here despite being the focal point of the story), so now it’s a Fight Without Honor.

Dalton Castle vs. Johnny TV

Fight Without Honor so anything goes and Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny. Castle has the replacement Boys with him, which do help a little. Castle also seems back to normal, which should help him out a good bit here. The Boys leave but Castle is fine enough to try an early Bang A Rang, with TV bailing out to the floor. Taya shouts about the Boys to annoy Castle though, allowing Johnny to drop him onto the barricade.

Back in and Castle grabs a DDT before going after the arm. They go outside again where another distraction lets TV gt in a running knee to take over. Back in and the flipping neckbreaker gives TV two and he whips Castle over the corner for a crash to the floor. The table is set up but TV is smart enough to kick Castle in the head to keep him down. TV and Taya whip out his and hers kendo sticks to beat Castle down, both on the floor and back in the ring.

Castle fights up again and gets the stick, which has TV running away for cover. Back in and Castle snaps off some suplexes to send TV outside again. That leaves Castle to take the kendo stick and….slide it through his trunks before it falls onto the floor. Taya gets creative by spraying Castle with a leaf blower, allowing TV to powerbomb him through a table. TV wraps a chair around Castle’s head and hits him with the stick for two more, meaning it’s time to get frustrated.

Starship Pain takes way too long though and Castle knocks him outside again, meaning it’s time for the Boys to come out and get throw outside. The biggest one doesn’t quite hit TV so here is Jack Cartwheel as a Boy to take TV out. That’s not enough so here is actor/wrestler Paul Walter Hauser as a Boy to chill in the corner. That leaves TV to dive onto the pile at ringside, followed by Hauser laying out TV with a Sky High. The Boys kidnap Taya, leaving Hauser and Castle to pour out the thumbtacks. A Bang A Rang onto the tacks finishes TV at 22:06.

Rating: C+. This was a weird mixture of anger/violence and goofiness, which didn’t make for the best match. Castle didn’t really feel like he wanted to get revenge on TV and instead came off more like he was just having a half comedy match. The Cartwheel and Hauser stuff didn’t do much for me but I get why ROH would want to have someone as big as Hauser around. That being said, this was one of the matches I wanted to see on the show and it really didn’t work as well as it could have.

We recap Hikaru Shida challenging Athena for the Women’s Title. Shida is a multi-time AEW Women’s Champion and beat Athena (ten years ago) so now it’s time for a big showdown.

Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Athena

Athena is defending and bails to the floor to start as they hit the stall button early on. Back in and Shida cranks on the arm but Athena bails from the threat of the Katana. Athena comes back in and gets dropped with a string of clotheslines but is able to tie Shida’s leg up in the ropes. An ankle lock keeps Shida down, at least until she slips out and slugs away against the ropes. A suplex gives Shida two and she hits a dropkick, only to get booted out to the floor.

Shida hits a running knee against the barricade but is too banged up to stay after things. Back in and Shida misses a kick, allowing Athena to snap off a Saito suplex. Athena is already getting frustrated so she goes up, only to have the O Face blocked. With that not working, Athena gets smart by going back to the leg with another ankle lock. Shida bails out to the ramp, where she gets in a knee to block Athena’s dive.

Strong Zero on the ramp plants Athena and the top rope Meteor gives Shida two. The Dominator into the Codebreaker gives Athena two and she is looking rather stunned. Shida grabs a Falcon Arrow for one and she hurricanranas Athena to the floor, where she hangs on to powerbomb Shida hard. Back in and the O Face gives Athena two but Shida is right back up with the Katana for the same. Athena gets back up and ducks a knee, setting up a superkick. Another O Face retains the title at 22:35.

Rating: B. Yeah it’s a good match and no the result isn’t a surprise. Athena has held the title for so long now that these wins barely register anymore. Shida felt like the most “here’s an AEW star to come after the belt” challenger ever and that isn’t exactly inspiring. Good match, but Athena continuing to hold the title has not exactly been interesting for a long time.

Here’s what’s coming on various AEW shows.

We recap Eddie Kingston defending the Ring Of Honor World Title against Mark Briscoe. They’re friends and Eddie is giving Mark a shot because he deserves it. At the same time, Eddie just lost the Continental Crown and can’t handle losing again. This match is eleven years to the day that Mark’s brother Jay won his first World Title so it’s a mixture of honor and family.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Mark Briscoe

Briscoe is challenging and Kingston backs him into the corner to start. They fight over wrist control to no avail until Kingston snaps off a backdrop driver. Briscoe fights up and hits a big boot, followed by a running boot to send Kingston outside. Kingston gets in his own shot out there and hits a dive off the apron to make it worse. The announcers’ table is broken up and Briscoe is busted open as he gets back inside, with Kingston pounding him down into the corner.

Kingston snaps off a suplex and hits a clothesline to drop Briscoe to the floor. The suicide dive is cut off though and Briscoe dropkicks him into the barricade. There’s the Cactus Elbow to hit Kingston but he knocks Briscoe down again to take back over. Things get more violent as Briscoe is tied in the Tree of Woe before falling out for two. Back up and Briscoe wins a chop off and grabs a fisherman’s buster for two of his own.

There’s the Blockbuster from the apron to the floor to put Kingston down again and a Death Valley Driver connects back inside. The Froggy Bow gives Briscoe another near fall and they trade suplexes before a double clothesline leaves them both down. They go to the apron again, where Kingston snaps off a t-bone suplex to the floor.

Briscoe has to dive back in to beat the count and they slug it out from their knees. Another chop off goes to Briscoe, who hits a running clothesline to take Kingston down. A discus forearm puts Kingston down and they trade spinning shots to the head. Briscoe goes old school with the Cutthroat Driver into the Jay Driller for the pin and the title at 24:13.

Rating: B. It was another good fight and Mark finally getting his big moment was nice to see, but the lack of animosity between them made this feel a bit flatter than it should have been. Briscoe should have won the title a long time ago but I’ll take it over him losing again like he did last year. This was the only thing that could have headlined and it was a special feeling, though Kingston’s collapse could make for some rocky moments going forward.

Friends, family and wrestlers celebrate with Briscoe to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show might have been every Ring Of Honor problem rolled into one. As usual, the action itself was good to very good so the criticisms are not aimed at the wrestlers. Instead, we had a show that went on WAY longer than it needed to (just shy of four hours and forty minutes counting Zero Hour) with a staggering five matches going over fifteen minutes.

