Ring Of Honor
Date: July 18, 2024
Location: Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are just over a week away from Death Before Dishonor and we have three matches set, with the third being announced last week on Collision. There is a good chance that we get something announced this week, but there is always the chance that everything else is announced at the very last minute. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roderick Strong beating Dalton Castle to become the #1 contender to the Ring Of Honor World Title. On an AEW show.

Ring Of Honor World Champion Mark Briscoe is fired up to face Strong. As he said on an AEW show.

Here are Athena, on crutches, and Billie Starkz, for a chat. Athena says she isn’t medically cleared with Starkz saying the same. Starkz outsmarted everyone to become the first Women’s TV Champion. Athena is injured but knows she can beat Queen Aminata on one foot. Next week, Lexi Nair will give Aminata five minutes of uninterrupted time. This was weird as it only seemed to announce that Aminata would have an interview next week.

Dalton Castle has a six man tag tonight but has no partners. The Outrunners come in and say they’ll be his partners, even if Castle doesn’t remember meeting them before. Some posing convinces him to say yes.

Outrunners/Dalton Castle vs. Lance Archer/Righteous

Castle powers Vincent into the corner to start and they go with some grappling. It’s off to Dutch vs. Floyd, with Dutch breaking up the posing. Magnum comes in to stat on the arm but Archer breaks that up without much trouble. Some clotheslines keep Magnum in trouble and Vincent’s backsplash gets two.

Archer comes in to stomp away before Vincent adds a basement Downward Spiral. Magnum suplexes his way out of a chinlock though and it’s back to Castle to clean house. A delayed German suplex gets two on Vincent but Archer comes in to break up the Bang A Rang. Floyd breaks out of a chokeslam, only to have Archer hit the Blackout for the win at 9:41.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine six man here and thankfully they had one of the comedy goofs take the fall over Castle. The Outrunners and Castle are not a bad pairing and probably the best that can be done with Castle now that the Boys are gone. If nothing else, it gives three charismatic people something to do and that is always fun to see.

The MxM Collection is all about the three F’s: fashion, fitness and philanthropy.

Red Velvet vs. Maya World

World is Athena’s student. Velvet takes her down with a headlock to start but World is back up to work on the arm. World sends her into the corner to strike away but Velvet is back with a Japanese armdrag. A flapjack into a not great nip up sets up something like Natural Selection to finish World at 2:54.

Here is Evil Uno in street clothes to issue an open challenge to anyone from any promotion.

Evil Uno vs. Katsuyori Shibata

They lock up to start and Uno bails to the floor early on. Shibata pulls him into a quickly broken chinlock and Uno manages to knock him outside. A whip into the barricade has Shibata in trouble for a change but some chops just annoy him back inside. Shibata kicks him in the face and, after some stomping in the corner, the running corner dropkick makes it even worse. A cross armbreaker sends Uno over to the ropes….but Uno is hurt and the match is stopped at 5:01.

Rating: C. This wasn’t exactly a great match before the sudden ending, as Shibata more or less squashed him for about four minutes. That’s all this was ever going to be as Shibata is that much of a bigger star and I can’t imagine this was going to get much more time. It felt more like a way to get Shibata back in the ring after the Learning Tree stuff and this was…well I won’t say good but it could have been worse.

Cage Of Agony vs. Rustin Mulitalo/Cappuccino Jones/Carson Hutcheson

Mulitalo tries to jump Liona from behind to start and is promptly destroyed for his efforts. Kaun comes in to hammer away and Cage adds his standing fall away slam. Hutcheson comes in and gets suplexed, setting up some running splashes in the corner. A toss jackknife gives Kaun the pin at 2:35. Total decimation.

Shane Taylor talks about sitting out a hurricane and not getting a single call from AEW or ROH. If it was one of the bigger stars, they would have gotten a call, so he’s coming for those bigger stars. Like Mark Briscoe.

We run down the Death Before Dishonor card with nothing new added.

Queen Aminata vs. Mackenzie Morgan

Aminata wastes no time in snapping off some suplexes and then drives her hard into the corner. A running Air Raid Crash finishes Morgan off at 1:43.

Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Lights Out, meaning No Holds Barred. Hirsch snaps off some throws to start and they head outside. Diamante puts a trashcan over Hirsch’s head and hammers away but Hirsch is right back up and takes it into the crowd. Hirsch is sent into the barricade and crushed against it for two back inside. To mix it up a bit, Hirsch whips out a plunger and puts it onto Diamante’s face, much to the fans’ approval.

A running dropkick sends a chair into Diamante’s face in the corner and it’s time for the thumbtacks. That takes too long so Diamante gets in a suplex to put Hirsch into the tacks. They go to the apron, with Hirsch swinging away with a kendo stick. Diamante is laid on the table for a top rope moonsault through it, meaning it’s time for another table. Hirsch loads up a superplex through the table but Diamante reverses into a Code Blue to put Hirsch through the table for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: B-. It was a heck of a fight and while it might not have been as epic of a feud as Ring Of Honor seemed to present it as being, it did just fine for what they were trying to do. These two beat each other up, though Hirsch dominated such a long stretch that it was weird to see her get caught with pretty much one big move at the end. That being said, why in the world was this not at Death Before Dishonor? It was a hard hitting fight with an actual story. Why put it on this nothing show when your PPV card barely exists?

Overall Rating: C. Just like last week, this added pretty much nothing to the pay per view and gave me no reason to want to watch it. As usual, they’ll add in probably another eight or so matches with just a few days to go and then act like it’s some major event, which does not work in the slightest but it’s all you’re going to get around here. This week’s show was slightly better than last week, but other than maybe the main event, there is nothing worth seeing here.

Results
Lance Archer/Righteous b. Dalton Castle/Outrunners – Blackout to Floyd
Red Velvet b. Maya World – Flipping cutter
Katsuyori Shibata b. Evil Uno via referee stoppage
Cage Of Agony b. Rustin Mulitalo/Cappuccino Jones/Carson Hutcheson – Toss jackknife to Hutcheson
Queen Aminata b. Mackenzie Morgan – Running Air Raid Crash
Diamante b. Leyla Hirsch – Code Red through a table

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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 4, 2024
Location: PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re rapidly approaching Death Before Dishonor and there are a few matches you can probably guess from here, though nothing has been announced. In this case, there is a good chance that we will see some of them officially set, though some of the titles do not exactly have apparent challengers. Let’s get to it.

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

The Infantry welcomes us to the show, which they will be hosting. After confirming that this isn’t about the Will Smith movie, they send us to the opening sequence.

Opening sequence.

Dark Order vs. Bang Bang Gang

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if the Dark Order wins or survives the time limit, they get a future title shot. Oddly enough, this is the Juice Robinson/Gunns version of the team, meaning they can have a Proving Ground match but not defend the titles. Austin and Uno trade shoulders to start with Austin being taken into the Order corner. Everything breaks down and the Gang misses triple splashes in the corner, allowing the Order to hammer away.

Colten gets caught in a triple pose, with Robinson breaking it up for a distraction. That’s enough for Colten to take over on Reynolds in the corner with a snap suplex getting two. Robinson’s clothesline gets the same and we hit the chinlock. Reynolds fights up and hits a neckbreaker, allowing the tag to Uno to pick up the pace. The Gang all wind up in 619 position and get kicked in the head for two on Robinson. Reynolds kicks Robinson to the floor but walks into 3:10 to Yuma to give the Gang the pin at 7:23.

Rating: C+. That’s about the ceiling for the Dark Order and it isn’t a bad idea. They tested the champions just enough before the loss and that’s all they should have done. The Gang is better than the Dark Order and there was no reason to set up a title match. Perfectly fine stuff here and it didn’t overstay its welcome.

The Infantry talk about the rest of the card.

We look at Atlantis Jr. winning the Ring Of Honor TV Title in Arena Mexico. Fletcher wants a rematch.

Athena and the Minions have recruited Tony Deppen (not named) as their security guard. Queen Aminata and Red Velvet come in to say that Aminata is getting the Women’s Title shot against the still injured Athena at Death Before Dishonor. Billie Starkz will defend the North American Title against Velvet too. Athena wants Tony Khan. Those are the matches you knew were coming.

The Infantry talks about various places in Washington DC and plug Honor Club.

Komander/Metalik vs. Kingdom

Another Proving Ground match. Taven chops Komander to start but misses a splash in the corner. Komander strikes away but Bennett comes in for the double teaming. That’s broken up and Komander hands it off to Metalik for the rope walk dropkick and two on Bennett. Everything breaks down and Metalik hits a dive to take both of them down on the floor. Komander adds a springboard moonsault to drop the champs again as commentary is getting into this.

Back in and Metalik gets catapulted into a kick to the head from Taven as we get the five minute call (which we didn’t get in the first match). A sunset bomb gets Metalik out of trouble and it’s back to Komander to pick up the pace. Komander hits a tornado DDT to plant Taven and Cielito Lindo gets two with Bennett making the save. An assisted moonsaults the same, albeit without the save this time. Back up and Rockstar Supernova out of nowhere gives Taven the pin at 8:05.

