Ring Of Honor
Date: March 23, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the rapid fire build towards Supercard Of Honor with week four of this show, which hopefully continues to have solid action. At the same time, things need to loosen up a bit as the show is so packed that it is hard to remember much of what happens week to week. Odds are they won’t slow down but you have to have hope. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Samoa Joe telling anyone to come get a TV Title shot because it’s an open challenge.

Opening sequence.

Tony Nese vs. Mark Briscoe

Mark Sterling and Josh Woods are here with Nese. Briscoe gets jumped to start but fights back as they head outside. The Bang Bang Elbow connects from the apron but Nese knocks him up against the apron. Woods tries to get in a cheap shot but Briscoe knocks him away, only to have Nese snap off a suplex.

Back in and Nese kicks him in the face for two and the bodyscissors goes on. A springboard moonsault misses for Nese though and Briscoe strikes away. The Iconoclasm gets two on Nese and the hangman’s neckbreaker is good for the same. Nese is fine enough to strike away and he flips out of a German suplex for a bonus. Briscoe clotheslines the heck out of him though and the Froggy Bow finishes Nese at 8:52.

Rating: C. This is exactly what it needed to be: Briscoe fighting through some adversity and finishing Nese clean as he continues to build up wins before what should be the title win at Supercard Of Honor. Briscoe is going to get a big reaction from the fans and you know he is going to bring the energy so starting the show with him is a good idea. Nese being relegated to losing here is good as well, as he is talented in the ring but rather horribly dull, so this is about as high as he needs to be going for the time being.

Trustbusters vs. Metalik/AR Fox/Blake Christian

Mark Sterling is with the Trustbusters. Ian: “In what has become something of a grudge match.” WELL WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU CALL IT??? Ian on Metalik and company: “What a combination this team has made!” You mean the team that hasn’t wrestled together yet? Kay headlocks Fox to start and then snaps off a dropkick for a bonus. Fox is right back with a neckbreaker though and it’s off to Christian, who is quickly taken into the wrong corner.

Christian is fine enough to slap on a seated abdominal stretch but Daivari sends him into the corner. Slim J comes in to stomp away as the villains start taking turns on Christian. A quick comeback finally allows Christian to bring Metalik in for the rope walk into a top rope splash. Metalik gets taken into the wrong corner as well though and it’s Slim J taking over. Kay grabs the chinlock and a splash gets two.

An enziguri gets Metalik out of trouble and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker allows the hot tag to Fox. Everything breaks down and Fox hits a bunch of cutters to take the villains down. The springboard flip dive takes out Kay and Slim J on the floor, followed by Christian’s big dive onto all three. Back in and Sterling gets kicked off the apron, allowing Kay to superkick Fox for two. The Tower of Doom, with a double Spanish Fly, knocks out just about everyone, leaving Fox to cutter Daivari. A 450 gives Fox the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C+. I’m sure that’s going to be enough to get Metalik and company a Six Man Tag Team Title shot as the titles continue to be among the most worthless in all of wrestling. Somehow a team winning their first match together over a team beating a team who is teaming together for the first time on this show is supposed to mean something. While the match was fast paced and gave us the right result, the only thing the next step shows me is that there is absolutely zero need for Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Post match the Embassy runs in to beat down Metalik/Christian/Fox.

Lady Frost vs. Skye Blue

Blue works on a wristlock to start but can’t get very far. Frost sends her into the corner and we pause for a breather. A hard kick to the face in the corner rocks Blue and a handspring Cannonball connects, allowing Ian to make Frozen references. Some knees to the back keep Blue down and Frost kicks her hard to the floor.

Back in and Blue kicks her down for a change but can’t follow up. A middle rope hurricanrana drops Frost again and a kick to the head gets two. Frost is right back with an Air Raid Crash for two, only to get slammed off the top. Blue hits a quick high crossbody into Skyfall for the pin at 7:19.

Rating: C+. They were both working hard here and Frost looked rather good in defeat. She was hitting some nice spots but Blue is the one who seems ready to move up a little bit on the AEW/ROH ladder. That isn’t going to change until Blue wins a bigger match but for now, at least she got a tough win.

Rush/Dralistico vs. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus

Rush and Dralistico jump them to start and send the other two outside, setting up the double pose. Back in and we settle down to Dralistico striking away on Williams. Rush takes his shirt off and chops away at Titus, who gets tied in the ropes. That means the top rope legdrop can give Dralistico two but Williams suplexes his way out of trouble.

It’s off to Titus to slug it out with Rush, who is fine to strike back. A running boot in the corner rocks Rush and Dralistico gets knocked down as well. Everything breaks down and Dralistico hits a springboard Codebreaker on Williams. Rush’s Bull’s Horns is cut off by Williams’ spear but Dralistico sends him outside. There’s the big flip dive, leaving Titus to get Bull’s Horned for the pin at 5:34.

Rating: B-. This was energetic while it lasted but it was almost a squash for Rush and Dralistico. Williams and Titus could be something in the tag division but for now it seems that La Faccion is getting the focus. Odds are they’ll be in the ladder match for the Tag Team Titles, which might make Rush interesting for the first time….well ever around here actually.

We get a sitdown interview with Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston. Castagnoli has said that Kingston is without honor and thinks his words speak for himself. Kingston only cares about winning the title and lists off some wrestlers who have held the title and served as his mentors. Castagnoli doesn’t think much of Kingston referring to himself as a fighter, because Kingston is the one who ran away when it became hard.

Kingston doesn’t like that but Castagnoli is scared for him. That makes Kingston challenge for the title and Castagnoli is in, because he can win and leave Kingston blaming everyone. Oh and then he’ll quit. It’s on for Supercard Of Honor. This was all but set weeks ago but it’s nice to have it made official.

Matt Taven vs. Darius Martin

The rest of the Kingdom is here but there is no Dante Martin. Darius armdrags him down to start and Taven needs a quick breather. Back in and Darius grabs a headlock before drop toeholding him down without much trouble. Bennett and Maria offer a distraction though and Taven takes over for the first time. Another Maria distraction lets Bennett hit a hard forearm on the floor and Taven’s double underhook backbreaker gets two back inside.

Taven misses the springboard senton though and Just The Tip doesn’t do much better. Darius atomic drops him out of the air though and a slingshot Downward Spiral gets two. A Spanish Fly gives Darius two more but they trade enziguris for a double knockdown. Back up and Just The Tip gives Taven two but Darius German suplexes him down. Taven is sent outside, where Darius dives onto Bennett. Maria grabs the boot though and Taven Climaxes Darius for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Taven on his own, the more I like him. Taven is someone who works well on his own but his stuff with the rest of the Kingdom works well too. I’m not sure why the team (or just Taven) hasn’t been featured on AEW a bit more but at least they’re getting to do some stuff here. I’ll certainly take Kingdom vs. Top Flight in a bigger feud and we might be on our way there.

Post match the beatdown is on until Dante Martin makes the save. Where the heck was he two minutes ago???

Tony Deppen vs. Brian Cage

Prince Nana and the Gates of Agony are here with Cage. For some reason Deppen slaps him in the face to start and is quickly knocked to the apron for his efforts. The apron superplex plants Deppen and Cage drops an elbow into some pushups (must be a Scott Steiner fan and yes the jokes are too easy).

Deppen manages to catch him on the ropes and hits a Backstabber to send Cage outside. That means the big dive drops Cage again and the running knees connect back inside. Deppen’s top rope double stomp gets a close two, with commentary going NUTS on the cover. Back up and Cage blasts him with a clothesline but gets small packaged for two more. Cage spinebusters him though and a Drill Claw finishes Deppen at 4:27.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into about four and a half minutes with Deppen showing some great energy. Commentary had me buying the chance of a big upset on that double stomp and the small package almost got me there too. At the end of the day though, Cage is a much bigger star and a champion isn’t going to get pinned so close to the big event (and likely title defense).

Post match the 3-1 beatdown is on until Metalik, Blake Christian and AR Fox (with pipes) make the save.

Silas Young vs. Shane Taylor

This could be interesting. They fight over a lockup to start until Young slaps him in the face. That’s not a great idea as Taylor shoulders him down but misses the apron legdrop. Young knees him in the back and drops a backsplash for two. A bunch of elbows give Young one but Taylor BLASTS HIM with a clothesline.

Taylor’s neckbreaker is broken up and Young knees him in the face. A DDT gives Young two, only to have Taylor pull him into a release Rock Bottom. The big splash gives Taylor two but Young knees him again. Young can’t hit his moonsault out of the corner though, allowing Taylor to hit a knee of his own. The package piledriver puts Young away at 6:46.

Rating: C+. Another hard hitting match here as Taylor gets a win over someone with a name in his own right. Pushing either of these guys would make sense, as they both have ties to the old Ring Of Honor but also have a lot to offer now. I’m not sure about putting them together so fast, but at least someone won definitively.

Billie Starkz vs. Miranda Alize

Alize is a luchadora who was around in the last phase of the old Ring Of Honor. The fans are behind Starkz and the lockup goes nowhere early on. Alize bails to the floor and the fans are already getting on her nerves. Back in and Alize bites the hand to take over but a dragon suplex gets Starkz out of trouble. Starkz has to roll out of a dive off the top though and Alize takes her down for two.

A running slap to the head (rather than the signature Shining Wizard) lets Alize brag a bit before grabbing the Miranda Rights (Crossface). With that broken up, Starkz elbows and kicks her in the face. Starkz charges into a shoulder to the ribs though and Alize grabs a hurricanrana driver for two. A cutter looks to set up a Shining Wizard but Starkz blocks it and hits the Starkz Driver (Tombstone) for the pin at 6:58.

Rating: C. Starkz is rather talented or her age but she needs some more seasoning. Hopefully she can get some of that on a slightly bigger stage like Ring Of Honor before getting in over her head elsewhere. Alize is a fine midcard villain, but I’m not sure I can see her going much further than that.

Aussie Open vs. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal

Sydal takes Fletcher down to start and grabs a quick rollup for two. It’s off to Daniels to take over on Fletcher’s arm before Davis comes in. Daniels takes the leg out and nails a clothesline to the back of the head. Sydal comes back in and flips Daniels onto Davis, setting up a standing flip of his own for two. Daniels is even smart enough to slide between Fletcher’s legs and pull him to the floor for a right hand.

Back in and Davis decks Daniels, setting up a slingshot cutter. Sydal gets dropped as well and it’s Davis hitting Daniels in the face again. The hand off suplex is countered into a small package to give Daniels a breather but Fletcher kicks Sydal off the apron in a smart move. Daniels manages to send them into each other though and grabs a middle rope Downward Spiral to Davis. Sydal comes back in with a hurricanrana driver on Fletcher but Davis slows Sydal down.

Daniels is back in and sends Davis outside, leaving Fletcher to get powerbombed/top rope Meteoraed for two. Everyone gets dropped for a breather until Sydal gets tossed into Fletcher’s boot to the chest. Daniels Downward Spirals Fletcher though and clotheslines both of them. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Fletcher, who accidentally kicks Davis in the head. Sydal tries to come back in but gets Tombstoned, only to have Daniels release Rock Bottom him down. The double clotheslines stagger Daniels though and Coriolis gives Fletcher the pin at 14:10.

Rating: B. Best match of the night so far and it’s nice to see the Aussies get a win after losing so often on AEW. Daniels and Sydal were built up (as much as a team can be in one match) to be fed to them and odds are we’ll be seeing the Aussies at Supercard Of Honor. They had a heck of a match here as it even overcame my lack of taste for Sydal.

Post match Daniels and Sydal tease leaving but come back and shake hands.

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. ???

Joe is defending against….Cheeseburger. Joe hammers him down in the corner and gets annoyed at Cheeseburger swinging at him. The MuscleBuster retains the title at 1:01. That’s a relief, though the lack of Cheeseburger would have been a better one.