It’s a good example of a show that just needed to be trimmed WAY down, including cutting off say three Zero Hour matches and shortening some of the midcard stuff. It isn’t that the show was bad, but I was sick of watching it bay the end as it just kept going for hours. On top of that, it’s another big show with only so many noteworthy things happening, as the World Title and Women’s TV Titles changing hands aren’t likely to mean much in Ring Of Honor’s week to week status. Overall a pretty good show, but as usual, Ring Of Honor is REALLY in need of someone to say “and that’s enough”.

Results
Premiere Athletes b. Tony Deppen/Adam Priest/Rhett Titus – Double top rope fist drops to Priest
Beast Mortos b. Blake Christian – Pumphandle piledriver
Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Angelico/Serpentico – Rollup with tights to Serpentico
Mariah May b. Momo Kohgo – It’s Gonna Be May
Kyle Fletcher b. Lee Johnson – Super brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Mei Seira/Maika/Mina Shirakawa b. Tam Nakano/Saya Kamitani/AZM – Lifting reverse layout DDT to Kamitani
Billie Starkz b. Queen Aminata – Sleeper
Bullet Club Gold b. Minoru Suzuki/Alex Zayne/Lance Archer – Blade Runner to Zayne
Dalton Castle b. Johnny TV – Bang A Rang onto thumbtacks
Athena b. Hikaru Shida – O Face
Mark Briscoe b. Eddie Kingston – Jay Driller

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

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Dynamite
Date: November 1, 2023
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re less than a month away from Full Gear and the show tonight is looking a bit different. There are a pair of title matches but MJF is also needing three people to team with him to face Bullet Club Gold. Other than that, Tony Khan has another important announcement and that could be just about anything. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Renee Paquette brings in MJF, who still needs three partners tonight. He has a list to go after but he wants some advice from Adam Cole, who pops up in a video chat. Cole thinks MJF should take Samoa Joe’s offer but here are Roderick Strong and company. MJF leaves and Cole doesn’t have time for this.

The person in the Devil mask is watching.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli is challenging and fires off the knees to start. Back up and Cassidy sends him into the buckle but dives into a backbreaker/gutbuster. Cassidy knocks Castagnoli outside but a dive is cut off, with Castagnoli dropping him on the barricade. Hook and Wheeler Yuta come over to check on them both and get tossed, leaving Cassidy to….not be able to sunset bomb Castagnoli out of the corner. Castagnoli muscles him up for a delayed superplex and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy fighting back and hitting the dive. They get back inside where the DDT is countered into the Swing, setting up the Sharpshooter. With that broken up, Castagnoli hits the uppercut for two, setting up the elbows to the head. A swinging sleeper has Cassidy in more trouble but he flips over for the escape. The Orange Punch into the Beach Break but Castagnoli bails to the floor. Back in and another Orange Punch is countered, only to have the counter countered into a very spinning DDT for two. Castagnoli is back up with an uppercut attempt but Cassidy reverses into a hurricanrana into the pin at 16:50.

Rating: B. This was good stuff and thankfully Castagnoli didn’t get pinned by the Orange Punch or the Beach Break. It would be a bit too far to buy him losing to one of those moves from Cassidy but I can buy a leverage move like the hurricanrana. I’m not sure I would have kept the title on Cassidy here, but it feels like he is gearing up for another Jon Moxley match anyway.

Post match Jon Moxley comes in and the big beatdown is on.

MJF goes to ask Kenny Omega to be his partner but finds Chris Jericho instead. Jericho slams the door in his face. MJF keeps walking and gets grabbed by Wardlow, who says he is going to take everything from him when he least expects it. Now needing a new clipboard, MJF runs into the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, who he still won’t pick as his partners.

A ticked off Jon Moxley challenges Orange Cassidy for Full Gear.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Young Bucks/Hangman Page

The Bucks and Page are defending. It’s a brawl to start with the champs sending them outside for stereo dives to the floor. Back in and a 450 hits Kaun and we take an early break. We come back with Page hitting a pop up powerbomb on Kaun but here is Swerve Strickland. Swerve: “WHOSE HOUSE? Last week I was at YOUR house!” Page tags out (nice little touch) and runs off, leaving the Bucks 3-2. The Embassy wrecks Nick with a powerbomb and a knee to the face, setting up Open The Gates to give us new champs at 7:56.

Rating: C. This was more storyline advancement than anything else, assuming you count taking us back to where we have been for most of the year to be advancement that is. The Six Man Titles still don’t feel important in the slightest but at least they might be on the ROH show again. The Bucks and Page winning the titles in the first place didn’t feel like a great idea but thankfully it didn’t last long.

Post match Matt snaps and beats on the posts with a chair.

MJF considers going to see Samoa Joe but goes to Darby Allin’s room instead. Rather than opening the door though, he writes “EMO B****” and walks off…where he runs into Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed again. Still a no.

Here is Adam Copeland for a chat. After Copeland puts over Tony Schiavone, he talks about how he respects Sting and Darby Allin…but here are Christian Cage and company to interrupt. Cage talks about how he is going to retire Sting, but that brings him to Copeland’s bad neck. If Copeland teams with Sting and Darby Allin at Full Gear, Cage will break his neck. The brawl is on with Cage loading up the Conchairto but cue Allin and Sting for the save. Copeland spears Cage and says he’s in. It was pretty clear that it was going to be Copeland so points for not wasting time getting to the announcement.

Tony Khan, with Nigel McGuinness, is in the back for his big announcement: All In is at Wembley again and tickets go on sale December 1. But you can get them early! That’s the announcement and they’ve pretty much reached a new all time low with these things.

Kenny Omega/Chris Jericho vs. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

The former Society jump them to start but Omega and Jericho shrug it off like two former World Champions fighting a pair of comedy goons. The Society gets beaten down and we take an early break. Back with Jericho hitting a top rope ax handle to Parker and grabbing the Walls. That’s broken up by Menard and a baseball bat shot to Jericho gets two. With that not working, it’s the Judas Effect to wrap it up at 6:11. Not enough shown to rate but this was mostly a squash.

Post match the Don Callis Family pops up to say we need to finish this in a street fight. Jericho and Omega are in, and they’ll bring Kota Ibushi to help even things up a bit. That still leaves them a man short though, so Jericho has an idea. Cue Paul Wight and the team is complete.

Post break the Young Bucks aren’t happy that Omega and Jericho didn’t pick them. Jericho doesn’t seem to care. Oh sweet goodness we’re doing this “I thought we were friends” melodrama nonsense again?

Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Willow Nightingale

Shida is defending and gets run over by some shoulders to start. Back up and Shida sends her outside and hits a dive off the apron as we take an early break. We come back with Nightingale running Shida over but Shida scores with a kick of her own. A super Falcon Arrow gives Shida one (oh dear) and the strike it out. The Pounce sends Shida flying but she’s back with a knee to the head for two. The Katana retains the title at 10;11.