Rating: B-. This was about as good as it was going to be as Komander and Metalik might as well have been “and here are our resident luchadors”. That is a team who can do well enough with just about anyone and it worked well enough here. The Kingdom really needs some fresh challengers though and I don’t quite see these two as those challenges.

Mason Madden and Mansoor, the MxM Collection, are coming.

The Infantry go to Mount Rushmore and hype Death Before Dishonor.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Lee Moriarty

Another Proving Ground match under Pure Rules as Ring Of Honor remembers Yuta is a thing around here. Yuta takes him down for an ankle crank to start before hitting a basement dropkick for two. Back up and Yuta cranks on a cravate but Moriarty reverses into an armbar. Moriarty even bridges back onto the arm for a rather nasty looking bend. The cross arm choke has Yuta in more trouble but he reverses into the elbows, with Moriarty needing his first rope break.

Yuta snaps off a German suplex for two but Moriarty pulls him into the Border City Stretch. That means Yuta has to use his first rope with less than three minutes to go. The Stretch goes on again and is quickly reversed into a cradle to leave them both down with under two minutes to go. They trade rollups for two each and keep going with a minute left. The reversals go on for over a minute until they slug it out as time expires at 10:00. Therefore, Moriarty gets a future title shot.

Rating: B-. This is only the second time a challenger has survived a Proving Ground match and that is a great thing to see. The concept is still overused but having it actually set up a title match, likely at the pay per view, is a good thing. At the same time though, the six month hiatus of the title which didn’t really seem to matter is a very bad sign for the whole thing. It just doesn’t feel important and that is something they might want to address. Like say by getting rid of the thing.

Post match Yuta stares Moriarty down but Shane Taylor Promotions scare him off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Well it certainly felt somewhat more important. The show was taking place on the Fourth of July so it wasn’t like it was going to be drawing a huge audience in the first place. They set some things up for Death Before Dishonor, though not having a World Title match with three shows left before the pay per view is not a great look. They felt like they went with the easiest path this week and that makes sense given the circumstances of the holiday, plus what needed to get done.

Results
Bang Bang Gang b. Dark Order – 3:10 to Yuma to Reynolds
Kingdom b. Komander/Metalik – Rockstar Supernova to Komander
Wheeler Yuta vs. Lee Moriarty went to a time limit draw

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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Rampage
Date: June 28, 2024
Location: PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni

We are two days away from Forbidden Door and that means the card is mostly set up. While there is a chance that we could see something else for the pay per view, there is a good chance that we are going to be seeing a few minor pushes towards Sunday and little more. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Orange Cassidy vs. Outrunners

Cassidy works on Magnum’s arm to start and then mocks the double bicep pose. Floyd comes in and manages a running shoulder to drop Cassidy, meaning we get the REAL double bicep. Back up and Cassidy knocks both of them down, setting up the double dropkick. The referee almost gets hit but gets hugged instead, with the distraction causing Cassidy to get caught in a double belly to back suplex. A double slam gives the Outrunners two but Cassidy rams them into each other. Floyd is sent outside for a dive and the high crossbody hits Magnum. The Orange Punch gives Cassidy the pin on Magnum at 6:05.

Rating: C. That’s quite the odd choice to give Cassidy a win on his way into a showdown with a technical master like Zack Sabre Jr. The Outrunners are little more than a couple of comedy goofs and it isn’t a bit deal to see Cassidy beat them. Nothing much to see here and I’m not sure I get the thinking behind this one.

The Learning Tree has a new partner for the six man tag at Forbidden Door and we’ll find out who it is on Collision.

Gabe Kidd/Roderick Strong vs. Infantry

The Kingdom and Trish Adora are here too. Kidd runs Bravo over with a shoulder to start and it’s Strong coming in for some hard chops in the corner. Strong gets caught in the wrong corner but cuts Dean off with a backbreaker as we take a break. Back with Dean caught in the wrong corner but a missed double clothesline allows the diving tag to Bravo. A slingshot cutter gets two on Kidd and there’s an ax kick to put him down again. Strong breaks up Boot Camp though and Kidd hits a quick piledriver to pin Bravo at 6:27. Not enough shown to rate but it was a competitive enough match.

There is going to be a Brodie Lee commemorative shoe.

TNT Title Qualifying Match: El Phantasmo vs. AR Fox

They run the ropes to start until Phantasmo snaps off a headscissors into a dropkick. A very springboardy hurricanrana takes Fox down but he avoids a dive and knocks Phantasmo outside. The big dive connects but Phantasmo is back up with a running forearm. An atomic drop into a Russian legsweep has Fox down as Nigel notices the Bret Hart homage. Phantasmo’s Lionsault gets two but Fox enziguris him into a twisting brainbuster. Fox puts him up top but takes too long, allowing Phantasmo to come back with a middle rope Canadian Destroyer. A faceplant finishes for Phantasmo at 5:24.

Rating: B-. Nice, fast paced match here, though it’s kind of hard to get behind the idea that Fox is going to win anything of value. Phantasmo is the New Japan representative in the title match, though it’s hard to imagine that he is going to win. For now though, I’ll take a pretty good match on TV with two talented stars.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for the Owen Hart Tournament and her first round match against Hikaru Shida.

Dalton Castle vs. Shingo Takagi

They fight over a lockup to start until Takagi runs him over and we take an early break. Back with Takagi hitting a backsplash and driving in some elbows to the head. Castle is back up with a suplex and a spinning elbow to the head, followed by a reverse Sling Blade for two. Takagi grabs a Gory Bomb into a DDT, setting up Made In Japan to finish Castle at 7:49.

Rating: C+. The more I see Castle out there doing his awesome stuff, if nothing else his entrance, the more amazed I am that he is little more than a jobber to the stars. I know his back is messed up, but how do you look at someone with his unique set of talents and have nothing better for him? It’s one of the bigger shames in AEW and while I’d love to believe that it’s going to get better, it’s hard to believe that is a realistic option.

Saraya isn’t worried about Mariah May.

Skye Blue vs. Queen Aminata

They start fast with Blue missing a big boot and getting German suplexed for an early two. An exchange of rollups doesn’t go anywhere so Aminata grabs a pair of vertical suplexes. Back up and Blue hits some running knees to put Aminata outside, setting up the dive to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Aminata hitting a PK for two, followed by a heck of a running boot against the rope. Another suplex on the apron rocks Blue but the running hip attack only hits the steps. Blue suplexes her off the steps for a change of pace and a near fall back inside. Skyfall is broken up and Aminata headbutts her for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: C+. What an odd choice for a main event. There is almost nothing going on with these two, at least in AEW, and yet they get the main event slot and longest match on the show. Aminata seems likely to be in line for a Women’s Title match in Ring Of Honor, but I’m not sure why she is getting this kind of a spot on a pay per view weekend.

Aminata tries to show respect post match but gets superkicked for her efforts. Red Velvet runs in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. In theory this was a preview for Forbidden Door with some other stuff thrown in, though Kidd isn’t on the pay per view card at the moment and Phantasmo is going to be one of a bunch of people in a ladder match. In other words, this was the usual somewhat random assortment of matches that tends to fill out Rampage. It’s not a bad show at all, but there were a few times where I was wondering why something was taking place.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Outrunners – Orange Punch to Magnum
Gabe Kidd/Roderick Strong b. Infantry – Piledriver to Bravo
El Phantasmo b. AR Fox – Faceplant
Shingo Takagi b. Dalton Castle – Made In Japan
Queen Aminata b. Skye Blue – Headbutt

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 20, 2024
Location: Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for a double title show this week as the Tag Team and TV Titles are on the line, with the latter in a 2/3 falls match. Other than that, we might want to start getting ready for the Death Before Dishonor card as the show is just over a month away. Then again it isn’t like the show is going to be announced until a week or two out so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Aaron Solo vs. Titan

They shake hands to start before Titan dropkicks him out to the floor. The threat of a dive brings Solo back in though and he strikes away. Titan is back up with a high crossbody to send Solo outside again, this time with a dive connecting. Back in and Solo slowly hammers away but Titan fights up for the chop off. A jumping kick to the head drops Solo but a top rope double stomp misses. Solo hits his own double stomp for two and nails a superkick, only to have Titan kick him in the face out of the corner. Now Titan’s top rope double stomp can finish at 6:20.

Rating: C+. This was just a step above a squash for Titan, as Solo isn’t exactly what I would consider a top star in any major promotion. It felt like another “hey here’s someone you might see at Forbidden Door” match and that works well enough as long as it isn’t overkill. Titan has done nicely in his few appearances and this continued that trend.

Anthony Henry/Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Infantry/Sepentico

Maria and Trish Adora are here too. Henry gets caught in the wrong corner to start and the Infantry starts with the rapid fire double teaming. Karter comes in and takes Serpentico down with a clothesline, setting up and earl chinlock with Henry. A neck twist keep Serpentico down and Henry grabs another chinlock.