Post match Joe wrecks Cheeseburger but Mark Briscoe makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The show had its usual setup problems but I think we’ve covered those enough forever. I’m aware they’re not going to change because this is what Tony Khan likes to do but they’re by far the show’s biggest problem. It was another show with good action and a lot of talented people, but I’m looking forward to a few weeks from now when Supercard Of Honor is over and the show can breathe a bit. Or just keep piling stuff in until the good stuff is overwhelmed by the sheer volume. For now though, another perfectly fine show, with the Aussie Open match being rather good.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Tony Nese – Froggy Bow
Metalik/AR Fox/Blake Christian b. Trustbusters – 450 to Daivari
Skye Blue b. Lady Frost – Skyfall
Rush/Dralistico b. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus – Bull’s Horns to Titus
Matt Taven b. Darius Martin – Climax
Brian Cage b. Tony Deppen – Drill Claw
Shane Taylor b. Silas Young – Package piledriver
Aussie Open b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Coriolis to Daniels
Samoa Joe b. Cheeseburger – MuscleBuster

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Ring Of Honor
Date: March 9, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still on the first taping of this new show so things are likely to look like they did last week. The wrestling itself was pretty good, but the length of the show was quite the drag. They did offer something big at the end with Eddie Kingston showing up to challenge Claudio Castagnoli, so there is at least a path forward in the main event. Let’s get to it.

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

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Tony Deppen

Joe is defending and works on the wrist to start. For some reason Deppen strikes away, earning himself a beating in the corner. Deppen fights back though and hits a running corner dropkick. A knee gives Deppen two more but Joe Rock Bottoms him out of the corner. Joe blasts him with a clothesline though and the MuscleBuster retains the title at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Deppen was trying and they had the action going, but Joe isn’t about to lose to someone who has only made infrequent appearances in his first defense on this show. Joe doesn’t really need to get built up in Ring of Honor again but breaking a bit of a sweat against a former champion is a good thing. Now just get Joe a more serious challenger and we could be getting somewhere.

Post match Joe says that he always runs this place no matter what happens around here. If anyone wants a title shot, come see the champ. Cue Mark Briscoe (good call) to say that title is his destiny, with Joe saying bring it.

Dalton Castle and the Boys want the Six Man Tag Team Titles back. They’ve been moving furniture all weekend and want to face the Embassy. Castle: “Show them your teeth boys!” I have no idea why the Six Man Titles need to exist.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Marcus Kross/Cody Chhun/Guillermo Rosas

Chhun and Rosas are collectively known as C4. Castle and Cross poke each other in the chest to start, with Castle actually being knocked to the floor. The Boys fan him up before one…puts him in a full nelson and the other hits him in the stomach? I guess that is training of some sort as Castle goes back inside to wrestle Rosas down.

Brent comes in for a dropkick (the fans approve) and it’s time to go after Rosas’ knee. Rosas drives him into the corner though and it’s Chhun coming in for a dropkick into a suplex. Brent enziguris Kross though and Castle comes back in to start the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Boys are thrown outside for the crashes (that’s always cool). Back in and the Bang A Rang finishes Rosas at 5:30.

Rating: C. Just a squash here with Castle and the Boys proving that they are ready for the Six Man Tag Team Title shot. I’m not sure who else would get the shot, but the idea of throwing three people with little in common together would not be out of the question. Castle and the Boys are a fun team and crowd favorites, so this was a smart addition to the show.

Maria Kanellis introduces the OGK (Matt Taven/Mike Bennett) who say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles. Maria: “We are the OGK but you can call us the Kingdom.” Or you could just pick one, preferably the Kingdom.

Angelico/Serpentico vs. Rush/Dralistico

Luther is here with Angelico/Serpentico, collectively known as the Spanish Announce Project and Jose the Assistant is with Rush/Dralistico. Rush isn’t interested in a handshake with Angelico as we are officially ready to go. They trade legsweeps into covers for no counts and it’s an early standoff.

Serpentico comes in to chop away at Rush for no avail before Dralistico comes in to take him down. Rush’s running splash in the corner sets up a pair of basement dropkicks to send Serpentico outside as the beating is on. The means a big flip dive from Dralistico and the Tranquilo pose from Rush. Angelico gets whipped with an electrical cord on the floor and Serpentico is draped over the top rope for a legdrop in a painful looking crash.

The double teaming continues until Rush accidentally knocks Dralistico off the apron. Serpentico gets knocked out of the air but Angelico breaks up the Bull’s Horns. With Angelico knocked outside, Dralistico hits a springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer to finish Serpentico at 9:16.

Rating: C. That was a pretty long squash as Dralistico and Rush were never in any real danger. They could wind up being a solid team around here as Rush has the World Title credentials and Dralistico looked good in a bit of a showcase here. Angelico and Serpentico did well as cannon fodder, but that’s all they were.

Post match Dralistico and Rush take Serpentico’s mask.

Trish Adora vs. Billie Starkz

Starkz is an 18 year old prodigy. Adora works on the arm to start and powers Starkz down without much trouble. Starkz gets knocked outside and dropped onto the apron before Adora la majistrals her for two back inside. A delayed bridging German suplex gets two and Adora grabs Cattle Mutilation, with Starkz having to go to the ropes. Starkz gets in a kick to the face but walks into a pump kick for two. They trade running shots to the face and then the big forearms until Starkz lands another kick. That doesn’t seem to matter as the Lariat Tubman (what a great name) finishes for Adora at 5:41.

Rating: C+. This was another near squash as Starkz only got in a few shots while Adora was running her over for the most part. Adora is someone who felt like she was ready to become a breakout star in the original Ring Of Honor, but the women’s division wasn’t nearly strong enough to make that work. The dominance was on strong here and it was already better than most of what Ring Of Honor’s women did in the past.

Christopher Daniels talks about his success around here and wants to win the Tag Team Titles with his new partner….Matt Sydal. Cue Sydal, who is willing to die flying or die trying. That feels like a “we have nothing else for these two to do” and that isn’t a bad thing.

Jake Crist/Jake Manning vs. Trustbusters

Yes the Trustbusters (with Mark Sterling) are back and no I don’t get it either. Manning is the Man Scout, which is like a Boy Scout but….I think you get the idea. Daivari throws Manning’s scout manual (which he reads during matches) outside and brings Manning into the corner for the tag off to Slim J. The Trustbusters start the alternating beatdowns but it’s off to Crist for a springboard forearm. Manning comes back in to hammer on Daivari but J gets in a cheap shot from the apron. The STF makes Manning tap at 2:55. At least it was short.

Post match Ari Daivari brags about beating Metalik on his own last week but Metalik runs in. That earns him a beatdown of his own but Blake Christian makes the save.

Pure Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Timothy Thatcher

Yuta is defending and has to use a rope break to escape the Fujiwara armbar less than ten seconds in. They fight over arm control on the mat with Thatcher taking over and slamming the fingers into the mat for two. Yuta reverses into an Octopus and Thatcher has to use his first rope break as well. The armbar keeps Thatcher down and a middle rope flying armbar makes it worse.

Back up and Thatcher manages a belly to belly but Yuta is right back with another armbar. Thatcher’s second rope break gets him out of trouble so they trade uppercuts for a change. Thatcher uppercuts him into the corner but gets punched off the ropes, earning an official warning (one more punch and he’s disqualified).

Another armbar sends Thatcher to the rope again and this time he pulls Yuta into the keylock, sending him to the ropes as well. A belly to back gives Thatcher two and he knees away at Yuta’s back, sending him to the ropes for the final break. So now holds and pins in the ropes are legal so Thatcher stomps him to the floor. With the referee holding Thatcher back, Yuta hits him in the face again and slaps on an armbar in the ropes to retain at 12:40.

Rating: B-. This match stood out as it had the talent, the intensity and the different feeling from everything else on the show. Thatcher was doing more stuff here but Yuta cheated just enough to retain the title. The Pure Title isn’t the best thing going in Ring Of Honor but Yuta does well enough to make it work. Giving him an opponent like Thatcher was a guaranteed hit and they delivered.

Post match Yuta complains about the LA Dojo so here is Clark Connors to say the Blackpool Combat Club wished they trained under Katsuyori Shibata (the Dojo’s head trainer). Connors issues the challenge for a title match next week and Yuta is in.

Aussie Open vs. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus

Titus wrestles Fletcher to the mat to start and it’s Williams coming in to scare Fletcher over for the tag to Davis. A few shots to Davis’ arm seem to wake him up enough to kick Titus in the face and the Aussies take over. Fletcher comes in for a rather delayed suplex, which he passes over to Davis for the actual drop on Titus. A missed charge lets Titus roll over Davis and bring in Williams to clean house.

The piledriver is blocked but everything breaks down, with the Aussies being sent outside. That’s fine with them, as they pick up Titus and Williams for a hard ram together. Back in and Williams gets planted to give Fletcher two but Williams is fine enough to pull Davis into a Crossface.

Titus adds a half crab on Fletcher at the same time but the Aussies go to the ropes to escape. There’s a belly to belly to drop Fletcher and a lariat gets two, with Davis having to make the save. Williams adds a top rope splash for two on Fletcher but he’s back with a spinning Tombstone. Davis pulls Titus from the mat up into a piledriver (that was awesome) and the Coriolis finishes Williams at 10:22.

Rating: B. Now this was a fun one as they cranked up the intensity here with one hot sequence after another. The Aussies needed a win and putting them over some former Ring Of Honor champions worked well. Williams always felt like someone who could move up to the next level and Titus seems to get better every time he’s out there. Very energized match and I had a lot of fun with it.

Respect is shown post match, but the Aussies don’t seem to mean it.

Eddie Kingston vs. Ben Dejo

Suplex and spinning Backfist To The Future finish for Kingston at 40 seconds.

Post match Kingston calls out Claudio Castagnoli to answer his challenge. Cue Castagnoli to say a man without honor will never be champion. Castagnoli leaves and we see Kingston giving chase backstage.

Willow Nightingale isn’t just here to be happy because she wants Athena’s Women’s Title.

Athena isn’t worried about Nightingale and the title isn’t going anywhere.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is challenging and I would have bet on this one taking place at Supercard Of Honor. They fight over wrist control to start with Athena throwing her down and posing. Nightingale is back with a running crossbody for two and Two Amigos into a fisherman’s suplex. Athena gets sent to the apron, where she snaps the arm over the ropes, allowing her to kick Nightingale down.

More kicks let Athena pose again and we hit the seated armbar. They trade rollups for two each until Athena hammers her down. The running baseball slide sends Willow outside, where Athena sends her face first into the steps. Willow’s arm gets crushed in the steps but she still beats the count back in. the running hurricanrana is countered into an apron bomb though and a Death Valley Driver plants Athena on the floor.

Both of them make it back in at 18 (out of 20) and a spinebuster gives Nightingale two. The arm gives out on the doctor bomb though and Athena grabs a crossface. Make that the Fujiwara armbar, which Willow reverses into a rollup for two. Athena plants her for two more and the kickout leaves her panicking. The Pounce sends Athena flying and the doctor bomb gets two more. Athena bails up the ramp, where she grabs a Wasteland to knock Willow silly. Back in and the O Face retains the title at 14:47.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and the fans were way into it rather quickly, as Willow is as likable as you can get and Athena is starting to feel it as a villain. They had me thinking they might change the title here and maybe that is what they should have done. I’m not sure why Willow got the shot here and lost, as she could be built up as a potential new star in the division, including as the champion. Also, why not wait to do this at Supercard? Unless they’re running this back, I don’t know how much sense it made here, even as a rather good main event.

Post match Athena sends her arm first into the steps.

Overall Rating: B. Much better show this week as it was a bit shorter (about 15 minutes) and they kept things moving. The action was better as well, with a mixture of different kinds of things up and down the card. Three title matches is a bit much, but the TV Title defense was hardly a big deal.

The show is still too long though and that is going to get them in trouble when the matches aren’t as good. It’s ok to spread this stuff out a bit, but that has long, long since been one of the major problems with Tony Khan’s booking style. For now though, it’s an upgrade over last week, but I’m curious about how the second taping will go.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Tony Deppen – MuscleBuster
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Marcus Kross/Cody Chhun/Guillermo Rosas – Bang A Rang to Rosas
Rush/Dralistico b. Angelico/Serpentico – Springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer to Serpentico
Trish Adora b. Billie Starkz – Lariat Tubman
Trustbusters b. Jake Manning/Jake Crist – STF to Manning
Wheeler Yuta b. Timothy Thatcher – Armbar in the ropes
Aussie Open b. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus – Coriolis to Williams
Eddie Kingston b. Ben Dejo – Spinning Backfist To The Future

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: March 2, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

So after a year or so of Ring Of Honor being a major part of AEW, it is time for the company to get its own show. That might mean quite a few things, but there is a good chance that we are going to be seeing a bunch of AEW stars around here. This show could go in a few different ways though so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe vs. Slim J

The rest of the Trustbusters are here with Slim J, who kicks away the Code Of Honor before the bell. Redneck Kung Fu sends J outside but a Mark Sterling distraction lets J get in a low blow. Briscoe is fine enough to kick J to the floor, setting up the dropkick through the ropes. It’s too early for the chair assisted dive so Briscoe strikes away back inside.

