IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: November 13, 2019
Location: UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Lanny Poffo
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

It’s time to find out the new #1 contender as we see the finals of the tournament from a month ago. The finals are down to PCO and Marty Scurll in a battle of Villain Enterprises, even if one of them has not signed a new deal and the winner is pretty obvious. I’m not sure what else to expect but my expectations are not high. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look at the path to the tournament finals.

Clips of Kelly Klein getting the Women’s Title back from Angelina Love, thanks to some help from Maria Manic. The win ends the epic reign at about two weeks.

Marty Scurll says he’ll take being World Champion as it’s better late than never.

Brian Johnson interrupts a discussion about the tag team division and wants to know why he isn’t getting more attention.

Clips of the Briscoes defending the Tag Team Titles against Luke and PJ Hawx.

Jay Lethal is ready for his semifinals match.

Dalton Castle is ready for his too.

Brian Zane looks at the best finishers in the company with the Lethal Injection topping the list.

The hosts want to know who is funding Shane Taylor Enterprises.

Video on Shane Taylor.

PCO shouts a lot.

We look at the semifinal matches.

For the sake of completion, here are the tournament brackets to the finals, including all three rounds so far:

PCO

Kenny King

Dalton Castle

Mark Haskins

Colt Cabana

Marty Scurll

PJ Black

Jay Lethal

PCO

Dalton Castle

Marty Scurll

Jay Lethal

PCO

Marty Scurll

#1 Contenders Tournament Finals: PCO vs. Marty Scurll

They head to the floor with PCO going into the barricade so Scurll can pose a bit. It’s back inside for a chop off but PCO goes with a powerbomb and spear to take over. The chokeslam sets up the Swanton for two more and they head right back to the floor with PCO setting up a table. Scurll gets off of it before PCO can dive and sends PCO through it instead.

We take another break and come back with PCO hitting a powerslam but the referee was bumped. Cue Brody King for a Boss Man Slam on PCO to give Scurll two. Scurll hits PCO by mistake though and walks into a sidewalk slam for two. The PCOsault is broken up and the ref gets bumped again, but it’s Flip Gordon to kick PCO down. A belt shot gives Scurll two so PCO flip dives onto King and Gordon. The PCOsault connects for two but the Cannonball to the apron misses. Well not the apron but Scurll at least. PCO is fine enough to hit a clothesline and the PCOsault for the pin and the title shot at 14:33.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This one was designed to make PCO look like a killer but that had been done in previous weeks. It’s another day where you look at Scurll and try to figure out why he isn’t a multiple time World Champion already, but ROH has not been known for its bright ideas in this area as of late. PCO getting a chance is fine, though he isn’t someone I would build my biggest show of the year around.

Overall Rating: D-. And that’s their TV offering for the week. There was NOTHING here but the tournament and the result of the final had already been announced on ROH’s website. I still wonder who this show is even for anymore. If you’re watching ROH then you’re probably a hardcore fan who already knows this stuff, so why are you watching the TV show? Is it for the crowd who wants to watch it at 1am on a Monday morning? This company continues to stay confusing and Final Battle is already looking pretty weak.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 3, 2019
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentator: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past Best in the World and other than commentary saying “we’re past Best in the World and it was awesome”, you probably won’t be hearing anything about the show because this was taped in advance. It’s another stand alone show and odds are the NWA will be getting a focus, though that’s not the worst thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a very quick video on tonight’s main event of Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb.

Opening sequence.

Jay Briscoe vs. PCO

They go with the exchange of shoulders and uppercuts to start until Jay kicks him in the face. A backdrop sends PCO outside, which just seems to get on his nerves so he chops away even more. Another backdrop sends PCO back first onto the apron though and we take an early break. Back with Jay swearing as he’s cut in something close to White Noise. Some running shots to the face and a forearm to the back put Jay down.

The Cannonball gets two and Jay gets in even more trouble with a Cactus Clothesline to send both of them outside. A running flip dive through the ropes drops Jay again but he’s right back with a hot shot onto the barricade. Jay puts him in a chair for a running crossbody but gets yelled at for bringing the chair inside. The slugout goes to PCO, who hits a pop up powerbomb and goes up for the PCOsault. Jay is right back up with a chair shot though and that’s the DQ at 10:50.

Rating: C-. Not a bad power match here with Jay being the kind of guy who can put over a million people and still be one of the biggest stars the company has ever seen. PCO on the other hand could still be in the World Title scene and there is no reason to have him lose clean. Throw in the Briscoes vs. NWA story and this was a well booked match, although not the most thrilling.

Post match Mark Briscoe comes out and it’s a Froggy Bow to put PCO through a table.