Serpentico fights up and grabs a hurricanrana out of the corner, allowing the tag off to Bravo. Everything breaks down and Garrison drops Dean, leaving Serpentico to hit a dive. Serpentico’s Swan Dive gets two and everyone is down. Back up and Serpentico knocks Henry down again, only to get chaired in the back by Garrison. A quick faceplant gives Henry the pin on Serpentico at 9:59.

Rating: C. I don’t know how to be subtle about this so I’ll just go with being blunt: the Garrison/Karter vs. Serpentico/Angelico feud is one of the lamest, least interesting things I have seen in wrestling in a very long time and for some reason IT JUST KEEPS GOING. There is little reason for them to be fighting anymore but here they are again because there is apparently nothing else for them to do but they must be on the show for some reason. This is one of the feuds that is making Ring Of Honor more and more annoying every time they’re on TV and for the life of me I do not get why.

Video on Kyle Fletcher vs. Lee Johnson tonight in a 2/3 falls match for the TV Title.

Here are Athena and Billie Starkz for an emergency meeting….and Athena is on crutches and in a walking boot. She’s looking at being out for 4-6 months due to some torn ligaments and she has decided that it is best or her to keep the title. Cue Queen Aminata and Red Velvet, with Aminata saying she’ll hurt Athena if the injury isn’t real in the first place. Maybe Athena is faking just like Starkz did to win her title. Starkz gets shoved down and lands on Athena, which is enough to clear everyone off. Things may change, but Athena not wrestling for months and retaining the title is not exactly a good idea.

Jacoby Watts vs. Brandon Cutler

Nick Comoroto is here with Watts, who does his usual speech, with Cutler cutting him off. Cutler isn’t sure where we are but knows the fans are stupid. Watts jumps him before the bell and the slugout is on, with Cutler grabbing a cutter. Cutler is back with a suplex but Watts grabs a swinging Downward Spiral. A Stunner finishes for Watts at 2:17. That was certainly a thing that happened.

Marina Shafir vs. Maggie Minerva

Shafir takes her down with a judo throw and cranks on the neck before choking in the corner. Minerva gets in a kick to the face but walks into a powerbomb. Mother’s Milk finishes Minerva at 2:06.

The Kingdom is tired of not being respected enough and is ready to beat 2.0.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Eric Eznite/Isaiah Harris/Jay Marston

Jameson starts with Eznite, who wants to pray to start the match. Jameson agrees and then decks him from behind. It’s off to Bronson, who sends him flying into the corner so Harris can come in. Harris slips off Boulder’s shoulders and hands it off to Marston, allowing Boulder to send multiple people flying. Marston is sent into Boulder’s chest and Bronson’s top rope splash finishes at 4:30.

Rating: D+. I cannot stand this team. I can’t stand their work, I can’t stand their talking, I can’t stand how they do THE EXACT SAME THING EVERY TIME THEY’RE OUT THERE and I can’t stand the fact that they have to be on this show or AEW so often. If “they’re muscular and strong but one guy has a hairy chest” is good comedy, then I would recommend taking up drama. Or just letting the three of them go because sitting through this nonsense over and over is infuriating.

Lance Archer vs. Deonn Rusman

Archer starts fast and knocks him to the floor, setting up a Black Hole Slam….for two. Rusman charges into a boot in the corner but manages a spear. Back up and Archer grabs a chokeslam, followed by the Blackout for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C. It’s quite the choice to have your monster get speared down by someone the size of Rusman, though at least Archer came back and did his usual dominance for the win. Archer isn’t going to be a big star, but he’s a good choice for a midcard boss on the way to someone getting their chance at the bigger name. Keeping him strong is a fine way to go and that’s what they did here.

Atlantis Jr. wants a TV Title shot in Arena Mexico.

Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hirsch runs her over with a shoulder to start and then does it again, followed by a suplex. A running basement dropkick connects before Hirsch gets to hammer away in the corner. Diamanate’s gutbuster gets her out of trouble and she grabs an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Hirsch hits a knee to the ribs into a German suplex. The ribs give out though and Diamante hits a spear for two of her own. Hirsch is back up with a small package for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough way to go and the extra time made it a bit better, though forgive me for not believing that this is going to be the win that gets Hirsch off the hamster wheel and into title contention. That’s one of the biggest problems with the women’s division, as Athena has made everyone else look like a middle of the road star. The TV Title might help, though I’ll believe Hirsch getting a big shot when I see it.

Post match Diamante drops her again.

Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

The Kingdom is defending. Bennett headlocks Parker down to start and it’s quickly off to Menard, with his taped up ribs. Menard takes over on Taven’s arm and pulls him down, with Parker dropping a top rope elbow to the back. Parker gets sent outside so Menard goes after the champs outside. Back in and Taven kicks Menard in the face and grabs a suplex for two on Parker.

Just The Tip gets the same and Parker fights up, including a dropkick to put Bennett down. A neckbreaker cuts off the tag attempt but the Hail Mary is broken up. The hot tag brings in Menard to clean house, including a Boston crab to Bennett. Taven’s slaps can’t break it up so Bennett goes to the ropes instead. Double Snake Eyes into a double DDT get two on Bennett so Menard grabs the belt. The referee tries to take it away, allowing Bennett to roll him up and retain at 10:05.

Rating: C+. Well so much for that. They built up Parker trying to win the titles for the sake of his family as a feel good story and then he just loses his shot instead. I’m not saying the titles needed to change, but the Kingdom are little more than Roderick Strong’s lackeys anyway so the loss would hardly be some game changer. Not a bad match, but that finish was incredibly flat.

TV Title: Lee Johnson vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher is defending and it’s 2/3 falls, with Johnson diving over the top onto the floor to take him down. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two and Fletcher bails outside, with a big dive taking him out again. Back in and Fletcher manages a Stunner over the top rope to send Johnson to the floor for a breather. Johnson is sent into the barricade and the slow beating continues back inside.

A neckbreaker gives Johnson a quick two but Fletcher is right back with a hammerlock suplex. Johnson is back with a Death Valley Driver into a standing moonsault for two of his own. Fletcher knocks him hard to the floor but Johnson escapes a powerbomb and his a moonsault from the apron. They fight to the apron, with Fletcher hitting a brainbuster into a powerbomb back inside for two more. Back in and they fight over the Big Shot Drop until Fletcher hits another brainbuster for two another two, followed by a brainbuster for the first fall at 11:47.

Johnson says bring it so Fletcher kicks him in the chest. We pause for the doctor to check on Johnson but he’s good to go. The super brainbuster is broken up and Johnson grabs a rollup to even things up at 15:29 total. Back up and they slug it out, with Johnson getting two off a sunset flip. Johnson sends him to the floor for a sunset bomb (ok that was cool) for a nineteen count, with Fletcher diving back inside. Three straight frog splashes give Johnson two but the referee wants to check on Fletcher. The distraction lets Fletcher get in a low blow and another brainbuster to retain at 20:38 total.

Rating: B-. Best match on the show pretty handily, with Johnson continuing to look good against almost anyone. I’m assuming they’re saving the Fletcher loss for a bigger stage, but that impact might not be the same after watching him lose over and over again on AEW TV. This was a good, long match that probably could have been on Death Before Dishonor, but I get why you don’t want to run the same title match on back to back pay per views.

Overall Rating: C-. Now before people say “but the match ratings were good and that doesn’t add up”, (because someone will of course do that), this, again, wasn’t about the wrestling. This was a show that ran about 1:50:00 and A LOT of that could have been cut off for the sake of not dragging things out.

There were so many matches here that felt like they were being put on there to get an appearance out of wrestlers. That’s not a bad idea on paper, but Ring Of Honor has trotted out these same people for months on end with statements of “oh this person is building momentum and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were a champion soon”. This is probably true, save for the fact that titles change hands around here either on one of three nights a year or on AEW TV.

The same people come out there, win matches, and then someone with no experience around here will get the title shots on pay per view because that’s how Ring Of Honor works. I can live with that in smaller doses, but sitting through almost two hours of this for one rather good match is nowhere near good enough. I couldn’t stand a good chunk of this show and for the love of all things good and holy, do not let this be what the show is going to be again going forward.

Results
Titan b. Aaron Solo – Top rope double stomps
Anthony Henry/Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Infantry/Serpentico – Spinning faceplant to Serpentico
Jacoby Watts b. Brandon Cutler – Stunner
Marina Shafir b. Maggie Minerva – Mother’s Milk
Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson b. Eric Eznite/Isaiah Harris/Jay Marston – Top rope splash to Marston
Lance Archer b. Deonn Rusman – Blackout
Leyla Hirsch b. Diamante – Small package
Kingdom b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Rollup to Menard
Kyle Fletcher b. Lee Johnson 2-1

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 6, 2024
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

For the first time in far too long, we have a title match this week with Kyle Fletcher defending the TV Title against Dalton Castle. That alone feels like a major match and that is more than you usually get around here. Hopefully we get something else to balance things out a bit though you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Queen Aminata vs. Mazzerati

They fight over a lockup to start until Aminata snaps off a suplex. A running leg attack knocks Mazzerati into the ropes and there’s a big kick to make it worse. With Mazzerati tied up in the ropes, Aminata hits a heck of a running dropkick and the Air Raid Crash finishes at 3:26.