Another Sterling distraction lets J hit a knee to the face, setting up a reverse DDT for two. Briscoe is busted open as J chokes away in the corner, followed by the chinlock. With that broken up, Briscoe grabs a neckbreaker for two and a powerbomb plants J again. The Froggy Bow misses but Briscoe kicks him in the face and hits the Jay Driller for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C. So the first thing we see on Ring Of Honor TV is an unpopular AEW faction and the continuation of a lame Briscoe vs. Sterling feud. I know there is no secret to the fact that the promotions are basically the same, but could you at least wait a bit to throw the first AEW regular out there? Having Briscoe out there in the opener made perfect sense though, as he is as much of a symbol of ROH as you can get. It helps that he can have a pretty good match against anyone, but the Sterling feud needs to go far away.

Tony Deppen reads a prepared statement about winning the ROH TV Title from Samoa Joe next week. He can do it with the STF or the chickenwing because he’ll be the star of Ring Of Honor. That’s one way to go.

Kingdom vs. Infantry

The Infantry is Shawn Dean/Carlie Bravo and Maria is here with the Kingdom. Bravo gets taken down to start but he’s right back up for the tag to Dean. A wishbone sends Bennett outside but Taven is in with a dropkick (and catchphrase). The Purple Thunder Bomb and brainbuster get two each on Bravo and it’s back to Taven with a slingshot elbow. Bravo manages to get in a shot of his own though and it’s back to Dean to pick up the pace, including a superkick to Bennett. Taven comes right back in for the save though and it’s the Proton Pack for the pin on Bravo at 4:55.

Rating: C. This was in fact a tag match between an established team and a new team with the established ones winning. It wasn’t a squash but the Kingdom still looked like a dominant team who could do something around here. They were a success in the tag division before so having them do the same thing here wouldn’t be a stretch in any way.

Blake Christian is ready to prove what All Heart means when he takes the New Japan TV Title.

Zack Sabre Jr. reminds us that he is awesome.

New Japan Pro Wrestling Television Title: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Blake Christian

Christian is challenging and tries to take Sabre down to start as commentary explains the fifteen minute time limit. Sabre cranks on both arms but Christian flips his way out. Back up and Sabre switches to just one arm, with the fingers being bent back as well. Christian flips out with an armdrag though and a dropkick sends Sabre outside. The big flip dive is countered into a cravate (that’s a unique one) and Sabre calls out Bryan Danielson.

Back in and Christian flips out of the cravate before grabbing an Alabama Slam. Sabre cranks on the head again and suplexes him over for a needed breather. They head to the apron where Christian hits a spear, setting up the big dive. Back in and Sabre slaps on a cobra stretch but Christian escapes again and slaps away. Christian has to power out of a Kimura and a low superkick gets two. We have three minutes left as Sabre counters a 450 into something like a triangle choke to retain at 12:29.

Rating: B-. There is something so awesome about watching Sabre doing his thing out there. He knows how to carve someone up and it is a blast to watch him do it no matter what. As for Christian, I’ve seen him a few times now and he feels like a bunch of people I’ve seen elsewhere. Flips, dives, superkicks. You know the drill I’m sure.

Mark Sterling offers to cancel Konosuke Takeshita’s match with Josh Woods because Takeshita isn’t a big enough star. Takeshita rips up the offer instead.

Christopher Daniels says it’s a new Ring Of Honor but he’s still here to do more.

Christopher Daniels vs. Rohit Raju

Jora Juhl is here with Raju. Daniels gets stomped down in the corner to start and Raju chokes away in the corner. Back up and Daniels hits a dropkick into a suplex for two but Juhl breaks it, allowing Raju to send Daniels outside. A double stomp gives Raju two but Daniels suplexes him right back down. It’s too early for the Angel’s Wings so Daniels kicks him down and hits the Best Moonsault Ever for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C-. This show runs two hours and six minutes, yet we can fit in a five minute match featuring one of the most established Ring Of Honor stars ever? Daniels has been around forever and he is one of the names that the fans are going to know. I’m not sure why this match needed to be there, but it felt like it was mainly to pad out the show with a name the fans will recognize.

Rhett Titus and Tracy Williams want to get back to the top of the mountain.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Josh Woods

Mark Sterling is here with Woods, who gets driven into the corner to start. Woods wins a grapple off so Takeshita hammers down right hands in the corner. A gutwrench suplex gets Woods out of trouble but Takeshita is back with a running knee. They head to the apron where Takeshita hits a DDT before they head back inside.

Woods blocks a suplex and grabs a twisting superplex for two. Back up and Woods goes for a waistlock but Rolling Chaos Theory is blocked. Instead Takeshita powers him up for a wheelbarrow suplex (which he manages to get on only the second attempt) to put Woods away at 10:20.

Rating: C+. Takeshita seems incapable of having a bad match and Woods can wrestle with just about anyone. That was all the makings needed to have a nice match here and they made it work well. Woods is someone who could be a nice heel hand in the midcard while Takeshita could be well on his way to the title scene around here. Nice mini showcase.

Claudio Castagnoli is ready for the pressure that comes with being the champ.

Embassy vs. Joe Keys/LSG/Rex Lawless

Non-title and Prince Nana is here with the Embassy. Keys and Lawless get beaten up on the floor before the bell so it’s LSG getting caught in the wrong corner. A side slam onto the top turnbuckle plants LSG and Cage hits the apron superplex. The Gates of Agony throw LSG into Cage’s sitout powerbomb for the pin at 2:12. Total dominance.

Ari Daivari vs. Metalik

The rest of the Trustbusters are here with Daivari. They fight over wrist control to start until Daivari makes it to the rope. Metalik walks the ropes to dropkick Daivari outside, where the Trustbusters offer a distraction. Daivari gets in a cheap shot and chokes away, setting up the chinlock.

Metalik fights up again and walks the ropes for a high crossbody to send Daivari outside. There’s the big dive to take Daivari down again and a springboard splash gives Metalik two. Mark Sterling gets up on the apron for a distraction but Slim J clotheslines Daivari by mistake. The VERY delayed two count has Metalik yelling at the ref, meaning Daivari can hit the hammerlock lariat (In Trust We Bust) for the pin at 7:23.

Rating: C. This show is seemingly very heavy on Mark Sterling and the Trustbusters and I have no idea how that could be seen as a good idea. The team was hardly well received in AEW and now they’re getting treated as something important in AEW’s secondary promotion. Metalik’s flying looked good and his time on offense was exciting, but the incredibly generic Daivari wins anyway. Lucky us.

AR Fox talks about trying to get to Ring Of Honor ten years ago. Now he’s in the main event and he’s coming for the title.

Renegades vs. Skye Blue/Madison Rayne

Blue drives Robyn into the corner to start but Robyn does the same to her. Some rollups give Blue two each and it’s off to Rayne for the basement lariat. A basement dropkick gets the same but Blue gets caught in the wrong corner. Blue flips out of a belly to back though and an enziguri allows the tag off to Rayne. Another enziguri into a cutter gets two on Robyn and everything breaks down. Rayne Downward Spirals Charlotte and spears Robyn, leaving Blue to hit Skyfall for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C. This is about as perfect of an illustration of this show’s problem as there has been so far: these four have all been treated as jobbers on AEW TV for months but now they get their own show. That’s NXT LVL Up, not Ring Of Honor. You can say “well this person competed in Ring Of Honor” all you want. It’s still people who have lost time after time after time on the important shows. Why should I be interested in them getting a win here?

Dalton Castle is here next week.

Here is Wheeler Yuta for a chat. He isn’t a young boy or anything like that and became the Pure Champion by being beaten down by three of the best in the world. The open challenge is issued for next week so here is Timothy Thatcher to accept. Ok that’s an upgrade.

Willow Nightingale vs. Lady Frost

Nightingale starts with some dancing and then runs her over, setting up the basement crossbody. Frost flips over her in the corner though and scores with a kick to the ribs, setting up a running flip neckbreaker. They trade kicks to the face for a double knockdown but Nightingale is back up with a spinebuster for two. Frost kicks her down again and hits a moonsault for two of her own. Nightingale has had enough of this and Doctor Bombs her for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Nightingale’s charisma carried this one as you cannot get annoyed at someone that bubbly. It makes a lot of sense to push her as she could be someone who winds up being a breakout star around here. Frost is someone else who could be a nice hand on the roster and that’s about what she was here, with the unique look helping.

Post match Ian Riccaboni gets in the ring for a chat with Nightingale (after some dancing of course). She talks about her recent success around here and thinks a Women’s Title match is in line. Cue Athena to say sure.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. AR Fox

Castagnoli is defending. Fox spins out of a wristlock to start as the fans are split. A sunset flip out of the corner doesn’t work for Fox and Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline. Back up and Fox hits a bouncy sitout bulldog out of the corner. Castagnoli is fine enough to catch him on top with a dropkick before breaking up a springboard to make it worse.

Some gutwrench suplexes drop Fox before we hit the half crab. The rope is grabbed so Castagnoli sends him face first into the apron to change things up. Castagnoli forearms him in the back a few times but Fox manages a quick DDT. An enziguri and springboard Stunner out of the corner give Fox two and Castagnoli is sent outside. There’s the big dive to the floor and a Swanton gets two back inside.

Castagnoli kicks him in the face for a near fall of his own and the Swing sends Fox outside. Back in and Fox’s rollup gets two but Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline. Fox Death Valley Drivers him out of the corner and a 450 gets a very close two. They forearm it out until Fox is sent to the apron, where he springboards into an uppercut to retain the title at 15:37.

Rating: B. Yeah shockingly enough, this was the best part of the show with probably the most talented star in the company getting the most time all night. Fox can make the high flying look about as good as anyone else and he was doing his thing here. It wasn’t about the possibility of a title change here, but rather a wrestling showcase. That worked out very well, and they had a rather good main event.

Post match respect is show….and Eddie Kingston is here, fresh off quitting AEW last night. He’s an independent contractor so he’s coming for the title. There’s your big moment.

Overall Rating: C+. In case I didn’t make it obvious enough throughout, the two main problems are the length and the star power. This was more or less Dark III and at over two hours, the interest wanes fast. The wrestling ranges from completely fine to good, but this could have easily been cut into two or three episodes. I know they have to get ready for Supercard Of Honor in about a month, but two hours of this stuff a week isn’t going to hold interest very long, especially if it is a show you have to pay to see.

It’s not the same as a regular new promotion’s debut show because we do know these people, but that’s kind of the problem. Since we’ve seen so many of these people treated as nothings on Dynamite and Rampage, why should I want to see them have their own show here? There are ways to make this more interesting but they weren’t used here. Not a bad debut by any means, but if this is what Ring Of Honor is going to be, Thursdays are going to be a bit rough.

Results
Mark Briscoe b. Slim J – Jay Driller
Kingdom b. Infantry – Proton Pack to Bravo
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Blake Christian – Leg choke
Christopher Daniels b. Rohit Raju – Best Moonsault Ever
Konosuke Takeshita b. Josh Woods – Wheelbarrow suplex
Embassy b. Joe Keys/LSG/Rex Lawless – Sitout powerbomb to LSG
Ari Daivari b. Metalik – In Trust We Bust
Madison Rayne/Skye Blue b. Renegades – Skyfall to Charlotte
Willow Nightingale b. Lady Frost – Doctor Bomb
Claudio Castagnoli b. AR Fox – Uppercut

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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Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 Night Two
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kevin Gill

It’s the second half of the show and in this case, it needs to get a pretty big upgrade over the first half. Night one was a decent enough show, but it wasn’t memorable, which is the point of a show like this. Now that being being said, this show is built around the Clusterf*** Battle Royal, which could be quite the mess. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

We open with Joey Janela talking about beating Sean Waltman last night and wanting his flowers. He wonders why the fans hate him now but Spring Break needs a lethal dose of poison to turn it back into what it is supposed to be. This year, he is entering the Clusterf*** so he can end it once and for all. Maybe just don’t run it then?