Mark Haskins says he and his family need him to beat Jeff Cobb.

Cobb promises to suplex Haskins back to England.

Brian Johnson promises Josh Woods that he’ll bring honor to the Top Prospect Tournament and not be a failure like Woods. A glare sends Johnson running.

Coast 2 Coast vs. Shane Taylor/Bully Ray

Ray tells Bobby Cruise to get out of the ring because he’ll do his own entrance. Hold on though as Ray needs to go to the floor to yell at a kid. Taylor and Ali start things off nearly two minutes into the match with Ali slapping him in the face. Some strikes work a bit better but Taylor easily catches a crossbody. LSG comes in for some forearms to the back and we take a break.

Back with Ray crotching Ali against the post and Taylor adding a headbutt as the slow offense can continue. Ray takes way too long winding up the Bionic elbow and gets superkicked in the chest. He’s fine enough to hit the powerbomb but misses a splash, allowing the tag to LSG. House is cleaned, including a high crossbody for two on Taylor and a double superkick to send Bully outside. Back to back frog splashes get two more on Taylor but Ray breaks up Coast to Coast (the second move that Ian said gave the team their name). Greetings From 216 finishes Ali at 10:27.

Rating: C. Better than the opener but Taylor and Ray as some of the top heels in the company isn’t interesting. Ray feels like someone who is there because he has to be whether you want him there or not. Taylor feels like a monster, but he’s coming off like Ray’s far too talented enforcer. I get why Ray is here, but there’s a firm limit to how far things are going with him as the big heel.

We look at Tracy Williams winning a four way match to earn a World Title shot next week.

Mark Haskins vs. Jeff Cobb

Cobb wrestles him down to the mat without much effort but Haskins pulls him into an ankle lock, which leaves Cobb impressed. Another technical exchange gives us a standoff and we take a break. Back with a chop off going to Cobb but his standing moonsault is blocked. Haskins reverses a powerbomb attempt into a triangle choke but he sends Haskins fast first into the buckle in a rather strong counter.

Haskins fights out of a bearhug and leapfrogs over a charging Cobb to send him outside. The suicide dive connects and a top rope double stomp is good for two. Cobb forearms him in the back though and nails a spinning piledriver for two of his own. Back from another break with Haskins starting in on the arm with a stomp and a cross armbreaker. Cobb bails to the floor for the escape so Haskins kicks the arm from the apron. That’s fine with Cobb, who grabs the spinning belly to back onto the floor.

They both dive in at nineteen and Cobb catches him with a snap German suplex. The standing moonsault crushes Haskins’ back but the Tour of the Islands is blocked again. Haskins can’t get the Sharpshooter so he settles for a Samoan driver for two instead. Cobb catches him on top but Haskins blocks the superplex attempt. A Kimura is blocked so Haskins settles for knocking him off the top. The double stomp misses again though and it’s the Tour of the Islands to finish Haskins at 16:05.

Rating: B. Rather good match here with the two of them playing off of each other well. It takes a lot to make Cobb sweat so Haskins looked strong in defeat. They played well with the back vs. the arm and both guys trying to hit their finisher until Cobb got his was all you needed it to be.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an easy show to watch with three matches that showcased different people. It gets annoying having to wait forever to get to the big storyline stuff, but it means less Matt Taven and that’s just good news these days. It’s pretty clear that the top storylines aren’t working at the moment (the attendance for this show was a disaster, as was the case at Best in the World) so going with the wrestling is the best idea they have.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: June 19, 2019
Location: The Odeum, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

The Chicago run continues as we move towards Best in the World. That can mean a few different things, but tonight it’s a four corner survival match with no connection to the pay per view. Never let it be said that Ring of Honor spends all of its time before a pay per view getting ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hikuleo vs. Hirooki Goto

Goto gets shoved down to start as this is likely going to be a physical one. They grapple a bit and it’s off to an early break. Back with Goto’s Saito suplex being blocked with elbows to the head and some hard chops. A knee to the head cuts Hikuleo off though and Goto heads up top.

As expected, that’s not a good idea as a superplex brings him right back down. They trade clotheslines until Hikuleo gets the better of it but Goto is right back with a headbutt. The fireman’s carry backbreaker drops Hikuleo again and the GTR (kind of the Eye of the Hurricane onto a knee) gives Goto the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C-. I’ve never cared for either of these guys (though Goto has been fine at times) and this felt like a match whose sole appeal was the inclusion of New Japan talent. That’s not the most interesting thing in the world and this felt like a match that just came and went. Not terrible, but I won’t remember it by the end of the show.