Rating: C. Total squash here and that’s what it needed to be as Aminata seems likely for the next Women’s Title shot. Granted we might not know when that is going to be as Athena might be out of action for a bit due to her ankle. For now though, I can live with Aminata getting built up, as she still hasn’t won anything significant so far.

Dalton Castle looks rather relieved and apologizes to Lexi Nair for everything he has put her through lately. Johnny TV comes in to accuse Castle of stealing his sunglasses, but Castle says he has no qualm (or whatever the word is, as Castle isn’t sure) with TV. They argue over whose plans are bigger, with Lexi and Taya Valkyrie saying those are huge.

Marina Shafir vs. Amira

They circle each other to start until a kick to the chest drops Amira. She tries to kick Shafir away but gets a cartwheel instead. A suplex sets up a reverse sleeper to finish Amira at 1:45.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher is defending and this is about seventeen minutes into the show, third from the start rather than the main event. They fight over a test of strength to start, with Fletcher quickly bailing out to the floor. Back in and Castle grabs a DDT, sending Fletcher bailing back to the floor. Fletcher knocks him hard off the apron for a crash to the floor, followed by chopping and taunting in the corner.

Castle fights back and takes him down by the arm for a needed breather. Some rolling throws have Fletcher in more trouble but he goes up, only to get crotched down. Castle hits a running knee and they’re back on the floor. Fletcher is fine enough to grab a half nelson slam to plant Castle for a change, followed by a brainbuster for two back inside. They fight over the piledriver and Bang A Rang until it’s an exchange of rollups for two each. Fletcher hits a superkick into the piledriver to retain at 12:20.

Rating: B. It was good and definitely felt like the biggest match Ring Of Honor has had in a long while. It’s nice to see Fletcher getting a win instead of jobbing on AEW TV over and over and he even beat someone with some status. That being said, why in the world would you put this in the early middle of the show instead of in the feature spot? I’m not sure I get that.

Infantry vs. Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts

Trish Adora is here with the Infantry. Comoroto backs Bravo into the corner to start but it’s a double hiptoss to take him down. Back up and Comoroto skins the cat for a nice power display but Walls still doesn’t want to tag in. Dean flips out of a belly to back suplex and hands it back to Bravo for a kick to the face in the corner. Watts does at least break up Boot Camp, earning him a knock to the floor. Comoroto hits a double clothesline but walks into a double superkick. A frog splash gives Dean the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. At least Watts did a little something here, which seems to be the point of their entire story. Then again, I’m not sure I get why I’m supposed to be interested in Comoroto when he’s losing. Then again again though, having him fight valiantly in glorified handicap matches isn’t the best way to keep him as a villain. I’m not sure where they’re going here, but Comoroto is still looking like a potential star.

Lee Johnson challenges Kyle Fletcher for a TV Title shot. Fletcher comes in and towers over Johnson, saying he has to get to the back of the line. Johnson has lost to him twice, but he believes he can beat Fletcher 2/3 falls. The champ is on.

Billie Starkz vs. Zamaya

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Zamaya (her hair is tall) wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Starkz takes her down for some taunting shots to the head, followed by a release German suplex. They head outside with Starkz sending her into the barricade for some hard stomping. Back in and Starkz kicks her down, setting up the Swanton for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C. Another total squash here with Starkz getting another win on her way to a likely title showdown with Red Velvet. Starkz hasn’t been champion that long but it wouldn’t stun me to see her lose so soon. At the same time, it’s nice to see her getting a win, even if it comes at the expense of some incredible hair.

Post match Red Velvet comes in to scare Starkz off but Queen Aminata comes in to send her back inside so Velvet can get in some revenge for last week’s attack.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Johnny TV vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages vs. Dark Order

And this is your main event. Silver and Jameson have a pose off before the bell and Jameson jumps him for not getting the proper crowd reaction. Bronson comes in to elbow Uno in the face as commentary goes into a Who’s On First routine. Everything breaks down fast and Garrison/Karter get to pose.

We settle down to Uno getting stomped down in the corner, with Garrison/Karter mocking the Dark Order’s tagging technique. Uno finally slips over for the rather cold to Reynolds for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down again and TV helps his partners up for some staggering poses. The Savages are back up to clear things out but Reynolds dives off the top with a cutter. The Order breaks that up and hit the triple flipping slam to pin Jameson at 6:07.

Rating: C+. It was certainly energetic and the most popular team won, but this was also the latest wild match with so many people running around that almost no one got to stand out. That made things all the more of a mess, as the Savages/Jameson managed to fall again. Karter/Garrison aren’t much better, as they don’t even have Maria around to make thins better these days.

Overall Rating: C+. The TV Title match was good, but other than that, there was not exactly much t keep up the interest. They’re still building up Velvet and Aminata as title challengers but we’re pretty much ready for the title matches to happen already. Other than that, there wasn’t much going on here, though Fletcher vs. Johnson in a 2/3 falls match should be good. Just give us some more interesting stories throughout the card. It shouldn’t be that difficult.

Results
Queen Aminata b. Mazzerati – Air Raid Crash
Marina Shafir b. Amira – Reverse sleeper
Kyle Fletcher b. Dalton Castle – Piledriver
Infantry b. Nick Comoroto/Jacoby Watts – Frog splash to Comoroto
Billie Starkz b. Zamaya – Swanton Bomb
Dark Order b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Johnny TV and Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Triple flipping slam to Jameson

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 30, 2024
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The slow road to Death Before Dishonor continues with about two months left before the show. That isn’t likely to mean much this far out but we might be able to start seeing some inklings of the card. Athena seems ready to defend her Women’s Title against Queen Aminata but that might be a long wait for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Athena vs. Vita Van

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Van can win or survive the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena backs her into the corner to start and sweeps the leg for an early two. Van grabs an armbar but Athena takes it to the floor and hits a hard powerbomb. Back in and a low superkick lets Athena pose a bit and she throws in a few slaps for a bonus. Van fights up and shoves her to the floor, with Athena coming back in favoring her foot/ankle. A big right hand ends Van at 3:50, the only thing Athena did when she got back in.

Rating: C. This didn’t have a ton of time and the ending is not exactly encouraging. They went home very quickly as soon as Athena seemed to be hurt, though it’s hard to imagine this was going to go much longer. What matters now is getting Athena back in the ring, and thankfully it wouldn’t be a stretch to have her sit out for a bit before her next title defense.

Kingdom vs. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto

Another Proving Ground match. The Kingdom jumps Comoroto to start and superkick him into the corner without much trouble. Comoroto headbutts his way to freedom, only to walk into a dropkick for his efforts. Skinning the cat gives Comoroto a nice reception but Bennett forearms him into the corner. A double clothesline drops the champs though and Comoroto snaps off some slams. Instead of tagging though, Comoroto talks to Watts and walks into a Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip to give Taven the pin at 3:21. Watts never got in the match (or took off his cowboy hat).

Rating: C+. So I’m guessing Watts is going to exploit Comoroto and have him do everything, though that is only going to make so much sense if they lose a bunch. Comoroto looked like a monster out there with his visuals being great, but he needs a bit more than that. I’m not sure if Watts is that thing, but at least they’re trying.

Watts circles around the ring and then yells at Comoroto, asking if he wants to feel like a loser.

Serpentico vs. Brady Roberts

Serpentico strikes away to start and gets two off an early superkick. Roberts actually gets in a takedown and hits a neckbreaker for two as commentary talks about Roberts’ appearances on various TV shows. A front facelock keeps Serpentico down but he’s back up for a running chop in the corner. Serpentico hits a superkick and a reverse Sling Blade, setting up a Swanton. La majistral finishes Roberts at 4:27.

Rating: C. Serpentico is definitely a crowd favorite and he’s completely passable in the ring, but that doesn’t make him the most thrilling watch. I can go for the idea of giving him a quick win on his own, as if nothing else it gets him away from the Griff Garrison/Cole Karter stuff. They kept it short too so there isn’t much bad to be seen here.

Marina Shafir demands to be asked why she is the problem. That would be because she says so, and what happens when you don’t take care of a problem? It gets worse. This was certainly someone talking.

Red Velvet vs. Kel

Kel, who towers over Velvet, mocks not being able to see her and gets kicked in the shin so aww here it goes. Velvet runs her over with a running forearm and the Final Slice finishes Kel in a hurry at 1:48. Needed more Kenan.

Post match Athena’s music plays for a distraction as Billie Starkz runs in to jump Velvet and lay her out.

Zak Knight vs. Sebastian Wolfe

Knight is now very stereotypically British and takes a long time to disrobe. He punches Wolfe down at the bell and Knight is NOT pleased with Wolfe daring to try and chop away. A slightly delayed suplex gives Knight two and a lariat gets the same, with Knight pulling him up both times. The running right hand finishes for Knight at 1:48. As usual, Knight’s intensity carries him far enough.