Matt Cardona vs. Chris Dickinson

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona, who is currently the king, meaning yes he does have a Macho King crown. Green gets in an ALL HAIL THE DEATHMATCH KING and the fans are all over Cardona again. Cardona insults GCW and says they are the power couple of wrestling. Six years ago, he won the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania, but now he’s in this piece of garbage ring. If he was in WWE, like he should be, he would be celebrating his friend Mark Calaway, who he will see in the Hall of Fame one day.

Dickinson comes out with….MISSY HYATT to even things out, which is one of those names that makes this show feel fun. Both pairs share good luck kisses before the match, with Hyatt’s leaving Dickinson woozy. Dickinson wrestles him to the mat to start but Cardona is up to yell at Hyatt. That doesn’t work well for Dickinson, who grabs a cross armbreaker to send Cardona bailing to the floor.

Back in and Green grabs Dickinson’s foot for a distraction so Cardona can stomp away. After throwing his shirt at Hyatt, Cardona chokes with the wrist tape and then his hand for a bonus. The running forearm drops Dickinson again and a neckbreaker gives Cardona two. It’s already door time but Cardona spends too much time mocking the crowd, allowing Dickinson to backdrop him through the door in the corner.

The slugout is on with Cardona going to the eyes, only to get blasted with a running clothesline. The brainbuster gives Dickinson two but Green offers a distraction, allowing Cardona to nail a spear for two. Missy finally grabs Cardona’s boot and slaps Green, allowing Dickinson to hit a Death Valley Driver for two of his own.

Green offers another distraction so Cardona can hit a low blow into the Rough Ryder for two. Now it’s Green coming in and hitting Cardona with Missy’s loaded purse by mistake, allowing Dickinson to clothesline her down. The toss Razor’s Edge is enough for Dickinson to pin both of them at once at 12:43.

Rating: C+. You really can see why the GCW fans can’t stand Cardona in this run as he is one of the most annoying and obnoxious heels you could want to see. He is playing up the idea of being a big shot and that is one of the best ways to get heat from anyone. Dickinson is a decent power guy and looked good here, though Missy kind of disappeared for large chunks of the match.

Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen

Feeling out process to start with Deppen trying to go to the mat to little success. Back up and Busick goes to the armbar, which has Deppen bailing to the ropes. Busick chops the heck out of Deppen, whose chops back have no effect. They head outside with Busick uppercutting away but a chop only hits the post. With Busick trying to shake it off, Deppen hits a flip dive off the apron and they head back inside.

Busick is fine enough to knee him down and the figure four necklock sends Deppen to the ropes again. Back up and Busick gets a little more violent by holding Deppen in place for some slaps to the face. Deppen is smart enough to go after Busick’s bad hand but Busick hits a running uppercut to take him down again.

Busick misses a charge though and Deppen hits a suicide flip dive for two back inside. Back up and the slugout goes to Busick until Deppen goes for the hand and grabs a Kimura of all things. With that broken up, Busick wins another strike off but Deppen avoids a charge in the corner. A running knee finishes Busick at 11:40.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two people to hit each other really hard and you got at least half of that here with Busick’s beating. Busick might not be a star in the making, but he’s an established hard hitter in the middle of the card and that should be enough to get him quite a few jobs. At the same time, you have Deppen as one of the better heels I’ve seen in a bit, as he is just straight up unlikable. Keep going with that and he’ll be fine.

Post match Deppen thanks Busick for the match but tells anyone who doesn’t believe in him what they can kiss.

Mike Bailey vs. Jordan Oliver

Bailey does his bow and they shake hands to start. Oliver does his pose so Bailey kicks him in the face and strikes away but Oliver is back up with chops of his own. Bailey’s leapfrog is countered into a faceplant and Oliver sends him outside for a big dive. Some kicks send Oliver through some chairs though and Bailey knees him in the chest.

Back in and Bailey kicks him in the chest for two, followed by the YES Kicks to make it worse. Bailey hits a running kick to the face in the corner and they strike it out again. Oliver snaps off a release German suplex and a sitout powerbomb for two but Bailey sends him outside. There’s the springboard moonsault to the floor and they strike it out on the apron.

Bailey gets the better of things and hits the moonsault knees, setting up the bouncing kicks back inside. The big kick to the head looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Oliver counters it with a cutter. A handspring cutter gets two so Oliver goes up, only to get pulled down with something like a One Winged Angel for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. As is usually the case with Bailey, the action was good but he continues to have such a punchable face that it is hard to get into his matches. The good thing here was he didn’t have the stupid no selling that drags down every good thing he does, making this slightly easier to watch than most of his matches. Oliver has come a long way but still has a good bit to go before he moves up to the next level.

Effy says he shouldn’t be here but tonight he’ll beat Minoru Suzuki, have his own show tomorrow, and then maybe he’ll come for some gold.

Effy vs. Minoru Suzuki

Allie Katch is here with Effy. They both stick their jaws out with offers of a free shot but Effy’s attempt at a kiss gets him slapped. Suzuki slaps him down and then a kick to the face puts Effy on the floor. They head outside with Effy telling him to chop as hard as he can. That’s fine with Suzuki, who mocks Effy’s return chops.

A big boot sends Effy through the chairs and Suzuki cranks on the arm back inside. Effy tries some forearms but gets dropped with a single one from Suzuki. Then Effy bites Suzuki’s nipple and northern lights suplexes him for two. The big kiss staggers Suzuki but it’s a slap to the face and the Gotch style piledriver to give Suzuki the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Effy’s stuff may or may not be your cup of tea but Suzuki more or less squashed him here in a match with little to no doubt about the outcome. Effy was doing little more than comedy here so it isn’t like there was much to get annoyed about. They were going for the “wouldn’t it be funny if these two wrestled” idea here and I’ve seen worse versions.

Greatest Clusterf***

So this is basically a Royal Rumble, but only in the very loosest of terms. There are no set time intervals and I don’t believe there is a set number of entrants. I’m not going to be able to keep track of all of the eliminations, as I’ve never seen a version of this where they are all announced. This is going to be about total chaos and some surprise entrants and nothing more. You can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, over the top, leaving the building and…death?

Joey Janela is in at #1 and Buff Bagwell is in at #2 for your first surprise. Granted Buff is on a crutch but he has the American Males theme so this could be a lot worse. Janela wants to strut with him but it’s a superkick to get rid of Buff very quickly. George Gatton, with an unidentified title, is in at #3 and it’s a superkick into a piledriver to get rid of him too. Judas Judd Cassidy (I think?) is in at #4 and gets thrown over the top just as fast.

Yoya is in at #5 and suplexes Janela but gets caught in a heck of a package piledriver for the pin. Billie Starkz is in at #6 and a Gory Bomb takes Janela down but he raises knees to block her Swanton. That’s it for Starkz and it’s Juicy Finau (a big guy) in at #7. Janela can’t suplex him so Finau does it to Janela instead and it’s the even larger Sam Stackhouse, in Bam Bam Bigelow inspired gear, in at #8.

That leaves Janela to get crushed in the corner by back to back splashes but Stackhouse misses an ugly moonsault. Janela tosses both of them and it’s Rhett Titus in at #9 as Janela keeps up his Brock Lesnar-esque run. Titus wrestles him down and hits the running boot in the corner until it’s the Invisible Man in at #10.

So we have the Invisible Man, Janela and Titus with Titus and the Man slugging it out. The Man gets the better of both of them but an elbow to the face lets Janela and Titus beat him down. A double suplex lets the two of them pose but Man is back with a double low blow. The Man throws out Titus but gets stomped down until Dante Leon is in at #11. They waste no time in the next entrant with Ninja Mack in at #12.

Leon and Mack are long time rivals so they pose at each other before superkicking Janela down. A shooting star piledriver drops Mack and it’s a sick looking Jimmy Lloyd in at #13. Janela and Lloyd put on masks and they rehash their Social Distancing match, meaning they punch from a safe distance. Mack isn’t having that and kicks Lloyd down, setting up the running flip dive to drop Janela on the floor. Back in and Lloyd runs Mack over for the pin and Early Morning Guy Steele is in at #14.

Steele doesn’t seem to know what he is doing and falls off the top as Janela and Lloyd watch from the middle of the ring. Then Steele gives them a running double Blockbuster and a Canadian Destroyer each. Then he goes up top for a 450 to Lloyd, only to get rolled up for the pin from Janela. That was a weird one and it’s Blake Christian in at #15. House is cleaned but the Invisible Man hits Christian low. That earns him a dropkick and it’s Kevin Blackwood in at #16.

Blackwood’s suplex gets two on Leon and stomps on Janela in the corner until Hoodfoot is in at #17. Hoodfoot and Blackwood slug it out until Slade is in at #18. Young Dumb And Broke (Charlie Tiger and Ellis Taylor) are in at #19 and #20, giving us Janela, Invisible Man, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Hoodfoot, Slade, Tiger and Taylor as this is far more organized than I was expecting. Everyone hits everyone until Deranged is in at #21 to clean house. With that going nowhere, Grim Reefer is in at #22 and has a smoke.

We now pause for everyone to partake, including Janela, who says he isn’t with AEW anymore and can do what he wants. Janela runs to the back (I don’t think he’s been eliminated but who can tell around here?) and Sandra Moone is in at #23. Reefer clotheslines her down and it’s Parrow in at #24. House is cleaned with Deranged and Reefer being eliminated almost immediately.

Big F’N Vin is in at #25 as Janela is having some Cheetos. Vin kicks Parrow out without much trouble as Janela wants to know his next spot. Nate Webb is in at #26 and comes through the crowd, who sings his theme music. Lloyd gets dropped by the Invisible Man, who hammers on Webb in the corner. Janela superkicks the Invisible Man though and tosses him out, much to the fans’ annoyance. Webb misses a charge and gets low bridged to the floor and Hoodfoot is tossed as well.

Shazza McKenzie is in at #27 and goes after Janela to start the beating. Janela gets in a shot to the face though and grabs a door, only to have McKenzie spear him through it. Janai Kai is in at #28 and Jazzy Yang (Jimmy Wang’s daughter) follows her at #29. The four women in the match stare each other down and it’s Edith Surreal in at #30. That gives us Janela, Leon, Lloyd, Christian, Blackwood, Tiger, Ellis, Moone, Vin, McKenzie, Kai, Yang and Surreal, assuming I didn’t miss any random eliminations.

Dark Sheik, another woman, is in at #31 and we have a six woman showdown. Uh make that seven as LuFisto is in at #32. Some of the guys come in to go after the women, with Leon and Taylor being tossed out. The women all beat up Tiger and toss him out with Vin joining him. Then the women get into it, with Kai kicking out LuFisto. Moone is out as well and McKenzie hits a Stunner on Kai for the elimination. Janela comes back in to superkick McKenzie for the pin and it’s Maven of all people in at #33.

Everyone stops to look at him so Maven hits a bunch of dropkicks….and then walks out for an elimination. Fans: “THANK YOU MAVEN!” With everyone else pairing off, Sean Ross Sapp, yes the dirt sheet writer, is in at #34, drawing a WE WANT MELTZER chant. Sapp gets a mic and begs people to subscribe to Fightful Select so they can read about GCW wrestlers getting fired by AEW. Josh Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is in at #35 but fellow writer Denise Salcedo (not in the match) comes in to low blow Sapp and toss him out.

Nasty Leroy is in at #36 and Barnett blasts him with a clothesline as Jimmy Wang Yang is in at #37. Yang manages to take him down (not the prettiest but it worked) so Jazzy (remember, Yang’s daughter) comes in to grab the leg, which apparently counts as a submission to get rid of Barnett. Jazzy rolls up Lloyd for an elimination and it’s Alec Price in at #38. Price tosses Yang and dances a bit before getting kicked in the face by Jazzy. That’s enough for Price to toss her as well and it’s Cole Radrick in at #39.