Kenny King showed that he was the better man in their first match and he’ll win the second too. Maybe he’ll just use the Lethal Injection again.

Kelly Klein/Jenny Rose vs. Allure

It’s Mandy Leon/Angelina Love for the non-Beautiful People here. And never mind as Allure jumps them from behind during the break and there’s no match.

The tag match will take place at Best in the World instead. Well at least they didn’t waste time with the bait and switch this time around.

We look back at the Briscoe Brothers going nuts and coming after the NWA, both at the Crockett Cup and last week.

Best in the World rundown, including some clips for some of the matches.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. PJ Black/Mark Haskins/Tracy Williams

Williams throws Cheeseburger down without much effort so Cheeseburger spins around into a headlock. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Black vs. Isom with Eli jumping around and hitting a knee to the chest. Back from a break with Haskins kicking Nova into the wrong corner to take over.

Black adds a top rope stomp, followed by Haskins’ guillotine legdrop to the back of the head. A missed charge in the corner allows the tag to Isom so house can be cleaned for a bit. That means a moonsault to the floor to take Black down and Cheeseburger’s Swanton gets two on Haskins. Back up and Haskins hits a sitout Samoan driver on Isom. Black adds the moonsault double stomp for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C. This is another match match that existed and that’s not the most thrilling thing in the world. The Squad continues to be little more than a bunch of jobbers while Lifeblood and Black could be fine if they got some better opponents. The fans seemed to like it though so it’s hard to complain all that much.

Post match handshakes abound and Haskins calls out Bully Ray for a fight anywhere.

Jeff Cobb vs. Rush vs. PCO vs. Jay Lethal

One fall to a finish with Matt Taven on commentary. Rush won’t shake hands to start because he’d rather forearm PCO in the face. An exchange of shoulders gives us a big staredown, followed by Lethal’s chops having no effect on PCO. A hiptoss into the cartwheel dropkick works just fine but PCO is waiting on the dive. Lethal isn’t sure what to do and neither is Cobb. Rush rolls into a tranquilo pose so Lethal knocks him down and hits a dive.

Lethal’s dive is caught by PCO with a chokeslam onto the apron and a Vader Bomb gets two on Rush. There’s a chokeslam for two on Cobb as Rush makes the save and suplexes Lethal. Rush runs PCO over but walks into a superkick from Cobb. The very delayed vertical suplex slam doesn’t worry Taven but Cobb suplexing PCO does a bit. Cobb pulls Lethal out of the corner into the swinging belly to back suplex as we take a break. Back with Lethal hitting a DDT on Cobb and a Downward Spiral on Rush at the same time.

Both Lethal and PCO head up top so Cobb goes up with them, meaning it’s a Tower of Doom with Rush powerbombing all three down. Rush can’t cover so the bloody PCO sits up. The Lethal Injection is countered with a pop up powerbomb for two with Cobb making the save. Rush’s overhead belly to belly gets two on Cobb but the strikes have little effect on PCO. PCO’s top rope flip dive only hits apron and it’s the Lethal Injection to Rush. Cue Kenny King to yell at Lethal for stealing his moves and Cobb hits the Tour of the Islands to finish Lethal at 13:16.

Rating: B. The ending was a relief as I was worried about having someone other than the #1 contender winning here. At least they didn’t do anything stupid like having someone outside of the main person winning, and King interfering helped things out a lot. It’s a nice main event and easily the best thing on the show so far.

Overall Rating: C+. If this company ever learned how to properly use their television time leading up to a pay per view, I’d be tempted to buy them a sandwich. What was the point in the opener other than to show that New Japan still does business with them? We’re less than two weeks away from a pay per view and how many matches received no build here? This shouldn’t be complicated but it’s been a problem for them since before I can remember. Do promos or a squash match or something, but get us to want to buy the pay per view, not New Japan World.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion Christmas Day Special
Date: December 25, 2018
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

So this is exactly what the title says it is: a special show that aired as a surprise on Christmas Day. It’s not quite as long as the regular episode of Fusion but in this case that might be a good thing. For a special show like this, you don’t want to overstay your welcome and if you get a good show out of it, cool. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

PCO says he’s not human and Brody King can’t handle the electricity.

PCO vs. Brody King

No DQ and a rematch of a match that went insane. They slug it out to start with King being sent outside for a quick suicide dive. King’s chop hits the post and he hurts his hand trying to chop PCO again. Well what else was he expecting? A chair shot slows PCO down a bit and King sits him in said chair for a running cannonball. It takes a few seconds but the chair does indeed break underneath the two of them.