Rating: C+. The usual good match here between these two with the same usual loss for Nightingale. At some point she has to win something that matters and that isn’t seeming to be the case right now. Shida feels like she is just kind of floating around at the moment and that isn’t great to see, but the matches are at least working. Granted almost none of that matters as Toni Storm is ready to get the title back in a few weeks.

Post match respect is shown but here is Toni Storm to interrupt. That’s fine with Shida, who runs up and knees Storm in the face to chase her off. With them gone, the lights go out and here is Julia Hart to stand behind Nightingale. There isn’t a sneak attack though and Hart extends her hand. Cue Skye Blue though and she mists Julia instead.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn offer to be MJF’s partners but he won’t wear….whatever they offer him. MJF won’t tag with them and goes to look at Jeff Jarrett and company instead. MJF isn’t sure what to do.

Roderick Strong and company call Adam Cole, who is apparently as sick of the annoying catchphrase as everyone else.

Bullet Club Gold vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/???/???/???

Yeah it’s the Acclaimed/Billy Gunn, with MJF in full pink gear. Jay White runs from MJF to start so it’s off to Bowens to run Colten over. Austin comes in and gets to face Billy, though neither can get much going. Austin slugs away until Billy punches both of his kids down as the villains are cleared out. MJF WILL NOT scissor though and we take a break.

We come back with Austin still in trouble and getting caught with Scissor Me Timbers. The four way scissoring is broken up though and Caster is sent outside to start up the beating. White comes in to beat on Caster but he avoids a shot to the face and dives over to bring MJF in to clean house. White bails as MJF hits the Kangaroo Kick but walks into the Blade Runner to give White the fast pin at 13:35.

Rating: C+. Features the AEW World Champion, who does not have his belt, wanting to avoid all of the other people coming after his title so he teams with a team including a guy who might be stalking him and has to wear a funny costume while also facing the team that is going to be challenging him for the minor league Tag Team Titles on the same show where he defends the major league World Title. Oh and Billy Gunn beating up his kids. The match itself was a decent eight man tag with a good result, but it felt like this was there for MJF to be in a costume/scissoring and they spent a long time to get to those payoffs.

Post match the beatdown is on with White loading up a belt shot but Caster takes the bullet for him. The fans chant BS but Billy Gunn orders MJF to do the scissoring. Four way scissoring ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show and a lot of that has to do with how MJF is being booked. He’s currently dealing with at least five different things and that doesn’t leave a ton of focus for others. At the same time you have Paul Wight being brought in to deal with Powerhouse Hobbs rather than, I don’t know, the guy who beat Hobbs at All Out in Miro. Then you have the Elite drama and my goodness I cannot begin to care. The show wasn’t a bad one, but the wrestling was only so good and a lot of what went on only felt so important. It was something of a skippable show and that’s rarely good to see.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Claudio Castagnoli – Hurricanrana
Mogul Embassy b. Hangman Page/Young Bucks – Open The Gates to Nick
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Judas Effect to Menard
Hikaru Shida b. Willow Nightingale – Katana
Bullet Club Gold b. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn/Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Blade Runner to Friedman

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

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AND

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 16, 2022

We’re still on the Hall of Fame shows and that means we should be in for a fun week. Last week’s show was pretty awesome and this time around we have another big one with Bryan Danielson. He was absolutely a star in Ring of Honor and was a big part of why the company got on the map. Opening the vault is always fun so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We open with Danielson’s Hall of Fame video, including talking about how his talent and amazing matches helped develop the company’s reputation. Then he moved on to WWE and AEW and kept doing the same thing.

From Glory By Honor V (September 16, 2006).

Ring Of Honor World Title: Kenta vs. Bryan Danielson

Danielson is defending has a horrible shoulder coming in. Kenta threatens him with the big kick to start and backs Danielson up against the ropes. That means a slap to the face and things are getting a bit more serious. They go to a test of strength until Danielson grabs the arm, setting up a knee to the face. Kenta goes right back to the shoulder though and Danielson needs a breather on the floor.

Back in and Danielson rocks him with a headbutt, earning himself a kick to the arm. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Danielson, whose shoulder is looking black and blue. Danielson rips at the face as we hear about how awesome his title reign has been. A wristlock doesn’t get Kenta very far as Danielson dropkicks him to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kenta hitting a running dropkick and kicking away, setting up a springboard missile dropkick for two. Kenta grabs a short armscissors, sending Danielson over to the ropes in a hurry. Danielson is right back with a half crab and a whip into the corner, setting up a Chris Benoit throat slit (dang that was jarring to see). The superplex sets up a crossface chickenwing to keep Kenta in trouble but a foot in the ropes is good for the break. The Swan Dive only hits Kenta’s raised boots though and it’s time to slug it out. They trade suplexes and then trade discus strikes to the face for another double knockdown.

We take another break and come back again with Kenta pulling him into a Fujiwara armbar, sending Danielson right back to the ropes. Danielson goes up onto said ropes but dives into a cutter, meaning the Fujiwara armbar goes right back on. That’s broken up again and Danielson grabs a fisherman’s belly to back suplex for two.

A belly to back superplex drops Kenta again and Cattle Mutilation goes on, meaning Kenta makes the ropes AGAIN. Danielson goes up top but dives into a fireman’s carry, setting up the (original) GTS for a VERY close two as the ropes save the title again. A bridging O’Connor roll gives Danielson another crazy near fall but Kenta kicks him down.

Danielson takes him down and drives away with the elbows to the head, only to have Kenta power up for the fireman’s carry. That’s broken up as well though and it’s a tiger suplex for two on Kenta. Cattle Mutilation goes on again and, after some more elbows to the head, the hold goes on again and Kenta FINALLY taps at 27:43.

Rating: A. Oh yeah this worked and it was an awesome fight with both guys beating the tar out of each other. Danielson can do this with anyone and it was a time when Kenta got to look as good as he is often hyped up as being. I haven’t seen nearly enough of Danielson’s time in Ring of Honor but it is easy to see where he gets the reputation that he has. Awesome match here and I loved the heck out of this.

We look at Danielson beating James Gibson (Jamie Noble) to win the World Title at Glory By Honor IV.

From Unified (August 12, 2006) and this is a pretty famous one.

Ring Of Honor World Title/Pure Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness

This is to unify the titles and under Pure Rules with a winner guaranteed. They take turns backing each other up against the ropes with Danielson slapping him in the face. Nigel armdrags him down and gets in his own slap, with the London fans saying Danielson got b**** slapped. They fight over wrist control as we hear about both of their dominant title reigns.