Radrick and Price wind up on the apron and it’s a double elimination. Brandon Kirk is in at #40, giving us Janela, Christian, Blackwood, Slade, Surreal, Sheik, Leroy and Kirk (I think at least). Sheik hits Kirk low as we’re told Slade has left the building. Janela runs the ropes a lot until Lord Adrean (a Wal-Mart Guy) is in at #41. Adrean cleans house and Tombstones Kirk for the elimination, only to get Death Valley Drivered by Janela for another elimination. Kevin Matthews (you might remember him as KM in Impact) is in at #42 and stares it down with Leroy.

A not great looking Rock Bottom plants Matthews and a worse Rock Bottom sets up a leglock for the tap as Janela busts a gut laughing. Then Janela hits Leroy low and pins him and it’s Nick Wayne in at #43 for a brawl on the apron with Janela. Wayne superkicks Janela out for one heck of a pop and here is B-Boy to introduce Team LA Fights, which are six unnamed people. The team (Jai Vidal and Jack Cartwheel are two of them) clean house and something like a Styles Clash into a sitout powerbomb gets rid of Blackwood.

With those six in at #44-49, the Second City Crew (AJ Gray/Mance Warner/Matthew Justice/1 Called Manders and Levi Everett) are in #50-#54. The Crew cleans house with Matt Vandagriff (of LA Fights) being tossed. Damian Drake and Ju Dizz (I think) are both out with Hunter Freeman joining them. Cartwheel gets knocked out but walks on his hands until Manders chairs him down for the elimination. Vidal is tossed out and the Crew is left alone until the others still in the match come in.

Christian and Wayne get together to toss Everett and Manders. Somehow Christian and Wayne are the last two with Christian hitting a quick Downward Spiral for the pin…and never mind as yeah there are some people still left. Sheik comes in off the top with a spinwheel kick and the rest of the Crew pile onto her for the pin. Christian goes after the Crew but gets taken down and superplexed into a top rope legdrop for the pin….and that’s it at 1:23:57 (I guess Surreal was tossed somewhere in there).

Rating: C+. To be clear, this match is not about something coherent or anything more than having one name after another. That being said, this was WAY more coherent than the previous edition and that helped a lot. This felt more like a very indy Royal Rumble and, save for Surreal, no one was getting lost in the whole thing. I had a good time with this and it did fly by with some fun moments. It’s the kind of match that I was expecting from a Spring Break and it went well, especially with all of the insanity that came with it.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like the Spring Breaks of the past and it worked out pretty well all things considered. It was a collection of some fun matches before we got to the big main event and that wound up working well. Good stuff here and it didn’t feel like a regular GCW show. While those can be fun, it’s not what I came into this wanting. The main event is all that mattered here and the other four matches were a nice bonus so we’ll call this a success.

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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Supercard Of Honor XV
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

Now this is a big one as we have the first new Ring of Honor show in about three and a half months. The catch this time though is that the company has been purchased by AEW President Tony Khan, which means there is likely to be a bigger AEW presence on this show. Most of the card hasn’t been announced, but we are getting the Briscoes vs. FTR, which should be pretty good. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about what it means to be a champion and looks at Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham. That’s the most important (singles) match on the card.

Commentary runs down the card.

Zero Hour: Colt Cabana vs. Blake Christian

The bigger Cabana backs him into the corner to start and counts his own four count to save the referee some work. They trade some wristlocks before Cabana cranks on both arms at the same time. Christian takes him down and gets two off a standing splash. Cabana sends him outside and blocks a wristdrag off the apron, sending Christian crashing down onto the floor.

Back in and Cabana listens to the crowd a bit too much, allowing Christian to send him into the corner. Cabana is fine enough to send him face first into the buckle, only to get caught with a handspring enziguri. Another enziguri sends Cabana outside, followed by a 450 for two back inside. Christian tries to take it up top but gets caught in the Chicago Skyline of all things for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: C. Cabana is a great choice for a spot like this as he isn’t going to do anything too ridiculous and is mainly there as a way to warm up the fans. He has been around Ring of Honor for so long that he is almost an institution in the place and the fans are going to react to him no matter what he does. Nice, safe match here and that’s all it needed to be.

Respect is shown after the match.

Zero Hour: AQA vs. Miranda Alize

AQA works on the arm to start and grabs a headlock takeover. La majistral gives AQA two and the armbar goes on. Alize finally fights up with some running knees in the corner, setting up a butterfly suplex for two. They fight over a suplex until a DDT gets two on Alize, leaving them both down.

Back up and a running dropkick into an ax handle drop Alize, setting up a Sling Blade for two. Alize pulls her off the top though and a ripcord cutter gets two, setting up a quickly broken Crossface. Some kicks to the head rock Alize though and a shooting star press gives AQA the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C-. The women’s division hasn’t exactly improved that much and this was another pretty weak example. No matter how you look at it, Ring of Honor’s women’s division has often been a problem and running two women out there in a cold match, when Alize was never a big star in the first place, isn’t going to help things. There is a way to make the division work, but they need something other than “I want the title” over and over.

Zero Hour: Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Gates of Agony

It’s Eli Isom/Cheeseburger (no longer The World Famous CB) for the Squad here. The Gates are Jasper Kaun/Toa Liona, as introduced by Tully Blanchard as his new clients. Isom gets planted by Liona to start but Cheeseburger gets in a superkick. Everything breaks down and the Gates clean house, setting up a fireman’s carry gutbuster to Isom. Kaun throws in an elevated Samoan Spike for the pin at 2:27. Almost total dominance.

Post match, Blanchard promises to introduce his new singles star tonight.

Zero Hour: Joe Hendry vs. Dalton Castle

Hendry continues to look great and Castle still has the Baby Chicks. The fans are happy to have Castle back, as they should be. They fight over some grappling to start until Hendry snaps off a headlock takeover. Back up and Hendry runs him over with a shoulder, sending Castle outside for some fanning from the Chicks. A lap around the ring lets Castle sneak back in to single leg Hendry, setting up a DDT. Hendry isn’t having that and powers Castle over the top for a crash/breather.

Back in and Hendry hits a hard clothesline for two but Castle catches him with a running boot to the face. Hendry cuts off a charge with a tilt-a-whirl slam and the cobra clutch goes on. Castle gets sent outside but he manages a hurricanrana on the floor to take over. Back in and a suplex drops Hendry for two but he’s back with a spinebuster for the same. Hendry hits a fireman’s carry drop, only to get punched in the face, setting up the Bang A Rang to give Castle the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. Castle is one of the most charismatic wrestlers around today and it is nice to see him back in the ring anywhere. He can mix up the weird nature with the amateur skills and it works out well most of the time. On the other hand, Hendry has transformed himself from a goof to a guy who looks great and can do some good things in the ring. I liked this one and it would be nice to see both of them getting back in the ring sooner rather than later.

No opening video for the proper show.

Swerve Strickland vs. Alex Zayne

They start fast with neither being able to get very far until Zayne hits a running headscissors to send Swerve into the ropes. That doesn’t matter as Swerve lands on his feet anyway so Zayne takes him down and hits a quick backsplash for two. Back up and Zayne sits him on the top to try a running hurricanrana, only to get caught in a swinging cutter onto the top rope.

A middle rope elbow to the back gives Swerve two and we hit the chinlock. Zayne fights up and hammers away before blocking the rolling Flatliner. Swerve can’t hit the JML Driver but can grab a half crab to crank on the leg. The rope is grabbed so they wind up on the apron, where Zayne snaps off a poisonrana to the floor in a huge crash. Back in and Zayne hits some shooting star knees to the back for two but Strickland grabs a German suplex. The rolling Flatliner connects and the Swerve Stomp gets…two, in a nice false finish. With nothing else working, Swerve kicks him in the leg and hits the JML Driver for the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Having Strickland on any given show is a good thing and that was the case here. He is going to get a reaction no matter what he does and the fact that he was in there against someone who can do the flips and the dives like Zayne made it better. This was a good choice for the opener proper and Strickland looked like a star (shocking I know).

We run down the card.

Ninja Mack vs. ???

Mack is a rather short masked man who can do a lot of flips. The mystery opponent is Tully Blanchard’s newest signing and that would be….Brian Cage. Mack flips at Cage to start but gets caught in the air and dropped onto the apron. The Drill Claw doesn’t work so Cage fires off the corner clotheslines instead. Mack manages a kick to the head but gets LAUNCHED with a release German suplex. Some kicks to the head stagger Cage but he’s back with the swinging release Rock Bottom. The Drill Claw finishes for Cage at 2:48. Mostly a squash, as it should be.

We recap Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty. Lethal likes what Moriarty can do but asks if Moriarty is ready for this kind of competition.

Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty

Matt Sydal, on crutches, is here with Moriarty. Feeling out process to start with Lethal getting the better of a battle of wristlocks. Back up and Moriarty grabs a rollup, sending a frustrated Lethal into the corner. The Lethal Injection is countered into another rollup and Lethal doesn’t like this.

Moriarty gets the better of an exchange of forearms so Lethal armdrags him into the basement dropkick for two of his own. The fans aren’t sure who they prefer as Moriarty shrugs off some forearms and springboard armdrags Lethal down. That’s too much for Lethal, who grabs a shinbreaker into a dragon screw legwhip to start in on the knee. Lethal sends him outside for a pair of suicide dives but Moriarty switches places before the third.

Moriarty’s dive is slowed by the knee though and Lethal is back in for some kicks to the leg. A superplex attempt is broken up as Moriarty goes for the wrist. Moriarty’s dive off the top misses though and the Lethal Combination gets two. Lethal hits the superkick into a cutter but Hail To The King is countered into la majistral for two more. More rollups get two each before Moriarty has to go to the ropes to avoid the Figure Four. The referee has to fix the ring skirt so Lethal hits him low and grabs the Lethal Injection for the pin at 14:52.

Rating: B. This was a rather good technical off until the end when they went with the storyline for Lethal instead. You can tell that they’re going with the AEW stuff here as this tied into everything that they have been doing on Dynamite and Rampage in recent weeks. Moriarty isn’t ready to beat Lethal in AEW or Ring of Honor, but they let him have time here and frustrate the star, which is a great sign for his future.

Lethal doesn’t look happy with himself but then goes full heel by attacking the injured Sydal. Sonjay Dutt comes out of wherever he has been to talk Lethal, his best friend, to the back.

Mercedes Martinez and Willow Nightingale are ready to fight for the Interim Women’s World Title, because just stripping Deonna Purrazzo of the title apparently wasn’t an option.

Interim Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez

For the vacant title. Willow tries to go technical to start but gets hit in the face for her efforts. A rollup gives Martinez two but Willow blocks the third rolling butterfly suplex. Willow’s grappling still doesn’t work so Martinez grabs a double arm dragon sleeper (that’s a new one), followed by a big boot for two more.

Martinez’s fisherman’s buster is blocked and it’s time to kick each other from the mat. Back up and a running clothesline drops Martinez to give Willow a needed breather but Martinez grabs the Air Raid Crash…for two. That’s a bit of a surprise. An Angle Slam gives Willow two of her own and the Pounce rocks Martinez again. Willow takes the straps down and hits the Cannonball for another near fall.

The Vader bomb is loaded up but Martinez reverses into a Razor’s Edge Dominator for the next two. Martinez tries a belly to back but gets knocked into the Tree Of Woe, with Willow forearming away. Willow’s moonsault connects (with a weird looking landing) for two but Martinez pulls her into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper (geez) for the tap and the title at 12:34.

Rating: C-. This felt like a styles clash as Martinez is the old classic power brawler while Nightingale is much more about the modern style and being the bigger woman who can move. They traded some good looking stuff here and Nightingale still feels like a prospect, but this didn’t exactly click.

We recap FTR vs. the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. FTR talks about how this is the match that people have been talking about, because we get to see two of the best teams of all time facing off. The feud started when FTR showed up at Final Battle back in December after the Briscoes won the titles but they haven’t had an actual match yet.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending (and FTR’s AAA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line) and the HOLY S*** chants are on before they even shake hands…which doesn’t happen. Well now it’s serious. Cash Wheeler and Mark start things off and the staredown is on as the fans are split (you can feel it with this one). Even the lockup gets a big pop and the fans think Mark’s headlock to the mat is awesome.