PCO is right back with a DDT on the floor (THUD) and let’s bring in a table just because. King is laid on top and there’s the big flip dive from the balcony, which of course doesn’t break the table. Of course he’s still walking and staggers to the ring as King puts a piece of the barricade inside. A suplex sends PCO through the barricade for two with Tony losing it on these kickouts.

PCO gets loaded up to the top but shoves King down, setting up a moonsault to the referee as King made a switch for some illogical reason. I mean, he could have just rolled away instead but I guess that’s not violent enough. Four chairs are set up in the middle and PCO shoves him into the corner, setting up a chokeslam onto the chairs for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. You know, the tagline of PCO is not human is about as appropriate as you can get. The guy really does come off as a monster and for the life of me I still can’t believe that it’s the same guy that was in the Quebecers. That’s one of the all time great comebacks and I’m very happy for him to get an ROH deal out of this, as no one pulls off something like this.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman challenged Puma King to a flag match because he’s sick of these luchadors stealing jobs from American wrestlers. Tonight he’s going to literally skin the cat because he’s just better.

Ace Austin vs. Myron Reed

Austin is making his debut. They fight over a test of strength to start and it’s time for the flips without the grip being broken. Totally not choreographed at all. Reed gets two off a rollup and kicks Austin into the corner. Austin’s knee to the head gets the same and a kick to the head makes it even worse. A springboard Disaster Kick sends Reed outside and the Fosbury Flop moonsault connects back inside. Reed shoves him off the top for a BIG crash to the floor, followed by an even bigger running flip dive over the post for the huge spot of the night.

Back in and Reed nips up for a cutter, followed by an Oscutter for a rather near fall. Austin is smart enough to roll outside before Reed can hit something else. Well in theory that’s smart as you don’t know about Reed. Back in and Austin gets in a shot to the face, setting up a top rope spinning Fameasser and another near fall. Another Oscutter is countered into a not great looking exchange of rollups, capped off by another cutter to Austin. Back up and Austin tries another rollup but Reed sits down on it for the pin at 7:08.

Rating: C. This had a little bit of the too pre-planned feeling to it but it was still entertaining enough. What matters the most here is both guys looking good and giving the fans something that they would want to see again. Reed’s huge dive looked awesome and was one of the better looking flips I’ve seen in a good while. Austin was rather good too and you can almost guarantee that both of them will be back.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Puma King

Non-title flag match, meaning you pull down your own flag to win with Aria Blake and Konnan are the seconds. Friedman’s America is AWESOME speech is cut off and, after some of Puma’s rather energetic antics, we’re ready to go. Friedman draws a line in the middle of the ring so Puma lays on the top rope. They go to some basic takedowns until King stops for the required Fortnite dancing.

A cheap shot from Konnan earns some cheering but Friedman knocks King outside for a Fosbury Flop of his own (giving us some continuity issues as Bocchini said the one in the previous match was the second of the night, whereas here he made it sound like the first). They head outside with Puma being whipped into the barricade as Tony can’t figure out why the fans are chanting for Friedman. The fight heads into the crowd but Friedman is smart enough to run back over the barricade as King has a chair loaded up.

A Blake distraction lets Friedman snap King’s throat across the ropes, leaving the announcers to wonder why Friedman isn’t going for the flag. The chinlock goes on instead until King kicks him in the head. King gets tied in the Tree of Woe but manages to pull himself up for a hurricanrana. A push into the rope crotches King but he’s right back with a superbomb. That, plus a kiss to Blake, is enough for King to pull the flag down for the win at 7:12.

Rating: D+. Puma is fun to watch and I’m a rather big fan of Friedman’s talking, but this didn’t do much for me. The wrestling wasn’t the point here so Puma got to shine, but is there really a need to have the champion lose like this? That happens to him too often and even though he’s on the shelf at the moment, it’s rather annoying to see it keep happening.

Overall Rating: C-. Considering this was a bonus show, there’s nothing too bad to see and that’s perfectly acceptable. This wasn’t even forty minutes long and they manages to keep things fast enough to prevent it from being boring. It wasn’t about storylines or anything like that and the action was watchable enough. It’s nothing you need to see, but it’s fine for a nice little surprise.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #28
Date: October 26, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Matt Striker, Tony Schiavone

I know it’s a little early but it’s time for the Halloween special. In this case, that means a flashback to days of Halloween gone by, including a Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal. That has the potential to be something great or something awful, but since we don’t have WCW running things and forgetting to rig the wheel (seriously), we should be fine. Let’s get to it.

Earlier this week, Sami Callihan attacked Tom Lawlor and choked him with a baseball bat as Low Ki taunted Lawlor with the title. Turning Lawlor face isn’t the worst idea in the world as the fans already love him.