Lee Johnson vs. Aaron Solo vs. Action Andretti

Solo gives some rather enthusiastic handshakes to start but gets sent outside to start. Andretti and Johnson trade some rollups for two each, with Johnson being sent outside as well. Solo is back in to break up Andretti’s dive and the stomping in the corner is on. Johnson comes back in and gets kicked in the head, leaving Solo’s top rope double stomp to get two on Andretti.

This time it’s Solo being sent outside for a dive from Johnson, who is taken out by a dive from Andretti in a rather quick turnaround. Back in and Andretti hits a double handspring elbow before firing off kicks to the chests. Johnson slips out of the torture rack neckbreaker but the Big Shot Drop is escaped as well. Andretti kicks Johnson down for the split legged moonsault but Solo is there to steal the near fall. Solo drops Andretti again but gets caught in the Big Shot Drop to give Johnson the pin at 6:38.

Rating: B-. Match of the night by far to this point as you had three people out there going nuts for a bit. This could have gone on longer to a greater effect but I’ll take what I can get. Johnson continues to seem like someone who could become a bigger deal if given the chance and if ROH would ever actually pull the trigger on him, we could see how far he could go.

Premiere Athletes vs. Bollywood Boyz

The Boyz are the hometown favorites and come out in Vancouver Canucks jerseys. The Athletes break up the dancing before the match (culture haters) and the beating is on fast. Harv is sent outside to start and Gurv gets slammed down, only for Harv to come back in for the save. The Athletes are sent outside and the Boyz get to pose but the dancing is broken up AGAIN.

Nese comes in to help Daivari hammer Harv down in the corner, setting up a hard running elbow for two. Harv fights out of the corner without much trouble though and it’s Gurv coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and NOW THEY DANCE! Nese gets in a cheap shot though and the pumphandle driver finishes Gurv at 6:52.

Rating: C+. I’m not bit on the Boyz most of the time but they were absolute heroes here and the fans were all over everything they were doing. I can get why they didn’t win as the Athletes are presented as big deals, but dang the reaction to the Boyz was fun. For now though, I can settle for a one off cool match.

Post match the Athletes beat the Boyz down until the Infantry makes the save.

Video on Dalton Castle vs. Kyle Fletcher for the TV Title next week.

Workhorsemen vs. Top Flight

Henry and Darius fight over arm control to start until Darius gets two each off some rollups. Drake comes in to win the chop off but it’s quickly off to Dante for an anklescissors. Everything breaks down and they head outside, where Drake sends him into the ropes for the big right hand.

Back in and a Codebreaker/double stomp combination has Dante in trouble but he fights out of the chinlock rather quickly. It’s back to Dante as everything breaks down again, this time with Drake hitting a Sick Kick for two. Darius is back in for a double DDT and the hot tag brings in Dante to clean house. Drake gets taken out with a dive and a high crossbody gets two on Henry. Dante’s swinging half nelson slam is enough to pin Henry at 7:41.

Rating: C+. Good, fast paced main event here with the power of Drake and speed of Henry working well enough against a fast paced team like Top Flight. As tends to be the case though, it’s hard to get excited over Top Flight when they never win anything important. It’s just another meaningless win over a team that it feels like they have beaten more than once.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show well enough as it moved by quickly, but it suffered from the normal problem of not having in the way of importance. We at least get a big time title match next week (the first time an ROH title has been on the line in over a month). This warmed things up well enough, but don’t go into it expecting it to mean much.

Results
Athena b. Viva Van – Right hand
Kingdom b. Jacoby Watts/Nick Comoroto – Just The Tip to Comoroto
Serpentico b. Brady Roberts – La majistral
Red Velvet b. Kel – Final Slice
Zak Knight b. Sebastian Wolfe – Running right hand
Lee Johnson b. Aaron Solo and Action Andretti – Big Shot Drop to Solo
Premiere Athletes b. Bollywood Boyz – Pumphandle driver to Gurv
Top Flight b. Workhorsemen – Spinning half nelson slam to Henry

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have been getting longer around here again and that has not often been the best thing for Ring Of Honor. It often results in matches that are just there to make the show longer and I’m still not sure how that makes for better weekly events. Odds are we’ll get more on Queen Aminata coming after the Women’s Title this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Isiah Kassidy vs. Komander

Kassidy takes him down to start and fires off some dancing as commentary talks about Shaquille O’Neal. Komander grabs an armbar into a rollup but gets dropped throat first onto the top. Stomping in the corner keeps Komander in trouble until he comes out with a kick to the face. Kassidy cutters him across the top to send Komander outside but he comes back in with a running hurricanrana.

An Asai moonsault takes out Kassidy on the floor and a springboard Swanton connects for two. A poisonrana plants Kassidy again but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for two of his own. Back up and Komander grabs a waistlock, only to have Kassidy kick him low. A reverse Twist of Fate finishes for Kassidy at 7:42.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a high flying match between a perennial jobber and one half of a tag team. They both have athletic abilities and I certainly wasn’t bored with what I was seeing. At the same time though, it’s a little hard to get invested in seeing something between people that AEW has made feel so unimportant. That’s a big problem with ROH and I don’t see it being cured anytime soon.

We look at Bullet Club Gold unifying the two sets of Six Man Tag Team titles.

The Club brags about their win but they don’t have room for all of the gold.

Dark Order vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

Silver and Darius start things off with Darius slipping out of a wristlock and grabbing a cravate. Andretti comes in to work on the arm before everything breaks down, meaning a triple superkick to send the Order outside. Back in and the Order takes over on Dante, who flips over to hand it right back to Andretti.

Everything breaks down again and an assisted tornado DDT puts Reynolds down. Andretti’s running shooting star gets two with the Order having to make the save. The Order isolates Darius and strike away at him until Dante makes a save of his own. Darius and Andretti grab a double spinebuster to finish Reynolds at 6:58.

Rating: C+. This was the match designed to warm up Andretti and Top Flight before their shot at Bullet Club Gold this weekend. Andretti and Top Flight work well enough together but it feels like they are up and down all the time around here. Giving them a win is nice, but it doesn’t feel like anything more than getting them ready for their latest loss against better competition. It makes sense, but it’s not the most engaging stuff.

Anna Jay vs. Allysin Kay

Kay powers her into the corner to start but Jay knocks her into the corner to cut that off. A spinning kick is countered into a suplex, only to have Jay stomp her down in the corner without much trouble. Kay grabs a hotshot into a chokebomb for two but Jay is right back with a middle rope Blockbuster for the same. The Queenslayer finishes for Jay at 3:44.

Rating: C. Believe it or not, Jay goes from losing on Dynamite to winning on Ring Of Honor. That’s the story of her career, as she is so all over the place with her wins and losses that it is not wonder she can never get any kind of traction. Yes she’s on a winning streak around here, but it only means so much when she loses any big match she has.

We recap Queen Aminata seemingly coming after Athena for the Women’s Title.

Athena has an emergency Minions meeting and offers a beating to Aminata and Red Velvet.

Johnny TV vs. Will Austin

Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny, who takes Austin down without much effort. A springboard hurricanrana into a dropkick works well for Austin, with Ian saying “Make your name Austin!” I’m thinking that might not be the best idea as it’s already taken. Taya offers a distraction so Johnny can get in a shot from behind and work on the arm. A spinning knee to the face sets up the Flying Chuck into Starship Pain for the pin at 3:16 (….hey).

Rating: C. As usual, there’s only so much you can get out of what was just a step ahead of a squash. TV is back after his loss at Supercard Of Honor and now he can find something else to do. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s better than having him sitting around waiting for something to happen.

Mogul Embassy vs. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman

No Prince Nana with the Embassy as they’re getting it right. Beef gets taken into the corner to start the beating in a hurry, with Toa hammering away. Kaun backbreakers him onto the turnbuckle and Cage hits the apron superplex for two. Beef finally gets in a shot of his own and hands it off to Tankman, who gets to clean some house. The numbers catch up with him though and it’s a triplebomb to give Cage the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C+. This was more than I was expecting with Tankman getting to show what he could do if given the chance. The guy can be a wrecking ball when he is in there and that worked for a little while. At the same time, not having Nana out there with the Embassy is a good sign, as the face turn continues.

Video on the Premiere Athletes, focusing on Ariya Daivari.

Mark Sterling is impressed with how many people it took to stand up to the Premiere Athletes.

Leila Grey vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Sakazaki takes her over with a headlock to start before hitting a spinning kick to the chest. A running dropkick misses though and Grey drops a backsplash for two. Grey gets two off a bulldog and there’s a Hennig necksnap to drop Sakazaki again. They go up top, where Grey grabs a sunset bomb for two more before it’s time to trade forearms. We go to a random replay of the sunset bomb, which has me wondering if they needed to edit something out. Sakazaki grabs a spinning hammerlock slam and hits the Magical Girl Splash for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one with that replay/seemingly an edit feeling really out of nowhere. I’m not sure what was going on here but the ending felt like they were told to go home in a hurry. Grey has done well enough in some limited roles and was working here, but the chemistry was pretty far off with this one.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are upset at their recent losses. Maria Kanellis comes in to say she is disappointed too but says it’ll work in the end. This team’s existence continues to confuse me.