A fireman’s carry into an armbar puts Mark in a bit of trouble but he reverses into a front facelock as the technical off ensues (fans: “TAG TEAM WRESTLING!”). Dax Harwood and Jay come in and immediately go nose to nose, setting up the aggressive lockup. Harwood takes him down with a headlock but gets reversed into a headscissors without much effort. That’s escaped as well and Harwood spits in Jay’s face to make this a lot more serious.

A running hurricanrana and a kick to the head rock Harwood and a clothesline puts him on the floor. Harwood tries to throw in a chair but Jay catches it to show off. Wheeler comes back in and gets elbowed in the face, allowing Mark to come in for some shots in the corner. An uppercut drops Mark though and it’s back to Harwood for some clubberin (well you knew that was coming). The chop off goes to Mark, with Harwood realizing that he is in over his head and punching Mark in the face.

It’s back to Jay to take Wheeler into the corner though and the Briscoes clear the ring. That sets up Jey’s big flip dive and Mark adds the Bang Bang Elbow. The brawl is on outside, with FTR getting creative and catapulting Jay face first into the bottom of a table. Back in and Harwood pounds on Jay’s bloody head so hard that he hurts his own hand. The chinlock goes on (I think they’ve earned it) for a bit before Harwood hits the top rope superplex for a big bounce.

The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here but seem pleased as Jay rolls under a right hand and brings Mark back in. House is cleaned and an Iconoclasm gets two on Harwood. Redneck Boogie gets the same on Wheeler as the fans are somehow getting more into this. Harwood catches Jay in a slingshot powerbomb so Wheeler can add a top rope splash for two. Mark is back in to break up the Big Rig and the Briscoes hit one of their own for two on Harwood.

Jay hits Wheeler with a Death Valley Driver on the floor before suplexing Harwood over the top and out to the floor in a BIG crash. The medics come out to check on Harwood but everyone gets back inside (fans: “FIGHT FOREVER!”). We get the big forearm off in the middle until Wheeler is sent outside.

Mark goes up for a huge corkscrew dive to take him out again, leaving Harwood to slug it out with Jay. The hangman neckbreaker sets up the Froggy Bow for two and everyone is spent. The Doomsday Device is loaded up but Wheeler makes the save and sends Jay outside, leaving Mark to walk into the Big Rig for the pin and the titles at 27:24.

Rating: A+. If that isn’t the match of the year, I’m not sure what has beaten it to date. This had the atmosphere coming in and the fans were ready for it from before the bell. Then the match actually got started and things actually got even better. It was an instant classic with both teams blowing the doors off and leaving it all in the ring until one of them won clean.

Just seeing a match like this end without some kind of shenanigans is worth a boost and that was the case here. You’ve heard all of the accolades already and this was worth every one of them. It takes something special to have all the hype in the world and then completely exceed it but they managed to make it happen here. Check this out, as the Briscoes are great but FTR can do no wrong right now.

FTR looks spent after the match but get up to accept the titles. There is no handshake, because teams hug after something like that. The fans chant for the Briscoes as FTR leaves but here are the Young Bucks to superkick the Briscoes. FTR runs back in for the save and want the Bucks now, but they’ll have to wait until Dynamite.

TV Title: Rhett Titus vs. Minoru Suzuki

Suzuki is challenging and is in search of his first American title. Titus gets knocked down almost at the bell but manages a single leg takedown. An armbar into a half crab sends Suzuki over to the ropes, where Suzuki ties the arm over said rope. A trip to the floor goes badly for Titus, as Suzuki brings him back inside for a Fujiwara armbar.

Make that a chinlock, as Titus is getting overwhelmed here. Titus fights up and manages some running boots to the face, setting up a Saito suplex for two. The big dropkick connects for another near fall and Suzuki is mad. He knocks Titus down without much trouble and the Gotch style piledriver makes Suzuki champion at 5:52.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a squash win for Suzuki as he shrugged off everything Titus threw at him and took the title in short order. Odds are this was out there for the sake of giving the fans something shorter and easier to digest than the previous war. Suzuki is going to be over by definition so putting him in this spot was going to work no matter what, even if the match wasn’t that great.

We recap Wheeler Yuta challenging Josh Woods for the Pure Wrestling Title. Woods won the title at Final Battle and has defended it since, while Yuta is looking to prove himself for the first time.

Pure Wrestling Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Josh Woods

Woods is defending under Pure Rules. Yuta grabs a very fast rollup for two and they trade armdrags for a standoff. An armbar sends Yuta straight to the ropes for his first (of three) breaks but he slips out of an abdominal stretch attempt on his own. Yuta wins a grapple off on the mat and grabs a headlock before switching to a headscissors. That’s broken up and Woods starts stretching Yuta’s legs before a wristlock sends Yuta over for his second break.

Back up and Yuta hits a dropkick before tying up Woods’ legs for a change. A bridge into an Indian Deathlock sends Woods to the ropes for a change. Now it’s Woods going after Yuta’s arm and bending it back, complete with some finger cranking. They lock hands and forearm it out with Woods getting the better of things for a near fall. Yuta grabs a DDT but can’t cover, meaning it’s time for the forearm exchange.

This time it’s Yuta getting the better of things and hitting a top rope forearm to send Woods outside. A big dive takes him out on the floor as well but it’s Woods back in with a running knee. The TKO is blocked so Woods settles for a swinging suplex into the corner. That’s good for a near fall, with Yuta using his final rope break. Yuta reverses a Tombstone attempt and ties Woods’ legs up for a cradle and the title at 12:43.

Rating: B-. The Pure Wrestling division was one of the best things about the final days of Ring of Honor and it was still working here. Sometimes you need something rules based just to reset things a bit and it was nice to see again. That being said, you can absolutely see the new guard coming in to become the new Ring of Honor roster. I get why that is a sad thing for Ring of Honor, but it’s not like the company has anything else going on at the moment (literally in this case).

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite, which is bizarre to see here.

We recap Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham for the undisputed Ring of Honor World Title. Bandido was the champion but couldn’t be at Final Battle, leaving Gresham to beat Jay Lethal for the Classic Title. Since Bandido is still champion, it’s time for the big unification match. That’s how the card should go, but they have their work cut out for them after that Tag Team Title match.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham

Both are champions coming in, but Bandido being dressed as Zorro makes him cooler. Granted having Chavo Guerrero in his corner might even that out but dang I love myself some Zorro. This actually doesn’t get any Big Match Intros, but it does get a handshake. They stare at each other to start before we get the big lockup. The fans chant for EDDIE, which isn’t even a surprise at this point.

Neither gets anywhere so they go with a test of strength, with neither getting very far. Bandido takes him down but can’t send Gresham into the corner. Instead Gresham pops up and hits an armdrag out of an electric chair, giving us another staredown. Bandido gets a bit more intense with a knee into a dropkick and the posing is on. Gresham is fine enough to send Bandido to the apron for a dropkick to the back and it’s time for a breather on the floor.

Back in and Gresham works on an armbar before a crossface sends Bandido to the ropes. Bandido is right back with the surfboard but Gresham slips out and grabs the crossface again. With Bandido getting too close to the ropes, Gresham switches to an ankle lock to change things up a bit. Make that the Octopus but Bandido makes the rope again.

A corkscrew high crossbody drops Gresham again, so Bandido picks him up for a vertical suplex….for a completely ridiculous SIXTY THREE SECONDS. That’s one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a long time but it’s only good for (a delayed, as Bandido was spent) two. Gresham is back up with a running clothesline into a bridging German suplex for two more. A straitjacket German suplex gets two more and it’s time for some hammer fists.

The crossface goes on for the third time before Gresham switches to the second Octopus. That’s broken up as well so Bandido is sent outside, with Gresham loading up a dive. Chavo breaks that up with a shove to Bandido and the crash leaves Gresham laying. Back in and Bandido grabs a suplex for two, followed by a Shining Wizard for the same. Some more rollups give Gresham some near falls of his own and they’re both down for a bit.

They slowly forearm it out until the referee gets knocked down (good grief I’m getting tired of this), allowing Chavo to get in a belt shot….but Bandido doesn’t want it that way and tells the referee to eject Chavo. Ok that’s a cool one. Chavo yells a lot as he leaves, with Gresham grabbing la majistral for two. Bandido snaps off the pop up cutter for two of his own so it’s time for the 21 Plex.

That’s reversed into la majistral into a bridging cover for a VERY near fall so Bandido sends him outside. The big running flip dive sets up the X Knee and the 21 Plex gets a VERY close two. Gresham shrugs off a superkick and hits a springboard moonsault to send Bandido outside, followed by an immediate suicide dive. Back in and Gresham slingshots into a rollup, spun around into an armtrap bridge for the pin and the titles at 24:46.

Rating: A-. The Tag Team Title match is going to get all of the attention but this was a heck of a match too as it started slowly but then built into a classic by the end. These guys were hitting a very high level on the near falls and Gresham finally took the belts in the end with a wrestling move. Bandido is going to be a star when he gets to AEW (you know it’s coming one day) and Gresham won’t be far behind. Great main event here as they meshed very well together.

Post match Gresham says his mission was to make Ring of Honor pure and he has accomplished his goals. Hold on though as here is Jay Lethal to interrupt (Coleman: “Is this Kanye West or something?”) and challenge Gresham for the titles. Gresham says Lethal’s current actions have shown that he has changed, but Lethal says no one would know who Gresham was without him.

Sonjay Dutt comes in to cool things off but quickly turns on Gresham for the double teaming. Lee Moriarty comes in for the failed save attempt…and that means nothing because it’s SAMOA JOE making his big return to chase off the villains. Joe poses with Moriarty and Gresham as we are told that Joe will be on Dynamite to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Any show like this is going to be an instant classic with three awesome matches like Lethal vs. Moriarty and the two big title matches and that’s really all you need here. There was some other good stuff on here (and some not so great stuff) but the one two punch carried this one all the way and it’s absolutely worth going out of your way to see.

Now at the same time, this isn’t going to be a show that a lot of old school Ring of Honor fans like. You could see the BIG shift over to the AEW developmental setup here with very few wrestlers from Ring of Honor of old moving looking great here. It shows the new direction of the company and while it might not be the best for the old school Ring of Honor people, this is certainly better than having no Ring of Honor at all. It’s a very good show here and worth seeing, though this is the first step into a brand new world for the promotion.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 26, 2022

We took a little detour last week into the history of the women’s division but this time around we should be back to normal. Well, at least as normal as you can get while the company is on hiatus and we’re looking at the Best Of Ring of Honor. That could mean a few things, but odds are we’ll be seeing more of the recent stuff. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Narrator Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show, where we will be going back to Final Battle in December 2021.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Rhett Titus vs. Joe Hendry vs. Silas Young

Castle is defending and it’s one fall to a finish, with Castle bailing to the floor to walk into the crowd. Hendry (who is looking jacked compared to his old days) gets taken outside so Young can send him into the barricade. Back in and Castle t-bone suplexes Young, meaning it’s time for a lap around the ring. Titus comes in for a quick rollup but gets sent outside for an apron flip dive from Young.

Hendry blasts Titus with a clothesline but gets belly to belly suplexed into the corner. Castle is back in with the Bang A Rang to Titus, who reverses into a cradle for two. Titus sends Young outside but Hendry pulls Titus’ high crossbody out of the air, because he’s strong enough to do that.

A double fall away slam sends Young and Titus flying so it’s Castle coming back in with a big smile on his face. It’s Titus coming back in and getting planted by a heck of a Hendry powerbomb. There’s the Bang A Rang to plant Titus but Hendry belts Castle in the face. Cue Castle’s friend Dak Draper to take Hendry down though, leaving Titus to avoid Young’s moonsault. The dropkick gives Titus the pin and the title at 8:51.

Rating: C. They kept this fast and that’s probably the better idea. It was another one of those wild matches that was only there to be as exciting as possible and that is often better than letting things go long. Titus winning the title after trying for so long is a feel good moment and I liked what we got here. Granted that might have been Castle and his Dancing Chickens.

Jimmy Jacobs loved his time in Ring of Honor. He certainly is a legend around here.

Christopher Daniels talks about his time in Ring of Honor and what it meant to his career.