Opening sequence, although with a theme of violence as this is the Halloween episode.

Matt and Tony are in costumes with Matt as a crab and making horrible ocean puns. Tony….I have no idea.

Richard Holliday vs. Joey Ryan

Hang on though as Joey needs to offer the fans his lollipop and then oil himself down. Tony: “….yeah.” Holliday knees him in the ribs but stops to shout at the fans with Tony calling him out for being stupid. There’s the required knee injury off the atomic drop to Ryan but Holliday is fine enough for a belly to back suplex. A dropkick cuts Ryan off again and we hit the chinlock.

Holliday lets that go and starts a Garvin Stomp because I can’t escape that man. Since that’s such a horrible move, Ryan pops back up with some right hands but the superkick is blocked. They hit heads and Holliday nearly falls into Ryan’s crotch but stops for a rollup instead. Holliday’s double underhook backbreaker and a suplex into a swinging neckbreaker gets two but Joey is right back with a pumphandle suplex. Sweet Tooth Music is enough to finish Holliday at 4:55.

Rating: D+. Not too much to see here with Ryan getting a win over someone you would think the promotion would want to push. That being said, Ryan has barely won anything around here so having him get a pin here keeps some of his credibility. This was more shtick than the wrestling and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially in a more toned down version from Ryan.

Konnan gives Sammy Guevara a pep talk. Sammy leaves and here are Salina de la Renta, Low Ki and Ricky Martinez. They laugh at the idea of Konnan losing all the time so Konnan promises to bring in Daga to fight Low Ki. That’s fine with Low Ki, who Konnan calls the ex-champ.

Jimmy Havoc won the coin toss and gets to spin the wheel. The wheel lands on Spinner’s Choice so he looks over his options. Nothing sticks out on the list though so he’ll just do everything at once. Uh….I’m not sure how that’s going to work but I have a feeling it’ll be a generic brawl.

PCO vs. LA Park

Makes sense for a Halloween show and Park has Salina with him. Tony says he gets a chill down his spine just looking at Salina and….well yeah. To put it mildly, Park looks like he’s put quite a bit of meat on his bones. PCO shouts a lot and shoves Park into the corner so it’s time for the knees dance. Park shouts what sounds like some rather vulgar statements in Spanish (the words “your mother” were used). That’s not cool with PCO and Park is chokeslammed down.

The moonsault (with PCO landing on his own head) gets two and a suicide dive sends Park into the barricade. They chop it out on the floor with PCO getting the better of it and ramming him into various things. Back in and PCO stomps away but Park dances a bit and hits a running clothesline for two. A knee sends PCO outside and there’s the suicide dive. Park grabs a chair but opts to whip him with a camera cable instead.

Back in and a few belt shots to the back have PCO in trouble as the announcers get into PCO’s bizarre Frankenstein character. PCO gets up and hits a powerbomb, followed by a knee to the mask for two. With Park on the apron, PCO tries a Swanton of all things and lands with a SICK thud, only to stand up as Park hits a big dive of his own. Park throws him back in and finishes with a spear (with Park showing more energy than at any part of the match) for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: C+. I get why people like PCO but I’m really not sure I get the appeal of Park. I know he’s a legend in Mexico, but in America he’s a fatter version of that guy who used to do the chair dance in WCW. Why you would push him hard anymore isn’t clear to me, but I guess legendary status will get you a long way.

Post match Park speaks Spanish and Salina says it was him thanking the fans and wanting a Tag Team Title shot for himself and his son. This takes longer than it needs to, but does include fans throwing in money.

Callihan doesn’t care what Havoc picked and is ready to kill him.

Fightland Control Center. Now confirmed: Lawlor vs. Callihan in a street fight.

Earlier this week, Stokley Hathaway was seen for the first time after being kidnapped about six months ago. Whoever did it was careless and he escaped, so now he can be back at Fightland. That’s rather odd.

We look at Havoc spinning the wheel again.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Sami Callihan

Anything goes and, in theory at least, Havoc will bring everything that could be used in the other matches on the wheel. Sami comes out with a baseball bat because he doesn’t trust Havoc’s choice of weapons. Jimmy doesn’t bring anything with him but pops Sami in the face while he says the catchphrase. They’re on the floor in a hurry with Jimmy setting up a chair and pulling out a dog collar. That’s not enough as he also grabs a staple gun, which takes WAY too long, allowing Sami to get in a few shots.