A dropkick puts McGuinness down but he kicks at the leg to get a breather. The grappling is on again with Danielson driving him into the corner before kicking him down. It’s time for Danielson to start in on the arm, including some hard cranking on the mat. Back up and a running dropkick puts Nigel down and we take a break.

We come back with Danielson uppercutting away in the corner before grabbing a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up with the rope break before Nigel hits a clothesline out of the corner. A Regal Cutter (or close to it) gives Nigel two and there’s a running uppercut in the corner for the same. An arm trap chinlock goes on to keep Danielson in trouble but he gets up and scores with an enziguri. The surfboard double knee stomp has Nigel in more trouble and it’s a superplex into a Swan Dive for two. Cattle Mutilation goes on but Nigel is in the ropes in a hurry, meaning it’s rope break #2 (I’m guessing that first one was in the break).

We take another break and come back Nigel putting him down, making Danielson use his first rope break. Nigel grabs his own Cattle Mutilation and Danielson burns through another break in a hurry. They head outside with Danielson putting a table onto him for some choking. Back in and Nigel blasts him with a clothesline. Danielson is fine enough to grab the crossface chickenwing so Nigel uses his final rope break.

Nigel gets tossed with a German suplex but still manages to get his feet up to block the Swan Dive. A strike off goes to Danielson but Nigel puts him on the top for a hard clothesline. That means Danielson has to use his final break and we take another break of our own.

Back again with Nigel busted open as they trade some HARD headbutts (no hands protecting them either). A big headbutt sends Nigel into the ropes but he comes out with a hard lariat. Nigel gets a delayed cover but Bryan rolls over into Cattle Mutilation. The ropes can’t save him this time so Nigel has to spin out. With nothing else working, Danielson ties the arms up and unloads with elbows to the head to knock Nigel out and unify the titles (So THAT’S where the name came from!) at 32:41.

Rating: A-. This was a hard one to watch, partially just due to the head trauma. I’m not bit on seeing Danielson (or anyone for that matter) using their head like that, but dang they beat the fire out of each other. The good thing is that the technical work was awesome and then it got serious when they were beating on each other like everything was on the line (because it was). Awesome match, but it is a bit hard to watch.

One more Danielson video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A+. I know it’s easy to focus on the best matches when you’re doing a show like this but dang this was fun. Danielson has more classics than should be legally allowed and this was an awesome look at two of them. Much like last week, I could go for a much longer look at Danielson and that’s how this should be. It’s almost like those ads for Honor Club throughout the show was a good idea. Check this, plus more Danielson, out because it’s outstanding stuff.

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

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205 Live
Date: April 9, 2021
Host: Nigel McGuinness

It’s Wrestlemania weekend and since this show means all of absolutely nothing in WWE, this is a best of show. That might be the best thing that can be done for the cruiserweights, as it isn’t like anyone is paying attention to this show this weekend. Hopefully we get some of the actual greatest hits as there are a lot to pick from. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Nigel McGuinness welcomes us to the show and sends us to our first match.

From the Wrestlemania XXXIV Kickoff Show.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali

Tournament final to crown a new champion after Enzo Amore was finally banished. Ali debuts his SubZero look, which he still uses a year later. They’re both very happy to be there and slaps hands before getting started. Cedric scores with a shoulder block but gets headscissored down as the announcers are right there to play up the power vs. speed idea, though you don’t exactly think of power when it comes to Alexander.

Now the 054 connects for two, the first time the move has ever only gotten a near fall. Another 054 misses and it’s a pair of spinning back elbows to Ali’s face. A third turns Ali inside out and the Lumbar Check makes Cedric champion at 12:21. Cedric immediately hugs the unconscious Ali in a nice show of sportsmanship.

Rating: B. I was pulling for Ali but it felt like a title match between two guys fighting with everything they had. Cedric was the favorite in the entire tournament but Ali came off looking like a star the whole way through. This was rather good stuff and should have been the Kickoff Show main event, though I’ll take a good match when I can.

From Wrestlemania XXXV, again on the Kickoff Show.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese

Murphy is defending and this is during Nese’s (who won a tournament to get here) not so great face run. First good thing: there are a bunch of people in their seats already so the place doesn’t look ridiculous. Murphy misses a running knee at the bell so Nese hammers away in the corner and tells the fans that this is his Wrestlemania moment. A cartwheel off the apron lets Nese hit him in the jaw but Murphy grabs a fireman’s carry drop onto the corner (Colt Cabana’s Chicago Skyline) as we take a break.

Back with Murphy holding a chinlock but getting suplexed into the corner to cut things off. Some running elbows to the face rock Murphy and the Lionsault, with Murphy hanging in the ropes, gets two. Nese catches him on the ropes with a palm strike, only to get pulled into a Cheeky Nandos kick. A powerbomb into a spinning faceplant gives Murphy two as we get the “still filing in line” from commentary. Murphy’s Law is countered and Nese hits a reverse hurricanrana to put them both down again.

Murphy wins a strike off but Nese is right back with a sunset driver for his own near fall as the fans are finally getting into this. The running Nese doesn’t get to launch so Nese hits the Fosbury Flop instead. Back in and the 450 gets two in a surprising near fall. The jumping knee connects out of nowhere and Murphy’s Law gets two as Nese gets a foot on the rope. Ever the villain, Murphy tries his own running Nese, which is cut off by a superkick. The real running Nese finishes Murphy at 10:44.

Rating: C. The 205 Live guys had several matches that would blow this one away but at least they had a nice moment in the end with the fans getting into things. Nese as a face didn’t exactly click but beating Murphy felt like a bit deal. It’s a nice mini feel good moment to start what is going to be a long night.

From Takeover XXXI.

Cruiserweight Title: Isaiah Scott vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar is defending and gets taken down by an early anklescissors. A standoff doesn’t last long as Scott sends him outside for a moonsault, followed by a middle rope corkscrew dive to take the champ down again. Scott isn’t done as he hits a big Fosbury Flop to take him down again. Escobar’s arm is bent around the post on the floor for two back inside but Escobar snaps the neck across the top rope to get his first breather.

The suicide dive drives Scott into the barricade and it’s time to slowly stomp away back inside. That includes some SPANISH TRASH TALKING (so you know he’s serious) until Scott pops him in the jaw. Scott sends him outside for a bit, followed by the rolling Downward Spiral for two back inside. A DDT out of the corner gives Scott two more but here’s Legado del Fantasma for the distraction. Escobar grabs a shoulderbreaker (might have been a botched something else) for two and they head to the apron.