Kingdom vs. Outrunners

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if the Outrunners win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Floyd works on Bennett’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Taven for a cheap shot to take over. Back up and Magnum fights back and manages to clear the ring but Bennett drops him again. Taven chokes away and Bennett gets two off a suplex.

The chinlock keeps Magnum down but he atomic drops his way to freedom and hands it back to Floyd to pick up the pace. A spinning suplex drops Taven and Magnum hits a top rope forearm. Boot Camp is loaded up but Bennett reverses into a rollup with tights for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped this one, along with the fact that we saw the champs go to a time limit in a Proving Ground match a few weeks back. It adds just enough drama to make this work better than that is great to see. It wasn’t a great match, but the Outrunners are always fun and the champs get a win, meaning they are at least here for a change.

Queen Aminata and Red Velvet are ready for Billie Starkz and Athena.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Laynie Luck

Taya goes with the power to start and chokes away on the ropes but Luck strikes away. That earns her the running knees in the corner, followed a double underhook drop for two. The STF makes Luck tap at 3:26.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash for Taya, though Luck got in a few shots of her own. That isn’t the biggest surprise as Luck is something of an indy mainstay around this area and is a step above some of the jobbers you’ll see. Taya is still someone who could be used in a bigger spot but she seems pretty stuck in the midcard gatekeeper heel spot at the moment.

The Infantry wants more but the Outrunners interrupt and brag about their own success. The challenge is on for next week, with the Outrunners repeating what the Infantry says.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz

Vincent punches GPA down to start as Ian talks to students. Dutch comes in for some clotheslines before running Jones over for a bonus. It’s off to Archer, who gets annoyed at Jones’ dropkick. A full nelson slam plants Jones, who kicks Vincent away and hands it off to Cruz. It’s back to Jones all of ten seconds later but the villains are tired of this and wreck everyone. The Blackout sends GPA onto Jones to give Dutch the double pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Archer and the Righteous are doing well with these squashes but it’s hard to believe that they’re going to get a title shot. I base this on the idea that we have seen them do something similar to this for a good while now and they have never been near the titles. That’s how Ring Of Honor works with a lot of this stuff and it can be rather frustrating.

Abadon vs. Nova

Nova takes things into the corner to start for a running shoulder to the ribs but Abadon is right back with some clotheslines. The Meteora in the corner sets up a running knee and Black Dahlia finishes Nova at 1:35.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie (the latter of whom got a shower and changed in record time) are happy about their reality series when Aaron Solo interrupts. Taya isn’t impressed and Johnny mocks his win/loss record so Solo promises to win next week. Now we’re getting an Aaron Solo story?

Blake Christian vs. AR Fox vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos runs them both over to start but gets sent to the corner as commentary talks about the things Christian has been doing with Missy Hyatt in GCW. Mortos is back inside and takes out Christian before powerslamming Fox for two. A shinbreaker puts Fox down again and we hit a leglock. Christian comes in off the top for the save and Sling Blades Mortos, who is back with a Samoan drop for two.

The pace picks up and Christian takes Mortos down for a quick splash. Fox is back in to double team Mortos to limited avail but they manage to knock Mortos down into the corner. With the other two up top, Mortos pulls them back down for a big crash but Fox kicks him out to the apron. Christian’s spear puts Mortos on the floor and a springboard 450 into a Swanton connects back inside. Christian goes after Fox but Mortos is back up with a spinning piledriver to finish Fox at 6:52.

Rating: B-. Best match of the show as it was more competitive but it’s not like this was anything great. There were no stakes to this and Mortos already beat Christian at Supercard Of Honor. That didn’t leave much in the way of drama here, though it was nice to see a match that had a bit more time and all three were putting in some energy.

Overall Rating: C. That was Ring Of Honor all right, with a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff and very little of it standing out. The last few weeks have gotten away from the focused version and have been back to being little more than getting as much content out there as possible. As usual, that’s great for the wrestlers who get more work, but it doesn’t make for an entertaining show. It’s almost impossible to have this much content while also having the wins and losses matter for the sake of title shots, especially when those shots are few and far between. Ring Of Honor is proving that and it’s not working well.

Results
Isiah Kassidy b. Komander – Reverse Twist of Fate
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Dark Order – Double spinebuster to Reynolds
Anna Jay b. Allysin Kay – Queenslayer
Johnny TV b. Will Austin – Starship Pain
Mogul Embassy b. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman – Triplebomb to Tankman
Yuka Sakazaki b. Leila Grey – Magical Girl Splash
Kingdom b. Outrunners – Rollup with tights to Floyd
Taya Valkyrie b. Laynie Luck – STF
Lance Archer/Righteous b. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz – Double pin
Abadon b. Nova – Black Dahlia
Beast Mortos b. Blake Christian and AR Fox – Spinning piledriver to Fox

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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Collision
Date: April 13, 2024
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

It’s time for the big double shot this wee as Collision is leading into the next Battle Of The Belts. That should make for an important night and hopefully it makes for a more interesting show. We’re also eight days away from Dynasty and now we need to get things ready. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We look at Jon Moxley winning the IWGP World Title last night in Chicago.

The Blackpool Combat Club is proud of Moxley’s win but they’re ready for the Don Callis Family tonight.

House Of Black vs. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal/Action Andretti

Darius Martin is off getting his pilot license so Sydal is taking his place. Andretti has to roll out of a wristlock to start and grabs one of his own. With that broken up, it’s off to Sydal, who takes Black down as well. Dante comes in off the top but Black drills him with a clothesline. King wrecks all three of them, including Black kicking Martin into a heck of a wheelbarrow suplex.

The big dive takes out the good guys again and we settle down to Matthews hitting a running kick to Andretti’s face. Andretti manages to kick his way to freedom though and it’s back to Sydal to clean house. We take a break and come back with Sydal grabbing a poisonrana to send Matthews outside.

The hot tag brings in Martin to pick up the pace, including an enziguri for two on Black. Everything breaks down and Andretti hits a big dive on Matthews, only to get moonsaulted by Black. Back in and the good guys hit a bunch of triple superkicks but the House kicks right back to even things up. Andretti’s 450 gets two on King but Sydal is sent into the corner. The Cannonball/running boots combination finishes for King at 14:22.

Rating: B. This took its time to get going but they got going by the end and it was a heck of a back and forth match. You had the House working together as a unit against the other guys who were fighting for all they had. It got going in the last few minutes with the big spots that Andretti and company know how to do rather well. Rather nice stuff here.

We look at Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa giving Mariah May dueling kisses.

Storm says get used to what you were seeing last week and teases kissing May again but gets distracted by talk of her match with AZM. Storm promises to give AZM a beating so intense that it will be “featured in a fetish periodical.”

Video on Swerve Strickland.

Following his loss on Dynamite, Chris Jericho talked to Taz, who says he’ll try to talk to Hook for Jericho.

Lee Moriarty vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shane Taylor is re with Moriarty and Anthony Ogogo is on commentary. Moriarty takes him down for a choke but Shibata reverses into a wristlock. Shibata switches to the leg and gets a Figure Four, with Moriarty bailing over to the ropes. They go to the floor where Ogogo gets in a cheap shot to the ribs to give Moriarty two.

We take a break and come back with Shibata getting annoyed at Moriarty for daring to chop him. Shibata strikes away in the corner and hits a running dropkick for two. Moriarty is back up with an abdominal stretch until Shibata suplexes his way to freedom. Shibata kicks him down and hits the running PK for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: C. This was Shibata getting his win back and that’s fine enough, even if it was similar to everything you’ve seen Shibata do in the ring in AEW. Moriarty is probably the last important member of his team and it’s not going to mean much to have him lose to a legend. Maybe not the most interesting match but it was technically sound with Shibata overcoming the odds to win.

Post match Taylor jumps Shibata but Hook comes in for the save.

We look at Athena retaining the ROH Women’s Title over Hikaru Shida at Supercard Of Honor. At the same show, Athena’s minion Billie Starkz won the inaugural ROH Women’s TV Title.

Athena is ready to headline Battle Of The Belts and beat Red Velvet.

Roderick Strong brags about winning on his own and promises to do it again tonight over Rocky Romero.

Daniel Garcia vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Garcia. They go with a technical off to start and Garcia takes him down, only to not hit Angelico in the face. Angelico grabs a belly to back suplex but gets pulled into a Figure Four of all things. They trade rolling it over until Garcia starts kicking away at the knee to keep him down. Garcia fires off right hands in the corner and a Saito suplex sets up a kneebar to make Angelico tap at 5:47.

Rating: C+. They had another technical exchange here until Garcia started hitting him in the face over and over. The leg stuff was a good way to go as well as Garcia worked on in until he made Angelico tap with it. That being said, Garcia needs to actually win something at some point or these matches will stop mattering rather quickly.

Pac thanks Kazuchika Okada for accepting his challenge and for hitting him in the head with a big piece of metal. He’s ready for Okada at Dynasty.