Mike Bennett talks about how this is the big finale and he wants to remember it.

The Briscoes can’t sleep without having the Tag Team Titles. Over the years, the only team to get the better of them was OGK, so they’re coming for revenge and the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. OGK

OGK, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett, is defending. Mark powers Taven into the corner to start so Bennett comes in for the slugout. Taven is back in with a middle rope dropkick to put Mark down and the champs clear the ring in a hurry. Taven’s Flight of the Conqueror only hits Bennett though, allowing Mark to grab a chair. That means a big dive to take out both champs and it’s Taven in trouble back inside.

Bennett makes the save with an elbow to Jay for two as commentary even thanks Jim Cornette for his time around here. The tag brings Mark back in for Redneck Kung Fu, plus Redneck Boogie for two. Jay (already bleeding) can’t hit the Jay Driller as Bennett saves Taven and chops away. Bennett hangs Jay over the apron so Taven can hit a heck of a top rope splash for two back inside.

Taven Climaxes Mark but can’t cover, sending Maria into a half lap around the ring. The Briscoes send them outside for the big dives, setting up the Blockbuster off the apron to drop Bennett again. Back in and the Froggy Bow gets two on Taven, with Maria pulling the referee out. Maria gets dropped but it’s a Flight of the Conqueror Doomsday Device (dang) to drop Mark on the floor, setting up another near fall.

Hail Mary gets the same with Jay having to make the save. A quick Jay Driller sends Bennett rolling back to the floor but Taven hits Just The Tip on Jay. The top rope splash hits knees though and the Jay Driller gets two. The Doomsday Device gets the same as commentary is SCREAMING at these near falls. Another Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow gives the Briscoes the titles back at 15:36.

Rating: B. I know it’s a bit overdone but there is absolutely no one who should be the final ROH Tag Team Champions. The Briscoes are so far and away the greatest team in the company’s history that you could probably cut their careers in half and still have them at the top of the list. Heck of a match too, and that’s what you would have expected from these teams.

Post match respect is shown, with Jay thanking all of the fans.

CM Punk talks about his time in Ring of Honor and how special it was. It was a spirit that he loved and he will continue to foster it in AEW.

Overall Rating: B-. This is the kind of show that is going to each up the next few weeks and that is not a bad idea. Ring of Honor has about ten weeks left before they get some fresh content and airing stuff like Final Battle for a long stretch of that makes sense. Do the same with Death Before Dishonor and maybe the Anniversary Show and you have most of the time covered. Throw in a Best Of Jonathan Gresham and maybe the Briscoes and they should be all the way up to April.

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 29, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have finally arrived at what seems to be the last original content episode of the show. That causes some mixed feelings, as it is sad to see the show go but it also finally puts it out of its misery. That should not be the case with any wrestling show, but it has been around here for a long time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle promises a Christmas surprise.

Quinn McKay gives us the opening welcome and rundown.

Josh Woods gets to draw his names for the Christmas Surprise twelve man tag team main event and seems rather pleased.

Brian Johnson draws his names and is less impressed, as is his custom.

Women’s Title: Holidead vs.Rok-C

Holidead is challenging and says it is time for the dark reign to begin. Rok-C is ready for whatever Holidead brings at her because Holidead doesn’t have heart or the title. She still isn’t great at this talking thing. Rok-C rolls away from her to start before grabbing a headlock. Holidead is back with a headlock takeover of her own, which is reversed in a hurry as well.

Rok-C’s headlock takeover puts Holidead down for a change before Rok-C starts striking away to send Holidead outside. The suicide dive is pulled out of the air though and Holidead posts her to send us to a break. Back with Holidead putting her in a fireman’s carry for some head first rams into the buckles.

Rok-C comes back with a Thesz press and right hands, followed by the Rok Knees for two. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Holidead the same but Rok-C is back with a Backstabber. The running knee to the face gets two on Holidead, who cuts her off with a spinebuster for a near fall of her own. Back up and Rok-C grabs a quick Code Rok to retain at 13:30.

Rating: C. Assuming this is the last time we see a match like this on Ring of Honor TV, it’s a perfectly fine way to wrap up the women’s division: a technically sound yet lifeless match as two women did moves to each other until one of them won. The women’s division never caught on and always felt like the most serious part of the show. It wasn’t awful, but it also wasn’t interesting and that made it a chore to watch at times.

Dalton Castle still has a surprise for us.

Post break, Castle seems to start a song and dance number with the Baby Chickens but one of them breaks something, sending Dak Draper into a rage.

Team Johnson vs. Team Woods

Brian Johnson, Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Rey Horus, Homicide, Flip Gordon
Josh Woods, Silas Young, Matt Taven, Bandido, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe

Everyone gets their own entrance, complete with rather personalized Christmas wish lists for their graphics, such as:

Never to see Danhausen again – Johnson
Shane Taylor’s head on a platter – King
Timbaland Boots so I could kick my opponents’ heads off – Homicide
Get my memory back – Gordon
The internet to like me – Taven
Jet pack – Mark Briscoe
Lug wrench – Jay Briscoe

Johnson gets his big BAH HUMBUG entrance because he can’t stand any of his partners. Homicide drives Jay into the corner to start as we get some Ring of Honor history lessons from commentary. The lockup takes them over to the ropes so Woods can tag himself in. The rear naked choke has Homicide in trouble so he bites his way to freedom. They slug it out until Homicide yells at him and bails into the corner. Titus comes in and takes it to the mat with Woods, which doesn’t seem to be the best move. Woods counters a short armscissors in a hurry and we take a break.

Back with Taven dropkicking Gordon but getting taken down by a headscissors. Bandido comes in to face Gordon, with the latter walking on his hands. That’s fine with Bandido, who has an open shot for a superkick. Horus comes in and everyone drops off the apron because they know this is going to be good. They run the ropes but neither can go anywhere, with guest commentator Quinn McKay complimenting their hair. King and Mark come in with the latter taking him down by the leg.

Back up and some Red Neck Kung Fu staggers King, who hands it off to Titus instead. We get a Briscoes vs. King/Titus (the former All Night Express) showdown for another old times sake faceoff as everything breaks down. We take another break and come back with Horus forearming Castle and avoiding a charge into the corner. Horus hits a big dive onto Young as Gordon is watching from the commentary desk. Thankfully he comes back to his senses and dives onto a bunch of people in the aisle.

Back in and Homicide escapes Taven’s Climax but gets kneed in the face for two. Gordon Kinder Surprises Taven off the top, leaving Bandido to hit the X Knee on Horus. Back up and Horus hits a heck of a tornado DDT to plant Bandido but it’s time for the parade of finishers. Johnson rolls Mark up with tights for two so Mark strikes away against the ropes. The Cutthroat Driver sets up the Doomsday Device to finish Johnson at 20:45.

Rating: B. This is all it should have been as they didn’t try to have much of a match outside of everyone going nuts and having fun out there. That’s all you need to do in a situation like this, because not only is this a special, but it’s probably the last match from the original era. It was a lot of fun and it worked very well, especially with the Briscoes getting the win, as should be how things go out.

Everyone hugs and the Briscoes are lifted onto some shoulders as commentary talks about how this is pretty much it to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. And that’s it, which makes me rather sad. Ring of Honor is still the most influential promotion of this generation but it ends in front of no fans with a show that means nothing. The show itself was pretty good, but this was all about the farewell, which seems to be a whimper rather than any kind of grand finale. I’m not sure what is next for Ring of Honor, but I’m almost scared to see what follows this under the same name.

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Final Battle 2021
Date: December 11, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the end of an era and quite possibly the end of a company, or at least the end of the company as we know it to be. Ring of Honor is going into hiatus after this show for about four months, leaving a pretty big cloud over their future. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but hopefully they can have a great show on their way out. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Six Man Tag Team Titles: Righteous vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Promotions (Moses/Kaun/O’Shay Edwards, with Ron Hunt) are defending. Dutch and Moses fight over wrist control to start, which isn’t something you often see between hosses. Moses gets flipped into the corner, which is even more rare, so he knocks Dutch outside in a hurry. Everything breaks down in a hurry (you knew that was coming) and the three way brawl is on until it’s Vincent suplexing Kaun.

That doesn’t work for Kaun, who is back up with a running elbow to the face. Moses comes back in and gets caught with a Side Effect as commentary shouts out to Kyle O’Reilly and the Hardys. It’s off to Edwards, who gets a rather nice reaction as he beats on Bateman. Vincent tries his luck but can’t knock Edwards over the top. Instead he throws Edwards through the ropes as everything breaks down again.

Vita VonStarr gets on the apron for a distraction but Moses knocks her onto the pile and flip dives onto them. Not to be outdone, Dutch hits a BIG flip dive over the top onto everyone else. VonStarr hits a dive of her own, leaving Vincent to Redrum Kaun for two back inside. The elevated DDT plants Bateman and Edwards drops a good looking moonsault for two more, with the bell ringing by mistake. Edwards plants Dutch but walks into Orange Sunshine to give Vincent the pin and the titles at 10:42.

Rating: C+. That was a pretty wild six man tag to start and that’s often the best way to get the fans going. One of the cool things about tonight is that the title changes don’t mean anything, so we could be in for a bunch of title changes. Not exactly a classic, but it was fun and a good choice for an opener.

Pre-Show: Miranda Alize/Allure vs. Chelsea Green/The Hex

Allure is Mandy Leon/Angelina Love and the Hex is Allysin Kay/Marti Belle. Miranda kicks Belle in the head for a fast two but Marti is back with a running kick to the face of her own. Kay comes in and the threat of a powerbomb sends Alize over for the fast tag to Leon. Green gets her chance and rolls Leon up for two of her own so Leon dropkicks her down for two. A suplex into the corner gets another near fall on Green and there’s a running basement dropkick from Alize.

The villains take turns hitting some running splashes in the corner on Green, setting up Love’s Complete Shot for two more. Green fights out of the corner though and it’s a double missile dropkick for a much needed breather. The hot tag brings in Kay to clean house until Belle grabs Hex Marks The Spot for two more. Everything breaks down, including the parade of secondary finishers, capped off by Green hitting a huge dive onto the pile. Marti’s dive is cut off though and Mandy hits Astral Projection for the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C-. Kind of a messy match here and it’s a bit of an eye roll to see Leon get the pin on the last show. She has been one of the focal points of the women’s division for a long time now and has more or less stopped developing since the Allure deal started. The match wasn’t bad and had some good spots, but less than seven minutes for six women is a lot to cover in such a short amount of time.

Pre-Show: PJ Black/Flip Gordon/Bouncers/World Famous CB vs. LSG/Sledge/Max The Impaler/Demonic Flamita/Will Ferrara

Ferrara and CB trade wristlocks to start and the exchange of not being able to get an advantage gives us a standoff. Gordon and Flamita come in to trade clotheslines and armdrags for another standoff, which has commentary and the crowd equally pleased. LSG comes in and hits the Rocket Bye Baby for two on Black so it’s Milonas coming in for the showdown with Max.

That’s good for a cheap shot from Milonas so Bruiser can have a quick slugout. Max hands it off to Sledge for a slightly more fair slugout and it’s time for people to start coming in sans tags and hit each other in the face. Max hammers on Milonas and unloads on him in the corner, setting up a spear.

Bruiser pulls Max outside and takes her down and it’s time to set up the series of dives. Flamita teases a dive but opts to flip off the fans instead, leaving Bruiser to…not hit a powerbomb actually. Instead Flamita slips out and hits a superkick, setting up a big corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Gordon cutters LSG out of the air, setting up a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to give Black the pin at 10:22.

Rating: C+. I can go with a match where there is nothing to suggest that it is anything more than a big mess. They weren’t trying anything else here and that’s how it should have gone. Let these ten people get on there and go nuts for a little while, which is a good way to go on the pre-show. Sometimes you need some insanity and that’s what you got here, so well done.

The opening video talks about the meaning of honor, even when you are looking into a future of nothing. It is the end of an era, but it is not the end of honor.

Dragon Lee vs. Rey Horus

They hug to start and fight over a lockup, setting up some rope running minus the contact. Horus can’t get a sunset flip so he rolls to the floor, where Lee hits a heck of a dive. Lee throws him over the barricade, allowing Lee to have a seat at ringside. Back in and Lee spinebusters Horus into a half crab, with Horus going straight to the rope.