A springboard hurricanrana sends Escobar into the other two and here’s Ashante Adonis to take care of Legado. Back in and Escobar hits a jumping superkick into the Phantom Driver for a rather close two. Escobar hits Three Amigos but the frog splash is blocked. Scott snaps the arm and the House Call connects, setting up a 450 for two more. They go to the apron with Escobar knocking him head first into the post to knock Scott silly, setting up a double underhook facebuster to retain at 14:22.

Rating: B. They had me believing that the title would change here (and I wanted it to as I like Scott a good deal) but Escobar winning is the right call after he only won the title a few months ago. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him, but they had a very solid back and forth match here. Having Adonis get rid of Legado make it more interesting so well done on a nice swerve before the ending.

Overall Rating: B-. I never know what to do with this but the main event was the only match really worth seeing. They did what they should have done here as 205 Live means nothing and it isn’t like that show was going to be on anyone’s mind this week. Open the vault for something like this because it is a much better idea than trying to do something else.

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IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

7^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 21, 2009
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Lenny Leonard, Dave Prazak

This is another in my long selection of DVDs and this is one that shouldn’t need much more of an explanation. I know a good bit more about ROH than PWG so this is nice for a change, though this is an era that I haven’t seen much of over the years. Your two big matches are Nigel McGuinness defending the World Title against Kenta and Kevin Steen/El Generico defending the Tag Team Titles against the American Wolves (Davey Richards/Eddie Edwards). Works for me so let’s get to it.

Bobby Dempsey knows that Larry Sweeney is getting to pick his next two opponents with the first one coming tonight. It doesn’t matter who is in front of him because he’s running through them and then coming for Sweeney.

Kenta warmed up in the empty arena earlier today.

I guess that’s our show intro as there is nothing else before we head into the matches.

Kenny King/Rhett Titus vs. Erick Stevens/Roderick Strong

Titus is Addicted To Love, basically making him a male stripper. The fans however remind him that he is a virgin and Titus isn’t pleased. Strong and King start things off with a fight over the wrist control, as you do in wrestling most of the time. King gets in a headscissors on the mat but Strong is back up with the armdrags into the armbar. Stevens comes in and the fans don’t seem overly pleased, but they are right there with the WOOing for the chops.

King brings Titus in, with Stevens running him over with the shoulder. Titus gets taken into the corner for the alternating chops and is then sent to the apron, where King gets in a knee to Stevens for a breather. A suplex into some forearms to the head gives King one and it’s back to Titus, who is perfectly fine thanks to the magic of wrestling. Titus’ dropkick gets one and it’s an atomic drop into a running clothesline from King to rock Stevens again. The chinlock….mostly goes on as Stevens is up to his feet before King really gets things set. Why waste time with something that isn’t going to work anyway?

Titus comes in for a hip swiveling suplex but Stevens hits him in the ribs. A powerslam to King and a kick to Titus still isn’t enough for the hot tag so Stevens ducks a right hand and brings Strong back in. Everything breaks down and Strong’s backbreaker (pick one) gets two on Titus. Something like a Fameasser gives Titus the same on Strong but a Razor’s Edge doesn’t work.

Instead it’s back to Stevens, with King knocking Strong off the apron instead of making another save. Some running knees to the back send Stevens into the buckle as everything breaks down again. Stevens throws Titus into the air for a hard clothesline but Titus is up to save King from a superplex. The yet to be named Sick Kick saves Stevens from a powerbomb/Blockbuster and Stevens hits the Doctor Bomb to finish Titus at 8:53.

Rating: C-. The match was energetic while it lasted but there were some times where you could tell they weren’t sure what to do. This is before Strong and King would become established names so it was about as good as you were going to get here. For an opener to a major show though, it worked out well enough.

There is no pay per view intro and we jump straight to the

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright

Claudio is better known as Cesaro and these two have been feuding for awhile without either of them getting a decisive win. Castagnoli jumps Albright before the bell and hits a running knee, only to get forearmed down into the corner. Neither can hit a hiptoss so Albright flips over him and hits a dropkick out to the floor, setting up the required dive. Back in and Albright hits a delayed vertical suplex on the much bigger Castagnoli. Albright charges into some boots in the corner and misses a charge, sending him crashing into the ropes.

The uppercut against the ropes lets Cesaro choke on the ropes, meaning he can shout about the horribleness that is the USA. We hit the neck crank on Albright for a bit, followed by a hard clothesline to drop him again. Albright fights out of another neck crank and throws Castagnoli with a suplex, only to walk into a leg lariat. The third neck crank goes on but another clothesline is countered with a Rock Bottom. Commentary completely ignores this to talk about the World Title match some more, giving me some rather annoying Nitro flashbacks.

They head outside with Castagnoli walking into an exploder to put them both down again. Back in and Albright snaps off a headscissors into the Crowbar (Fujiwara armbar), sending Castagnoli to the ropes again. Speaking of the ropes, Castagnoli drops him throat first across said ropes to take over. Castagnoli goes up so Albright superplexes him back down and we have one minute left. They slug it out and that’s the time limit at 14:58 (close enough).

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going and Albright caught up after Castagnoli dominated a good portion of the first half. After that it was back and forth stuff and the time limit wasn’t mentioned until near the end, meaning it was more than waiting on the time to expire. Good stuff here and you can see where people saw the star power in Castagnoli on his own.

Post match they have to be separated until Castagnoli says Americans are cowards. He wants five more minutes and Albright says it’s on.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright

The Crowbar goes on again but Castagnoli reverses into one of his own. The fans get behind Albright as he rolls out but Castagnoli kicks him low for the DQ at 1:00 of overtime.

Post match Castagnoli hits the Riccola Bomb (double arm trap sitout powerbomb) and grabs a chair. After beating up security, Castagnoli stomps the chair onto Albright’s head, more or less guaranteeing another rematch.

Mike Quackenbush found out that Bryan Danielson is a great wrestler but he’s ready to face Jerry Lynn. Jerry is on his way to the World Title shot against Nigel McGuinness, but tonight, Quackenbush’s hand is being raised.

We look at Larry Sweeney slapping and spitting at Bobby Dempsey (seemingly his lackey), earning himself a beating inside a cage in what felt like a big face turn.

Bobby Dempsey vs. Adam Pearce

A local news anchor named George Oliphant is guest timekeeper. Pearce has Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Ray with him and is one of Sweeney’s guys. Before the match, Pearce makes the anchor introduce himself and insults his bowtie. Pearce brings up John Stossel and shoves George into the corner but here’s Dempsey to cut things off as we’re ready to go. The handshake results in a cheap shot from Pearce….but Dempsey grabs a Death Valley Driver for the pin at 28 seconds. Well that was a surprise.

Post match Dempsey does the Hulk Hogan shirt tear. The fans seem to like Dempsey as he poses with Oliphant.