Sami chops the post though, allowing Jimmy to poke him in the eye. A running start sets up another poke to the eyes and Havoc staples him in the chest (which is heavily covered so that shouldn’t hurt). Back in and Havoc tries a sunset flip (a wrestling move) but gets stapled in the head and underneath the arm. Striker: “Tetanus for everybody!” Sami grabs a chain and doesn’t like the fans telling him to tie his shoes so he throws one of them up the air. The shoe, not the fan.

Havoc goes back to the vicious by stapling Sami’s crotch for a near fall. After stapling Sami’s foot, Jimmy literally pours salt in the wound. Havoc finds a body bad and an urn (Paul Bear impression covered by Striker) but the ashes are knocked into his face. The Cactus Piledriver gives Sami two so he puts a shoe on his hand and hits (Or kicks?) Havoc in the face. Havoc gets put in the body bag but sits up and spits at him, earning himself a second Cactus Piledriver for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C+. This was a good brawl but rather disappointing given what they could do. We’ve seen Havoc do the paper cuts before and while that’s still good, it’s not as good as it could have been. Callihan winning was the obvious choice as he has a lot bigger stuff to get to in the future, but this should have been about five levels wilder to get where they should have gone.

Overall Rating: C. For a Halloween show, I’ve seen worse. They thankfully didn’t go with the corny stuff like pumpkins everywhere and that’s appreciated. MLW tends to be more serious than not and I’m glad they didn’t switch things up for the sake of the holiday. It’s a fine show and the big matches were watchable, though they’ve done better multiple times before.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #23
Date: September 21, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re still down in Florida and that’s not the worst thing in the world. The arena looked rather good last week for WarGames and had a very close knit vibe to it, making the show feel more intimate than most. Well as intimate as two teams inside a double cage is going to get. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Konnan with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. for an opening chat. Konnan is fired up to be back home and the CERO MIEDO chants start up. He wants to talk about Salina de la Renta and while he doesn’t have a problem with ambition, he has an issue with her methods. Those contracts for Pentagon and Fenix were so one sided and a good example of why wrestling contracts get bad names.

Cue Salina with Ricky Martinez, the latter of whom is carrying a contract. Salina makes it clear that Pentagon and Fenix were granted early release and didn’t walk away. She offers them new contracts, which were negotiated with “Hunter”, who is offering them English classes and a little rebranding. Ricky holds out a pen and the fans are already starting the NO chants. If they sign, they can get out of having to face LA Park and Low Ki. That’s a big no though, as Spanish is shouted and the contracts are ripped up. MLW has these two signed up for a long time and teasing the WWE signing is an interesting idea.

Opening sequence.

Stud Stable vs. Hart Foundation

Dirty Blonds/Parrow for the Stable here and this is under hurricane (tornado) rules. Pillman wearing a smoking jacket to the ring is a perfect touch and he’s looking more like his dad every day. Smith starts the beating early as Pillman slips to the floor to trip Parrow. The Foundation cleans house but Pillman charges into a boot in the corner. That’s not cool with Smith, who fires off kicks to Parrow’s chest.

Hart hits the big moonsault to the floor and the fans are way into him all over again. Back in and Smith suplexes Brien, leaving Hart to hit a slow motion sunset bomb out of the corner. Pillman takes forever coming off the top with a high crossbody but Parrow is right there to throw him into the corner. The Blonds are back up and beat Hart down, much to the fans’ annoyance. Not that it matters as Pillman knocks Brien to the floor, leaving Parrow to take the running powerslam for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I don’t disagree with the idea of the Harts winning here, as they are almost destined to be a major force around here. However, the Stable hasn’t won anything of note in what feels like months and you can’t do that much longer without the wins not meaning anything anymore. Pillman was clearly being protected in one of his first matches back from injury and there’s nothing wrong with that. Good win for the Harts.

Post match the Harts leave as Colonel Parker yells at Parrow. The Blonds beat Parrow down to kick him out of the Stable.

Video on WarGames, including Sami Callihan blaming Jimmy Havoc for the loss.

Havoc isn’t pleased with what Sami did and thinks the anger is misdirected. One of Sami’s kids tapped out but that’s not the point. They’re going to fight and Havoc likes that Sami is angry.

Aria Blake and Maxwell Jacob Friedman are in the back with MJF not getting the women’s wrestling thing. Or women’s voting for that matter, but that’s a different story. Blake wants to snatch Taya Valkyrie bald but Friedman would rather talk about his abs.