Toni Storm vs. AZM

Non-title and Mariah May is here with Storm while Anna Jay is here with AZM. Storm poses a bit to start and shrugs off AZM’s running forearms. AZM gets smart by kicking at the feet and hits a running basement dropkick. Back up and Storm knocks her off the top, setting up a running hip attack to the floor. May and Jay fight to the back, with AZM using the distraction to hit a kick off the apron.

We take a break and come back with the exchange of forearms until AZM kicks her in the head for a double knockdown. A top rope double stomp gets two on Storm, who is right back with a sitout chokebomb for two of her own. Storm snaps off a nasty German suplex and grabs Storm Zero for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was another match where it felt like part of a side story on the way to Storm’s title defense at Dynasty. Other than maybe a short mention, her opponent, Thunder Rosa, wasn’t brought up here. Instead it was focused on whatever weird stuff is going on with Storm and May while Storm is fighting someone making their in-ring debut around here. That’s a bit too much going on at once and it didn’t really make more interested in seeing Storm vs. Rosa.

Post match May brings in some champagne (apparently having murdered Jay off screen). Storm licks her face.

Red Velvet is ready to beat Athena.

Mark Briscoe is ready to bring the violence to the House Of Black at Dynasty. Then he seems to bark.

Here is Thunder Rosa, who thanks the fans for having her back throughout her comeback. She doesn’t need help to win the title and she’s talking about Deonna Purrazzo. Rosa graduated college and became an American citizen on her own but something died inside of her when she had to vacate the Women’s Title. Now she has another chance and will carry her friends and family with her. Toni Storm made the mistake of trying to erase the paint on her face so now she is coming for the title and to drag Storm to h***. This might be the best promo of Rosa’s career as she was bringing the fire the whole way.

Deonna Purrazzo is fine with not helping Thunder Rosa but she still wants Toni Storm away from the Women’s Title. If Rosa is dealing with one storm, Purrazzo will deal with the other Storm by breaking Mariah May’s arm next week.

The Young Bucks vs. FTR for the Tag Team Titles at Dynasty is now a ladder match. Well of course it is.

The Don Callis Family says they’re here to hurt Bryan Danielson before he faces Will Ospreay at Dynasty.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Don Callis Family

It’s a brawl to start with the fight heading to the floor at the bell. Danielson hits a running dropkick to Fletcher against the barricade before firing off the kicks. That means it’s a perfect time to thank Tony Khan for making a ladder match at Dynasty, which is interrupted by Danielson kicking Fletcher in the face again. Hobbs and Castagnoli slug it out in the ring as commentary talks about what’s coming next week.

Hobbs gets draped over the top rope for a knee from Danielson, who stomps down on the knees. Castagnoli comes back in and hammers away on Fletcher in the corner. A cheap shot from Hobbs cuts Castagnoli off though and we take a break. Back with Fletcher grabbing a sleeper on Castagnoli but he gutwrenches his way to freedom. It’s back to Danielson to moonsault over Fletcher for the running clothesline. A variety of kicks have the villains down but Hobbs pulls a dive out of the air.

That’s fine with Danielson, who hits a running knee off the apron. That leaves Castagnoli to drop Fletcher onto the barricade and knock Hobbs into the crowd. We take another break and come back with the ring mats being pulled back as the villains take over. Fletcher goes up top but a superplex attempt is broken up. Castagnoli breaks up what looked to be a Doomsday Device, leaving Danielson to hit a belly to back superplex for two.

Hobbs saves Fletcher from the LeBell Lock so Danielson dives over for the tag off to Castagnoli. House is quickly cleaned and there’s the Giant Swing to Hobbs. The Sharpshooter goes on, with Fletcher’s kicks to the chest not being enough to break it up. Instead Castagnoli lets go to hit Fletcher with Swiss Death, only to walk into the spinebuster to give Hobbs two.

Fletcher gets sent outside for a dive from Danielson, leaving Castagnoli to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own. Some clotheslines give Castagnoli two more but Fletcher grabs the ankle. The World’s Strongest Slam gives Hobbs two so he grabs a chair. Said chair is taken away so the announcers’ table is cleared off. Danielson isn’t having that and takes out Hobbs, leaving Castagnoli to Neutralize Fletcher for the pin at 25:44.

Rating: B+. To the shock of almost no one, taking four talented stars and giving them a lot of time made for a heck of a match. They know what they’re doing out there and put together a rather exciting match to close things out. At the same time, it would be nice to see the Family not lose every single big match they have. It doesn’t really make a big difference when the one person on the team who wins gets those wins by beating his stablemates. Either way, awesome main event here.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita runs in to help the Family with the beatdown. The fans chant for Moxley (the hometown, or at least close to it, boy) but they have to settle for Castagnoli chasing the villains off instead.

Overall Rating: B. This show illustrated a lot of the issues that AEW has. While the opener and main event, as in the matches with some of the bigger stars, were quite good, the stuff in the middle did not feel very important. A lot of this show felt like “here’s some stuff that we can throw out there to get us to Dynamite”. That’s fine every so often, but it feels like that is the case almost every week with Rampage and a good deal of the time with Collision. It would be nice to feel like something on here makes a big difference on the stories, but that is rarely the case for anything but Dynamite and the pay per views, which needs to be fixed.

Results
House Of Black b. Dante Martin/Matt Sydal/Action Andretti – Cannonball/running boots combination to Sydal
Katsuyori Shibata b. Lee Moriarty – PK
Daniel Garcia b. Angelico – Kneebar
Toni Storm b. AZM – Storm Zero
Blackpool Combat Club b. Don Callis Family – Neutralizer to Fletcher

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: March 21, 2024
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have a little over two weeks to go before Supercard Of Honor and the card needs to start coming together. We already have a few matches set, but there are some which could go in a variety of ways. Ring Of Honor has a tendency to wait until the last minute to announce a lot of the show and that might be what they are doing again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Card rundown.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Semifinals: Mercedes Martinez vs. Billie Starkz

Diamante is here with Martinez, who takes her down by the arm and grabs a front facelock. An exchange of suplexes goes to Martinez, who manages a very delayed vertical suplex for two. They go to the corner with Martinez hitting a hard stomp for two but Starkz comes back with a German suplex. Martinez is sent outside for a dive but Diamante pulls her away from the second dive, leaving Starkz to crash onto the floor (ouch).

That’s almost enough for a countout but Martinez settles for a top rope superplex instead. Starkz is able to reverse a suplex into a backbreaker for two but Martinez is back with a bunch of shots to the face. Starkz sends her to the floor instead and hits a quick dive, followed by a Swanton for two back inside. A Gory Special plants Martinez but Diamante offers a distraction, allowing Martinez to hit a Razor’s Edge Dominator for two of her own. They trade rollups until Starkz gets a cradle for the pin at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Starkz was pretty clearly a heavy favorite to make the finals from the beginning but they gave her a serious opponent in Martinez to get there. That’s a good way to go and what matters is that she has a chance to pick up her own gold. Martinez is someone who can lose a big match like this and not be hurt so it was a good choice all around.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Semifinals: Queen Aminata vs. Red Velvet

Aminata takes her to the mat to start but Velvet flips up and we get a hip shake off. The grappling exchange continues with a fight over arm control until Velvet snaps off a hurricanrana. Aminata is right back with a fall away slam and a snap suplex gets two. Back up and Velvet grabs a bulldog for two of her own, followed by a double stomp for the same. Aminata is right back with a snap German suplex and they head to the apron, where Velvet hits a spear. They head inside again for a strike off until Velvet hits a superkick, only to have Aminata hit a headbutt for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match and it’s nice to see someone fresh in the title picture, though Aminata is still only so interesting. She’s just kind of there for the most part, but she has been figuring things out a bit in the ring as of late. Good stuff here and Aminata makes for a better choice in the finals than Velvet.

Kiera Hogan wants to fight Diamante again. If she doesn’t see her in the ring, she’ll see her at home (a rare reference to their real life relationship).

Lee Johnson vs. London Lightning

Lightning is the local favorite and rather popular. They go with the grappling to start and Lightning actually takes him down, only to be run over by Johnson. Back up and Lightning suplexes him a few times for two but Johnson strikes away at his head. A neckbreaker drops Lightning and some superkicks set up the Big Shot Drop to give Johnson the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. This was the latest Johnson win and while he is still getting one victory after another, it should be time to get him to something more important. The TV Title is still out there as an option and that could be something we get sooner than later. Other than that, it was nice to see a crowd favorite getting some time and he did well in his shot here.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie are teaching the Boys to do some new things but Dalton Castle comes in to find the Boys. TV: “We lost them! There was a bear!” Castle: “BEARS EAT BOYS!” The panicking Castle is told he still has Boys, but they’re just single use Boys. Lexi tells him to stop interrupting her interviews and leaves.