Mike Quackenbush vs. Jerry Lynn

Lynn drives him into the corner to start and we get a clean break. The waistlock goes on but Quackenbush slips out without much trouble. They go into the expected battle of wrist control with Quackenbush cranking on the arm. A hiptoss gets Lynn out of trouble and we go to the standoff. Lynn headscissors him into the corner but can’t get a bulldog as Quackenbush takes him down into a double leglock. That’s reversed as well and Lynn works on the arm until Mike (I’m done with typing that long name) springboards into a hurricanrana for the escape and takes it to the mat.

Lynn reverses again and this time it’s an armbar on Mike. Back up and Mike is sent outside, meaning it’s a springboard dropkick to put him down. They switch places and Lynn hits the slingshot legdrop over the middle rope (or “legdrop thing” as commentary calls it) but Mike sweeps the leg to put him down on the apron. Mike tries a hurricanrana on the floor but gets caught and swung HARD into the barricade to put him down again. Back in and Lynn hits a tornado DDT and German suplex for two.

The cradle piledriver doesn’t work though and Mike grabs a crucifix for two of his own. They trade reversals until Lynn sends him into the corner for a collision of heads. Mike goes up but has to roll through a slam back down. Lynn goes up as well and hits a sunset bomb to bang Mike’s head again for two more. The cradle piledriver is blocked again and it’s a belly to back piledriver to plant Lynn. Not that it matters as Lynn is right back with the cradle piledriver for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: B-. This was the technical style match that you expect to see from Ring of Honor and it isn’t surprising given who was in there. Lynn and Quackenbush are both known technicians and the story they were telling here made it clear that Lynn was on his way to the World Title picture. It might not be the most interesting story, but they had an idea and stuck with it so points for following through.

Post match Mike takes some time to get up but they shake hands.

We recap the Necro Butcher leaving the Age of the Fall and being replaced by Delirious. From what I can tell, Austin Aries is now an associate of the team but hasn’t officially joined. He’ll be in a six man tag though, facing off against three former members of the team. I think. The story was kind of all over the place and they didn’t exactly make the story clear here.

Age of the Fall/Austin Aries vs. Delirious/Necro Butcher/Tyler Black

This is Ultimate Endurance (elimination rules and No DQ) under Revolution Rules (each fall has to be by a different method than the previous. For example you can’t have two pins in a row, but you can have pin, submission, pin). The Age of the Fall is Brodie Lee (looking YOUNG here)/Jimmy Jacobs and Black is better known as Seth Rollins. The non-Age of the Fall has Daizee Haze with them just in case there weren’t enough people around. Delirious charges into an elbow from Lee to start but it’s quickly off to (the barefoot) Butcher for the slugout.

Everything breaks down in a hurry and Delirious pulls Jacobs in for some revenge. The triple teaming is on and Butcher dives to the floor to take everyone down again. Everyone fights to the floor as commentary explains the rules for the first time. Delirious steals something from a fan to rub in Jacobs’ face and Lee blasts Butcher in the face with a big boot. Everyone gets back in with Aries and the Age being whipped into each other, followed by Delirious hitting a Cactus Clothesline to Lee.

Black busts out the big flip dive onto the pile, who happened to be standing there for his big flip dive. Butcher adds his own flip dive off the top but comes up holding his ankle. Haze, wearing Delirious’ jacket, goes up but Aries pulls her down. That brings in Delirious for the save with a cobra clutch, which Aries breaks up in a hurry.

Aries misses a running corner dropkick but here’s Lee to make the save, earning himself a hurricanrana out of the corner. Delirious hits some running knees in the corners to Lee and Aries until Lee is back up to save Jacobs from the cobra stretch. The swinging Boss Man Slam (always looks good) plants Delirious and Aries’ brainbuster finishes him off at 7:05. Since that was a pin, the next fall has to be submission, countout or knockout.

Lee kicks Black in the face to put him outside, followed by a slow motion Boss Man Slam to send Butcher into the ramp. Back in and Jacobs and Aries get in a bit of a fight over who gets to beat up Black. Since Black is smart enough to take advantage of it, he beats on both of them until Lee makes the save. Butcher comes back in to sent Aries and Jacobs outside before slugging away at Lee in the corner. The fight takes them to the floor as well as commentary can’t understand why Butcher doesn’t wear shoes.

Butcher and Lee go into the crowd (With ROH being smart enough TO GO SPLIT SCREEN!!! WHY IS THIS SO FREAKING HARD FOR EVERY OTHER COMPANY????) with Butcher getting in a good right hand to the face. Aries and Jacobs double team Black but stop to wonder where the other two are. The referee wants to know too but since they’re that far gone, both Butcher and Lee are eliminated at 11:41.

So pinfalls are allowed again as Black is double teamed some more. Aries stops to tell a fan that they’re ugly and Jacobs pulls out some of Black’s hair. That’s enough as Aries and Jacobs get in a fight over who gets to beat up Black but are smart enough to let it go and beat on Black again. Black is sat in a chair at ringside but they get in a fight over who gets to go for the suicide dive. This time they actually slug it out, allowing Black to springboard in with a double clothesline.

The Phoenix splash hits Aries but Jacobs catches Black on top. Aries holds Black in the Tree of Woe for a running hip attack and a slingshot dropkick gets two. The Contra Code (sitout Sliced Bread) is broken up though and Aries’ running dropkick hits Jacobs by mistake. Aries is back up with a shinbreaker to Black and throws him on his head with a release belly to back suplex.

Thankfully Black can still move and blocks the brainbuster with some knees to the head. Black nails the buckle bomb and the low superkick sets up the End Time (Jacobs’ guillotine choke) to get rid of Aries at 17:55. So we’re down to Jacobs vs. Black and it cannot end with submission. Jacobs brings in a chair but Black takes him down to start the brawl. A heck of a chair shot to the back puts Black down again so Jacobs pulls out his trusty railroad spike.

Black kicks it away but Jacobs nails a low blow, setting up the Contra Code for two. The End Time goes on again and Jacobs is dumb enough to let go even though there is no submission. Black powers up though and hits God’s Last Gift (fisherman’s buster into a small package) for the pin at 20:53.

Rating: B. Yeah this was good and the best thing on the show so far. The Age of the Fall was pretty much done at this point and would be done for good in June. Black is clearly the breakout star though and is moving up the ranks in a hurry. Good match here with a nice mixture of wrestling and brawling, so well done on the whole thing. Jacobs is someone who has grown on me as I’ve seen more of his work, though he still seems more like the guy who always comes up short more than anything else.

Nigel McGuinness is warming up for the main event.