Aria Blake/Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Taya Valkyrie/Joey Ryan

This is Taya’s debut. Hang on though as Ryan needs a lollipop and some oil. The bell rings and Friedman WILL NOT touch Ryan’s….yeah. Ryan: “If you’re not going to touch it, maybe SHE’LL touch it!” Bocchini on what we’re seeing: “I don’t know how to explain this on national television. Google it.” That’s as good as you can do in that situation. Blake rips at Ryan’s chest hair instead and actually gets a near fall as it’s back to MJF for a failed atomic drop attempt.

Taya comes in for a drop toehold onto Joey’s crotch, which MJF sells like death for two. Back up and MJF refuses to hit a woman so Taya slaps him instead. A shake of the chest and a shot to the face gets two before it’s back to Ryan. Blake offers a cheap shot from the apron and it’s MJF taking over by ripping at Ryan’s face. With Ryan in trouble, Blake comes back in for some spanks and a spinning neckbreaker for two.

It’s back to MJF for a chinlock until Ryan suplexes his way to freedom. That’s enough for a double tag to the women with Taya easily getting the better of it, including some running knees in the corner. A surfboard stomp gives Taya two and she seems….mildly annoyed at best. Aria gets in a kick to the head though and it’s back to the men. Ryan slugs away and puts the lollipop in MJF’s mouth, freaking him out as you might have expected. The superkick hits Taya by mistake though, allowing Aria to hit Ryan low. As she tends to her likely broken arm, MJF gets a rollup with trunks to pin Ryan at 8:37.

Rating: D+. That really needs to be it for this feud as MJF has beaten Ryan every time. There’s enough of a roster around to allow Friedman to have multiple opponents and it’s time to switch things up a bit. Ryan wasn’t as over the top here outside of signature stuff and mostly wrestled the match straight, which is the right call in something like this.

Post match Aria has her elbow out of socket ala Alexa Bliss for a great touch. MJF brags about getting rid of Ryan and Joey Janela, so here’s Janela to jump him from behind. A low blow gets MJF out of trouble.

Fury Road Control Center. Announced for the show: Tom Lawlor vs. Shane Strickland. I’m good with that.

Callihan accepts Havoc’s challenge and blames the WarGames loss on his former friend.

Brody King vs. PCO

King wastes no time in stomping PCO down in the corner and dropping a backsplash for an early two. PCO is fine enough to knock King to the floor and hit a suicide dive, which is rather impressive given how huge he is. They slug it out with PCO’s shouting adding a lot to the impacts.

A pop up powerbomb drops King back inside and PCO gets annoyed at the referee for not counting fast enough. King gets two of his own off a running clothesline and a suplex is good for the same. PCO is right back with a DDT but King backdrops him into the corner for a scary looking crash. We get the required slugout until they go for each others eyes. The referee gets shoved down and it’s a double DQ at 5:19.

Rating: C. There is something so much fun about having two big guys hit each other really hard for a few minutes. The ending here is fine as they can have a street fight or something to really get violent and that’s where the story needs to go anyway. PCO has grown a lot on me in a short while and I’m getting into the idea of the character.

Post match King piledrives PCO and hammers away at his unconscious body. Referees get Brody out and PCO MOONSAULTS ONTO EVERYONE (Freaking sweet!) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a show where the matches don’t add up to the overall total. They’re packing in a lot of good stuff onto the show and I’m liking the characters and motivations more every week. Above all else though, they’re giving you a reason to tune in next week and that’s not something that even WWE knows how to do a lot of the time. It’s a good sign for the future and something a lot of companies take years to understand.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #21
Date: September 7, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

It’s time for another big tag match with the Lucha Bros defending against Drago and Rey Horus as Lucha Underground continues to take over the wrestling world. Other than that it’s time for the fallout from WarGames, which should be airing sometime soon. They’re getting the schedule down at least and that’s a good sign. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Pentagon Jr. and Fenix winning and defending the Tag Team Titles. They’ve also gotten on Salina de la Renta’s bad side, which is never a smart move.

Opening sequence.

Matt Striker runs down the show.

Richard Holiday vs. Fred Yehi

Holiday was on some of the standalone shows that aired before Fusion debuted and describes himself as the Most Marketable. The marketability might be a little higher if they learned how to spell his name, which is different in the pre-match graphic (Holliday) and in the graphic during his entrance (Holiday).

Yehi takes him down without much effort as Striker talks about Yehi going to German on an excursion for three months in the next few weeks. Some chops in the corner set up a snap suplex as Holiday is in big trouble. Holiday is tired of getting chopped over and over so he takes Yehi down and fires off rights and lefts. Yehi punches him right back down though and slaps on a Koji Clutch for the tap at 4:41.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and Yehi looked good. Yehi is a talented guy as you can always have a place for the wrestler who can look one submission after another. It makes for an entertaining match almost every time and that’s what we got here. Holiday is fine enough for a jobber and you need those kind of people around on the roster.