Rachael Ellering vs. Hikaru Shida

Hold on here as here is Athena to watch. Ellering powers her up against the ropes to start as Athena is looking nervous at ringside. A hard shoulder puts Shida down and Ellering lifts her up with a gutwrench suplex. Shida is back up and sends her into the corner for some right hands to the head, meaning it’s time to head outside. That lets Shida get creative by teasing sending Ellering into Athena, only to stop at the last second, causing Athena to fall backwards anyway.

Back in and Ellering can’t manage a suplex so Shida gives her one instead. A missile dropkick gives Shida two as Athena is looking rather nervous. Back up and Shida wins a strike off with a claw STO putting Ellering down. Ellering is right back up with a TKO as Athena is turning into a coach. Not that it works as Shida is back up with a brainbuster into the Katana for the pin at 7:29.

Rating: B-. It was nice to have Shida actually wrestle a match in Ring Of Honor before moving on to the title match at Supercard Of Honor. Shida is a very talented star but it isn’t like she has done anything in the last few months. It’s something fresh, but I’m not sure I can imagine her being the one to take the title from Athena.

Diamante accepts Kiera Hogan’s challenge.

Matt Sydal vs. TJ Crawford

Sydal starts fast and snaps off a hurricanrana before taking Crawford into the corner. That’s fine with Crawford, who sends him into the rope and kicks it into Sydal’s face to take over. A suplex slam gets two and we hit the chinlock to keep Sydal down. Sydal fights up and kicks him in the head, setting up a jumping knee. The top rope Meteora finishes Crawford at 5:15.

Rating: C. This was more or less an easy win for Sydal and I’m not sure why we needed to see that. Sydal doesn’t have anything going on at the moment and instead is just here getting a quick win. It wasn’t a bad match but Crawford didn’t exactly do anything great. Either way, an acceptable enough use of time but rather random.

Eddie Kingston is upset by his loss but his mentor Homicide called him up. Homicide wants to know where the old Kingston is, because that Kingston wouldn’t have lost. Kingston is going to bring his old self to beat Mark Briscoe because he can’t feel that pain again. I’m still not sure if Briscoe is going to acknowledge this match, as he is kind of busy trying to burn down the House Of Black.

Lexi Nair is happy for Billie Starkz but Athena is rather serious about having to face Hikaru Shida. Athena goes on a rant about how Shida beat her years ago and it will NOT happen again.

Anna Jay vs. Mina Shirakawa

The debuting Mina is from Stardom and likes to dance a lot. Jay ducks her to start and takes a quick bow so Mina shows her up to even the score. Mina takes her down for a kick to the back but Anna grabs a running Blockbuster. Back up and Mina starts in on the knee, followed by a dropkick for two.

Anna fights up and hits a Gory Bomb for two, meaning it’s time to slug it up from their knees. Mina goes back to the leg (Coleman: “That she has invested so much in!” We’re less than five minutes into the match and she didn’t work on it for a good while.), setting up a missile dropkick for two. A facebuster is loaded up but Anna escapes, only to get caught in a rollup to give Mina the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C+. Well that was random. This was a quick match between two people who don’t regularly wrestle here. I’m not sure why this was the main event for a show about two weeks before one of the biggest events of the year. For now, Shirakawa showed off some great charisma and I could go for having her around again, though it was only so good of a debut match.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another short show here with a focus on the women’s division. You had the two tournament matches and the Shida/Athena stuff, followed by the Eddie Kingston promo. Other than that, it was a trio of rather random matches, with only Johnson’s seeming like it fit. The show was just over an hour and they didn’t waste time, though I’m not sure how much good it did for Supercard Of Honor.

Results
Billie Starkz b. Mercedes Martinez – Rollup
Queen Aminata b. Red Velvet – Headbutt
Lee Johnson b. London Lightning – Big Shot Drop
Hikaru Shida b. Rachael Ellering – Katana
Matt Sydal b. TJ Crawford – Top rope Meteora
Mina Shirakawa b. Anna Jay – Rollup

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.

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 7, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re less than a month away from Supercard Of Honor and that means it is probably time to start building up the card for the show. By that I mean announcing anything for it whatsoever, which hasn’t taken place yet. You can probably guess a few of the matches, but some of them need to be made official. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Hirsch takes her into the corner to start and gives Velvet a quick pat on the chest. An easy takedown lets Hirsch grab an armbar, with Velvet having to go to the ropes. Back up and Hirsch sends her flying with a throw but Velvet is right hand with some rights and lefts in the corner. Some boot choking in the corner has Hirsch in more trouble but she sends Velvet into the same corner to break that up.

A choke from the middle rope leaves Velvet flailing, only to come back with an Iconoclasm for two. Velvet grabs a short armscissors before hitting a nice looking superkick. It takes too long for Velvet to go up top though and a superplex brings her back down for two. They slug it out from their knees until an exchange of moonsaults goes to Hirsch. Velvet gets planted again and has to grab the rope for the break this time, only to come back with a sunset flip for the surprise pin at 9:52.

Rating: C+. They surprised me with the result as it seemed to be Hirsch’s spot in the semifinals to win. Velvet is someone that has managed to stick around in a fairly prominent role longer than I would have expected and good for her for getting this kind of a chance. I wouldn’t expect her to win the title, but then again I wouldn’t have expected her to make the semifinals either.

The Infantry do a bunch of posing and talk about taking people to Boot Camp.

Abadon vs. Judie Azul

They shake hands to start before Azul avoids a charge in the corner. Abadon strikes back as Mercedes Martinez is watching from the ramp. A running knee drops Azul and it’s the Black Dahlia to give Abadon the pin at 1:49.

The Spanish Announce Project comes up to Maria Kanellis-Bennett, whose team is off for the night. If the Project wins a match then they might get a fight with her team, but for now she can taunt Serpentico with his mask.

Lee Johnson vs. Jon Cruz

Cruz jumps him from behind to start but Johnson hits some running elbows. The reverse inverted DDT is escaped and Cruz bails out to the floor. Cruz breaks the count to annoy Johnson but a dropkick has Cruz in more trouble. A Stunner over the ropes slows Johnson down though and Cruz hammers away.

The rather cocky thumbs up annoys Johnson, who gets stomped down into the corner. Johnson fights up and gets two off a Blue Thunder Bomb, only to have Cruz get two off a clothesline. Cruz’s bridging belly to back suplex gets two but Johnson suplexes him into the corner. The reverse inverted DDT finishes for Johnson at 6:45.

Rating: C. Is it just me or has Ethan Page morphed into Lee Johnson when no one was looking? Page hasn’t been around for about a month now and Johnson has slipped right into his role of beating low level opponents. Maybe there is a reason for that, but Johnson is starting to build some momentum and that might mean a title match at Supercard Of Honor.

Nyla Rose vs. Airica Dimia

Rose kicks her down before the bell and hits some fast suplexes. A running splash in the corner sets up a toss into a running crossbody as Dimia is crushed again. Rose shrugs off a clothesline and hits one of her own, setting up the Beast Bomb for the pin at 1:48. Squash.

Jack Cartwheel/Gringo Loco vs. Spanish Announce Project vs. The Infantry vs. Workhorsemen

Angelico and Henry start things off with Henry (now with green hair) working on the arm. Serpentico comes in to work on Henry’s arm for a change but it’s the rather large Drake coming in for a chop. Cartwheel comes in to strike away but Serpentico sends him into the corner without much trouble. It’s off to Bravo for a change and a quick knockdown gets two on Serpentico.

Everything breaks down and the ring is cleared out until Drake plants Cartwheel for two. Henry kicks Cartwheel down so Drake can add a slingshot splash for two. Cartwheel manages to send the Workhorsemen into each other for a change though and it’s back to Loco for a standing moonsault. Henry grabs a super hurricanrana into a stomp from Drake as everything breaks down again.

Cartwheel and Loco take over, with the former hitting a standing corkscrew splash for two on Serpentico. Loco’s spinning moonsault sends Serpentico outside but Drake is back in with the spinning belly to belly. The Infantry’s double dives are broken up by the Project and Cartwheel hits the big tumbling dive. Back in and an ax kick into Boot Camp gives Dean the pin on Loco at 9:37.

Rating: C+. And there is your four way match of the week, which seems designed to get as many people on the card as possible. That works well enough but I have no reason to believe that this is going to be the big win that puts the Infantry over the hump. It was your usual action packed match with everyone getting their stuff in, but that’s about the extent of its value after all these weeks.

Post match Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes out to taunt the Project with Serpentico’s mask to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I know it’s not going to last but man have I been liking these shows a lot more without all the worthless extra matches. This show felt so much more focused as it picked a select number of people to lock onto and that helped quite a bit. For months now I’ve thought there was a pretty good show in here if you cut out about half of what we got week to week and that has been on display in the last few weeks. It’ll probably change next week, but it’s fun while it’s lasting.

Results
Red Velvet b. Leylah Hirsch – Sunset flip
Abadon b. Judie Azul – Black Dahlia
Lee Johnson b. Jon Cruz – Reverse inverted DDT
Nyla Rose b. Airica Dimia – Beast Bomb
Infantry b. Workhorsemen, Jack Cartwheel/Gringo Loco and Spanish Announce Project – Boot Camp to Loco

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.