Ring of Honor is coming to Nashville. By that we mean the show has taken place and we have clips, one of which seems to include Kenny Omega.

Jay Briscoe has been here since day one and he is ready to face D’Lo Brown, who he grew up watching. No disrespect to Brown, but he is going to have to man up.

Bison Smith/Jimmy Rave vs. Bryan Danielson/Grizzly Redwood

Smith and Rave are part of the Embassy with Prince Nana and Ernie Osiris. Before the bell, Nana says we need to think Barack Obama for his economic stimulus package because that money has allowed him to rebuild the Embassy. That includes the Crown Jewel of the Embassy, which sets up a huge entrance for Rave (making a big return). Bryan charges to the ring but gets caught by Smith in a spinning backbreaker. Redwood, the rather small lumberjack, fails to make the save but we have a surprise run-in return to take his place.

Bison Smith/Jimmy Rave vs. Bryan Danielson/Colt Cabana

The fans are VERY happy to see Cabana and he starts with Rave, who is pelted with toilet paper instead of streamers. Feeling out process to start with Rave seeming a bit tentative so Cabana shoulders him out to the floor. Some shoulders to the chest give Cabana two back inside as commentary goes over Cabana’s ROH history. Danielson comes in for the surfboard, sending Rave’s head into the ropes for the save. Some kicks in the corner connect as we hear about Bryan’s history against Smith.

Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s an STO to Cabana on the apron as Smith gorilla presses Danielson into the corner. Rave stomps Danielson down for two and we hit the chinlock. It’s back to Smith for the hard shoulder and he cranks on the neck as well. Bryan finally gets in a kick to the face and dives over for the hot tag to Cabana, though the fans don’t respond that loudly. The Flying Apple connects but Smith’s running shoulder (Prazak: “That’s the Flying Bison.”) cuts him down.

Everything breaks down again and Danielson sends Smith outside. The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air and Smith comes back in with a claw slam onto Rave’s knee to Cabana. A running knee gets two and Smith claws Cabana until Bryan breaks it up with a knee. Cabana and Bryan baseball slide Smith over the barricade, setting up a heck of a dive from Bryan. That leaves Cabana to elbow Rave in the head but Rave pulls him into the heel hook. Cabana slips out in a hurry and grabs the Superman Cover for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. This worked for a double surprise, though having both teams include a special appearance kind of left them in a tough place. That being said, Smith seemed like a monster and you don’t want him losing either, meaning that Cabana going over Rave was the only way out of it. Granted any match from 2009 with Danielson is going to be entertaining and the fans loved Cabana so it was a pretty strong reaction to everything.

Post match Cabana says he loved hearing Copacabana when he came out here, but there is only one song he wants to hear right now and it belongs to Danielson. The Final Countdown begins and the fans seem rather appreciative, including singing the lyrics as Bryan and Cabana pose (which is always cool).

Jay Briscoe vs. D’Lo Brown

Mark Briscoe is here with Jay and it’s still weird to see Brown as kind of a legend. And without his head shaking everywhere. Before the match, Brown talks about being future endeavored from WWE after a very uneventful comeback and a complete waste of time. So what does he think of those guys up north? Thank you. He thanks them for wishing him good luck because his future endeavors are now here in Ring of Honor. Feeling out process to start with Briscoe taking over off a test of strength.

Brown drives him into the corner but gets shouldered out to the floor in a hurry. Back in and Brown’s running knee is blocked so they slap hands and reset. An exchange of legsweeps get one each and Brown isn’t sure what to do with Briscoe. A dropkick puts Brown down but he has the referee step aside and gets in a cheap low blow. Brown stands around for a good bit before hitting Jay in the head. Jay is fine with a slugout but Brown drops him with a big shot to the jaw.

They chop it out for a change and this time Brown goes to the eyes to cut him off. The cobra clutch keeps Jay in trouble before Brown goes with three straight standing clotheslines for two. Jay is sat on the apron for some forearms, plus a springboard dropkick to the floor. Brown goes back to the apron but gets dropkicked out of the air, leaving both of them rather staggered.

Back in and Brown gets Downward Spiraled into the top turnbuckle, followed by a hard clothesline for two. The Jay Driller is blocked though and Brown grabs a good Sky High for two. Jay is right back with a Death Valley Driver for his own two so it’s up top for a missed guillotine legdrop. Brown is right there with a rollup (including tights) for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable match here, though it’s weird seeing Briscoe waiting to break through to the next level instead of being one of the biggest stars the company has ever seen. The match was good enough action and I’ve always liked Brown so we’ll call it a learning experience for Jay, which you have to have at one point or another.

Post match Mark yells a lot, both at the referee and Brown. Jay isn’t pleased either.

Tag Team Titles: American Wolves vs. Kevin Steen/El Generico

No DQ and the Wolves, with Sara Del Ray and Shane Hagadorn in their corner. The champs hit the ring in a hurry (chasing off the ring announcer mid introduction. Steen hits a Cannonball to Edwards, followed by the yet to be named Helluva Kick. The Wolves are on the floor so Steen hits a big dive as I don’t think the bell ever rang. Generico throws some chairs into the ring and then throws Davey into the barricade. They get inside and it’s a drop toehold to send Eddie face first into the chair.

Steen puts another on the back of Eddie’s head for a running flip legdrop. Generico’s running flip dive only hits chairs and Davey Tombstones him onto the chairs (more like a Tombstone into a powerslam but close enough). It’s time to start in on Owens’ knee as thankfully they aren’t bothering with tagging in a No DQ match. There’s a dragon screw legwhip to take the knee out again and some kicks to the ribs to keep him in trouble. Richards grabs a title and says they’re the next champs, which is enough to bring Steen back to life.

Granted he is knocked right back down, but at least he was up for a second. Steen low bridges both of them to the floor though and it’s Generico hitting a double springboard flip dive to take everyone out. That means the OLE chants start up again, even as Generico hits Eddie in the ribs with a chair. Instead of the rope walk armdrag, Generico drops down and pelts the chair at Eddie’s head. Well that was effective.

A splash out of the corner gives Generico two….and it’s time for a ladder. Hagadorn: “THAT IS CROSSING THE LINE!” Generico’s split legged moonsault onto Davey onto the ladder gets two and Steen limps around to pick the ladder up again. The ladder is set up against the rope but Eddie kicks Steen in the face. Generico kicks him down but the springboard flip dive hits the ladder.

Eddie throws Generico into the air for a kick to the chest and a chair to the head into a German suplex with a flipping jackknife cover gets two with Steen lightly shoving the Wolves for the pin. Back up and Steen powerbombs Davey out of the corner and suplexes Eddie into the corner. The Cannonball hits both Wolves at once and Sami goes Coast to Coast with a springboard flip dive into a ladder for two of his own.