Clip of the Hart Foundation beating Kevin Sullivan down. Given that it’s Sullivan and Pillman, there’s always the chance that this is a ruse and they’re really together.

Brian Pillman Jr. doesn’t have nightmares about Sullivan anymore because he walked up to the boogeyman and put him out of his misery. Why do that in the midst of his prime and his youth? Pillman can’t do what he needs to do with Sullivan and his archaic thoughts. Sullivan is the same man who was in the ring with Pillman’s dad twenty years ago and as Sullivan said, a leopard never changes its spots.

Video on Homicide, including him attacking Court Bauer back in the original MLW.

Homicide vs. PCO

This could be fun. They slug it out to start with PCO shouting every time he’s hit. A heavy shoulder puts Homicide down, followed by a sitout Michinoku Driver for two. Homicide suplexes him into the corner though and PCO actually stalls for a minute. A middle rope knee to the back of the neck gets two and there’s a cannonball off the apron to take PCO down again.

With that working, Homicide tries a posting and just wakes PCO up a bit. Salina de la Renta is watching from the front row as PCO hits a chokeslam to put Homicide back on the floor for a suicide dive. Back in and PCO hits a heck of a moonsault for two more as Striker dubs Schiavone T-Bone. A top rope splash gets another near fall so PCO goes up again, this time getting superplexed back down. PCO dares Homicide to hit him and then get staggered by a clothesline. He’s fine enough to forearm Homicide in the chest though and that’s enough for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. These guys beat the heck out of each other for a few minutes and I can see why PCO is such a popular guy at the moment. He has a great look and awesome intensity, which is more than enough to carry someone with his size and experience. He’s great for a special attraction monster kind of character, though showing off some more of his promos and vignettes would be a good idea.

Clip of Rhett Giddins helping Jason Cade beat Jimmy Yuta last week.

Cade doesn’t know why people are calling last week’s win controversial. He’s on to winning the Middleweight Title now.

Fury Road is coming on October 4, featuring PCO vs. LA Park and Low Ki defending the World Title. Tony says the show is on October 3. You might want to get that straight guys.

Quick video on Low Ki and Salina vs. Konnan and company.

Next week: WarGames. Well ok.

Video on the build to WarGames, which is built around Sami Callihan vs. Shane Strickland. Both guys brought in a bunch of help and that means it’s time for some WarGames.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Drago/Rey Horus

Pentagon and Fenix are defending and Horus is better known as Dragon Azteca Jr. Drago, with his bad shoulder, starts with Pentagon and you know that means a big target. Pentagon does CERO MIEDO but Drago grabs the hand. He poses there a little too long though, allowing Fenix to come in for a superkick but a four way strike off puts everyone down early.

We settle down to Pentagon chopping Drago until Fenix comes back in for another superkick. Stereo superkicks drop Drago again, followed by the top rope double stomp to Horus’ back as the champs are rolling early. Drago comes back in but gets superkicked as well (this is getting a little too Young Bucks-y) and another superkick sends Horus into the corner. A top rope armdrag sends Fenix to the floor but Pentagon kicks Drago in the ribs to break up a suicide dive. We settle down again to Drago vs. Horus as the announcers discuss lactic acid.

Pentagon chops him so hard that Horus can’t stand up but he’s fine enough for a standing C4, drawing Fenix back in for another save. Everyone is down again until Drago DDTs Fenix for two. One heck of a super hurricanrana brings Fenix down from the top and Horus’ crazy tornado DDT gets two on Pentagon. Back up and the Pentagon Driver plants Horus for two and the top rope double stomp Fear Factor gets the same. Well that’s the jumping the shark moment. A second double stomp Fear Factor is enough to retain the title at 9:58. There was zero need for the first kickout.

Rating: C+. This had a slower motion lucha feel with nothing in the way of structure or tagging, meaning it was a bunch of spots and stuff until the overdone finish. It also doesn’t help when the Lucha Bros had a much better match in a similar style against ACH and Rich Swann just a few weeks back. It’s entertaining, but not exactly great.

Post match Fenix thanks the fans for coming out and promises a bigger fight down the line. Pentagon thanks Drago and Horus for coming to MLW to challenge them. That’s the most English I’ve ever heard him speak.

Overall Rating: C. Nothing great this week but a perfectly watchable show and that’s all it needs to be. WarGames alone is more than a big enough draw for next week’s show and it could be a heck of a night. MLW seems to know how to do the big nights and if they can nail WarGames, everything is going to be fine.

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

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

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

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