Rating: B+. Now that was a surprise as I would have bet on the Wolves taking the titles here. That’s one of the fun parts about watching these older shows without knowing the results: you get a surprise ending like this and have a cool moment which could just as easily have been spoiled. These four beat the heck out of each other with some good violence so the idea of Steen returning the favors on the knee and winning the match as a result was a great way to finish things off. This was a lot of fun and I can see why the tag division was well received for a long time.

Post match the champs pull themselves up but the Wolves jump them again. Eddie chairs Steen in the head and a belt shot drops Generico. The Wolves put Generico through the table hard but the bloody Steen is back up. That doesn’t last long either as they tape him to the ropes and chair away at the knee, followed by a Conchairto to knock him silly. The Wolves pose with the belts and the champs are destroyed. It takes a good while to cut Steen free and he has to be carried out of the arena. The Wolves would win the title the next month.

Buy All Star Extravaganza with Bryan Danielson vs. Jerry Lynn! And some other stuff!

We recap Kenta vs. Nigel McGuinness for the ROH World Title. Kenta pinned him in a tag match and gets a title shot as a result (or he might have already had it). If there is anything else, it isn’t important enough to show here.

Ring of Honor World Title: Kenta vs. Nigel McGuinness

Nigel, with a bad arm, is defending and has the title on backwards as is his custom. We get the Big Match Intros and we’re ready to go. Kenta takes him up against the ropes and slaps him in the face, which doesn’t set well with Nigel. Nigel tries to do the same but gets slapped again. A kick to the arm takes Nigel down but he is back up with a headbutt. The big lariat is loaded up, which only hurts the arm again. Nigel is sent shoulder first into the post and it’s off to a logical armbar. That’s broken up so Kenta hits some kicks to the arm and head, with Nigel telling him to bring it on.

Kenta does just that and Nigel goes down in the corner, as you might have expected. Nigel slips out of a Kimura by getting to the rope so it’s time for more kicks. Kenta misses a top rope stomp to the head though and it’s a Tower of London (hanging cutter) to the floor. Back in and Nigel kicks him between the shoulders and an arm wrench takes Kenta down. Nigel slowly strikes away, including some headbutts to Kenta’s arm.

A suplex by the arm gives Nigel two and it’s off to the crossface chickenwing. Nigel takes him down with a dropkick but bangs up the arm on the landing, meaning the near fall is delayed. More arm cranking ensues with Nigel bending backwards into kind of a makeshift Rings of Saturn. Kenta fights up again and hits a running boot to the chest, followed by a not very snappy suplex. There’s the keylock again but Nigel makes the rope for the pretty fast save.

The running boot in the corner misses though and Nigel kicks him down. Another kick to the chest cuts off Nigel’s charge so Kenta goes up top, only to get knocked outside in a big crash. Kenta misses a big boot against the barricade and hits his own to knock Nigel over the barricade. Nigel is draped over the barricade for the BIG double stomp to the back and they’re both down again. It takes Nigel a long time to get back in and Kenta hits a fisherman’s buster for two.

The running knee (which Daniel Bryan copied) gives Kenta two more and it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence. Nigel gets the London Dungeon (Zack Gibson’s Shankley Gates….which you might know better as a seated armbar) but Kenta backs to the rope. Another Tower of London drops Kenta for two but he blocks a third attempt. Instead Kenta runs the ropes for a super Falcon Arrow for a very near fall. The Go To Sleep is countered so Kenta settles for a heck of a bridging German suplex for two.

Go To Sleep connects on the second attempt for a very close two with Nigel getting a foot on the rope. They go to the floor with Nigel hitting (mostly) another Tower of London to the apron/floor. Back in and another Go To Sleep is blocked so Nigel hits his own Go To Sleep for two more. The London Dungeon goes on again but Nigel lets it go to pull him back to the middle. That lets Kenta roll him up for two but another Go To Sleep is blocked. It’s back to the London Dungeon but this time Nigel bends backwards to put Kenta’s back over his knees, this time for the tap at 26:20.

Rating: A. This was GREAT as they beat the heck out of each other for the better part of half an hour. Commentary pushed the idea that Nigel was practically wrestling without arms so he had to come up with another way to hang onto the title, including a submission that involved using his hands and knees. Kenta was a monster here too with the strikes looking great. I don’t know how they screwed him up in NXT but it must have been an amazing series of injuries. They pulled off a heck of a trick here by sucking me into a match where I already knew the ending. Check this one out because it’s really great stuff.

Kenta gets the big applause as commentary thanks the fans for the last seven years to end the show.

We’re not quite done though as the DVD includes the ROH Video Wire, which is a collection of bonus videos.

From March 13 in Collinsville, Illinois.

Here’s Ric Flair for a special appearance….or at least his entrance as we cut off after about thirty seconds.

We see some highlights from a show on March 18.

Back to Collinsville with Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious. Jacobs says Delirious has failed him for the last time and pulls out the spike, which hits Daizee Haze instead. Delirious blocks the spike to his own head and stabs Jacobs instead. We’re clipped to Delirious hitting a bunch of running knees to the head in the corner before stopping to stare at Daizee. They have the big hug and the fans certainly seem to approve.

Nigel McGuinness is ready for a tag match between himself/Davey Richards vs. Kenta/El Generico, which would have been the night before the Anniversary Show.

From Indianapolis, Indiana on March 14, Bison Smith beats up Bryan Danielson with referees and agents having to separate them.

Claudio Castagnoli talks about Brent Albright wanting to step up his game but getting kicked in the face like a stupid American.

From the same Indianapolis show, the American Wolves jump Kevin Steen and El Generico but get chased off by someone with a chair.

The American Wolves promise to take the Tag Team Titles from Steen and Generico at the Anniversary Show.

Kevin Steen and El Generico are ticked off at the Wolves, with Steen saying someone else injured his knee eight years ago. He’ll be back up for the fight though because hurting his knee isn’t going to stop him.

That was a rather random assortment of videos and it felt a lot more like a commercial for the Video Wire than something that really added much to the show. It’s hardly anything that brings it down though either, making it pretty much a meaningless bonus feature.

Overall Rating: B+. There is a reason that this version of Ring of Honor is held in so much esteem and it was on display here. This was a heck of a show with the last two matches cranking it up to another level. It was a bit long at times and there are some matches which could have been trimmed a good bit, but I had a really good time with this and it was one of the better ROH shows I’ve ever seen. I could go for more from this period and that’s not something I get to say very often. Check this one out if you have the chance.

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/

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