The running knees in the corner are broken up by Horus’ raised boot though, with Lee bailing to the floor. Now it’s Horus hitting the big flip dive to take Lee down for a change, setting up the overhead belly to belly into the corner back inside. Lee is back up with a pair of tilt-a-whirl backbreakers to set up another half crab to put Horus back in trouble. It’s time to slug it out, including an exchange of kicks to the face.

A Spanish Fly plants Horus but Lee can’t follow up so it’s a double breather. Horus crotches him on top and it’s a super victory roll for a close two. Now it’s Horus going up but slipping, allowing Lee to get his knees up to block the splash. Lee rolls into a Falcon Arrow for two on Horus and the Incinerator gets a very close two. Another Incinerator finishes Horus at 11:19.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of all action match that you would expect from these two and it was an entertaining match as a result. These two have been excellent for a long time now and one of the better series that you’ll see. I’m glad they got a chance to tear it up again and it was a fun way for both of them to get on the card, while opening the show.

Former Ring of Honor Triple Crown Champion Eddie Edwards thanks Ring of Honor for the chance and for changing the business.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Rhett Titus vs. Joe Hendry vs. Silas Young

Castle is defending and it’s one fall to a finish, with Castle bailing to the floor to walk into the crowd. Hendry (who is looking jacked compared to his old days) gets taken outside so Young can send him into the barricade. Back in and Castle t-bone suplexes Young, meaning it’s time for a lap around the ring. Titus comes in for a quick rollup but gets sent outside for an apron flip dive from Young.

Hendry blasts Titus with a clothesline but gets belly to belly suplexed into the corner. Castle is back in with the Bang A Rang to Titus, who reverses into a cradle for two. Titus sends Young outside but Hendry pulls Titus’ high crossbody out of the air, because he’s strong enough to do that.

A double fall away slam sends Young and Titus flying so it’s Castle coming back in with a big smile on his face. It’s Titus coming back in and getting planted by a heck of a Hendry powerbomb. There’s the Bang A Rang to plant Titus but Hendry belts Castle in the face. Cue Castle’s friend Dak Draper to take Hendry down though, leaving Titus to avoid Young’s moonsault. The dropkick gives Titus the pin and the title at 8:51.

Rating: C. They kept this fast and that’s probably the better idea. It was another one of those wild matches that was only there to be as exciting as possible and that is often better than letting things go long. Titus winning the title after trying for so long is a feel good moment and I liked what we got here. Granted that might have been Castle and his Dancing Chickens.

Hangman Page is going to miss Ring of Honor.

Pure Rules Title: Brian Johnson vs. Josh Woods

Pure Rules (of course) and Woods is defending. As usual, Johnson runs his mouth before the bell, talking about how it doesn’t matter if you’re a Punk, an American Dragon or a Peacock, because Johnson is better than you. Woods scares him into the ropes and Johnson has used his first break in about thirty seconds. The second break is used up less than a minute and ten seconds in but Johnson sends him into the corner for a chop.

That earns him a hard knee to the ribs though, allowing Woods to grab a choke over the ropes. Johnson Stuns his way to freedom and hits a heck of a dive to the floor (which doesn’t feel very Pure). Back in and Johnson has to break another choke, setting up some knee drops. A running splash sets up Spike Deskin (I think? It’s a hanging cutter to the floor.) and Woods is rocked.

They get back inside to fight over a suplex, with Woods finally taking him over the top for a double crash. The slugout on the floor almost gives us a double countout but they head back inside to slug it out there instead. Woods grabs another choke and Johnson has to use his third rope break.

A cheap shot lets Johnson hit the Process for two so he grabs the title. The referee takes that away so Johnson takes the turnbuckle pad off, only to get caught in a German suplex for two. Since the referee has to put the pad back on, Johnson gets a brass knuckles shot for two more. With nothing else working, Johnson puts him on top but gets caught in a choke. Since there are no rope breaks, Johnson has to tap at 12:58 to retain Woods’ title.

Rating: B-. The Pure Rules division has become a major focal point in the last year or so and it is great to see it getting this kind of a focus again on the last show. Woods is kind of perfect for the division and he deserves to be on this show in this spot. I could go for more of Johnson’s trash talk though, as it has made him a lot more memorable than anything he does in the ring.

Jimmy Jacobs loved his time in Ring of Honor. He certainly is a legend around here.

We recap Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor. They were friends, then King turned on him, meaning it’s time for a Fight Without Honor.

Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes and weapons are provided. Riccaboni makes it more serious by talking about how these two are fighting to get their next paycheck elsewhere. A quick slugout takes things outside, with Shane sending him hard into the barricade a few times. The chair shot only hits post but Shane is fine enough to hit a backdrop on the floor.

Back in and King hits an enziguri but Shane hits him in the face over and over. Shane takes him up top, earning himself a super Blockbuster through a pair of tables at ringside. It’s already time for the required kendo sticks (you knew they were coming), with King cracking him over the back and choking away. King takes his sweet time bringing in a trashcan and charges into a Rock Bottom out of the corner onto said can.

Now it’s Taylor getting in his own stick shots, with Riccaboni rapid firing off some Cleveland Indians names. A heck of a splash puts King through another table at ringside so we need another table. Back in and King manages to drive him through the table in the corner for two in an impressive power display. Shane is right back up with the BIG ladder, but takes a bit too long and gets hit in the back with a kendo stick.

King gets in a few more shots and manages to build a rather ridiculous structure, with one ladder bridged between two more. Taylor is laid across the bridged ladder for a splash from the big one, which doesn’t look as impressive as it should. Taylor is right back up with Greetings From The Land for two of his own so King bridges a ladder between the apron and the barricade.

They stand on said ladder and slug it out until Taylor grabs the Marcus Garvey Driver….but the ladder slips, so King gets dropped HARD onto the floor. Well that was terrifying, and of course gets two back inside. Taylor grabs a chair so King tells him to “f****** do it”, meaning it’s a chair to the head. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes for Shane at 18:01.

Rating: C-. I really couldn’t get into this one as it was longer than it needed to be and a lot of the spots felt rather contrived. You can only get so far with a match like this, with so many weapons set up in the right spots to make such a match work. Throw in that terrifying crash on the floor and this wasn’t exactly the most fun to watch.

Post match, the rest of Shane Taylor Promotions and some other wrestlers get in the ring as Taylor and King make up.

CM Punk talks about his time in Ring of Honor and how special it was. It was a spirit that he loved and he will continue to foster it in AEW.

Rok-C is ready to defend the Women’s Title against Willow Nightingale.

Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Rok-C

Rok-C is defending but gets taken down to start, allowing Willow to bust out a cartwheel. Willow blocks the running knees but Rok-C manages to snap off a running headscissors. Back up and Willow can’t quite hit Three Amigos, so she plants Rok-C for two instead. This time Rok-C fights up with a Russian legsweep but Willow plants her for two more. A Pounce rocks Rok-C, sending commentary into various Monty Brown impressions and Rok-C down for another near fall.

The fans are split here, but the Willow chants are a bit louder. The Code Rok is countered into a belly to back kneeling piledriver to give Willow two more. Willow still can’t hit her moonsault as Rok-C jumps her from behind, setting up a heck of a powerbomb for two on Willow for a change. Back up and Willow catches her on top, setting up a superplex. Now the moonsault can connect for two but Rok-C is right back with the Code Rok to retain at 9:42.

Rating: C. The match was fast paced but Willow absolutely came off like a bigger star here and I would have thought about changing the title. Rok-C is a young star but she doesn’t exactly have anything to her besides being young and talented. Willow might not be the next big thing, but she stood out way more than Rok-C.

Post match here is Deonna Purrazzo to challenge Rok-C for a title for title (AAA Reina de Reinas/Impact Knockouts whenever she gets it back vs. Ring of Honor) match. Rok-C is in.

Adam Cole loved his time in Ring of Honor because it is why he became the wrestler he is today.

Violence Unlimited/Rocky Romero vs. EC3/Eli Isom/Taylor Rust/Tracy Williams

Romero and Williams go technical to start (as you probably expected them to do) until Williams misses a charge into the corner. The Forever Clotheslines are countered into a kneebar, sending Rocky straight to the ropes. Tony Deppen and Taylor Rust come in, with Rust running him over in a hurry. It’s already back to Williams, who gets to Crossface Homicide (in the same jumpsuit he wore on the first Ring of Honor show in a great bonus) for a change.

With that broken up, EC3 comes in to lose a strike off with Homicide. Brody King gets to come in and t-bone suplex EC3, only to get forearmed by the blindly tagged Isom. The choking doesn’t do Isom much good as King takes him down for a heavy backsplash, allowing the Violent ones to take turns on Isom. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to EC3 as everything breaks down in a hurry. Isom hits a bit dive but King’s is broken up by Rust and Williams hitting Total Elimination.

Back up and King is fine enough to hit a dive anyway but everyone runs over everyone else anyway. Homicide busts out his fork to stab EC3 but King is back in to MuscleBust Isom. We hit the parade of tribute finishers, including a Brian Kendrick Sliced Bread and a Jerry Lynn piledriver. Cattle Mutilation is broken up though and Isom hits Deppen with a Helluva Kick. Homicide and Isom slug it out until the Cop Killer gives Homicide two. Homicide freaks out so King comes back in, only to miss a clothesline as Isom collapses. The Ganso Bomb finishes Isom at 14:43.

Rating: C+. The tributes sequence might have been a little corny but it’s the kind of thing that should be taking place on this show. The fact that it came from one of the old school stars around here made it better and I was smiling at some of those tributes. You don’t get to see something like that very often and it worked well here, though I could have gone for Isom FINALLY getting that big win.

Post match Violence Unlimited poses before leaving. That means EC3 can rant about how there is no honor in what they do because of three letter organizations. WHERE ARE OUR LEADERS??? Dak Draper and Brian Johnson are mentioned so they hit the ring, with EC3 telling them to control their narrative.

Cue Wesley Blake (from WWE/NXT) and someone else in the aisle as EC3 keeps going on about being free and controlling your narrative. EC3 says free the Titan….and here is Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) to wreck Isom.. EC3 says this is an awakening as I try to figure out why they are bringing in an expensive wrestler for an invasion angle on a final show. Throw in that Strowman in ROH feels rather wrong and this is even weirder. Also the Control Your Narrative stuff continues to fail miserably as I still couldn’t tell you what the heck EC3 means.

The Young Bucks love ROH.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. OGK

OGK, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett, is defending. Mark powers Taven into the corner to start so Bennett comes in for the slugout. Taven is back in with a middle rope dropkick to put Mark down and the champs clear the ring in a hurry. Taven’s Flight of the Conqueror only hits Bennett though, allowing Mark to grab a chair. That means a big dive to take out both champs and it’s Taven in trouble back inside.

Bennett makes the save with an elbow to Jay for two as commentary even thanks Jim Cornette for his time around here. The tag brings Mark back in for Redneck Kung Fu, plus Redneck Boogie for two. Jay (already bleeding) can’t hit the Jay Driller as Bennett saves Taven and chops away. Bennett hangs Jay over the apron so Taven can hit a heck of a top rope splash for two back inside.

Taven Climaxes Mark but can’t cover, sending Maria into a half lap around the ring. The Briscoes send them outside for the big dives, setting up the Blockbuster off the apron to drop Bennett again. Back in and the Froggy Bow gets two on Taven, with Maria pulling the referee out. Maria gets dropped but it’s a Flight of the Conqueror Doomsday Device (dang) to drop Mark on the floor, setting up another near fall.

Hail Mary gets the same with Jay having to make the save. A quick Jay Driller sends Bennett rolling back to the floor but Taven hits Just The Tip on Jay. The top rope splash hits knees though and the Jay Driller gets two. The Doomsday Device gets the same as commentary is SCREAMING at these near falls. Another Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow gives the Briscoes the titles back at 15:36.

Rating: B. I know it’s a bit overdone but there is absolutely no one who should be the final ROH Tag Team Champions. The Briscoes are so far and away the greatest team in the company’s history that you could probably cut their careers in half and still have them at the top of the list. Heck of a match too, and that’s what you would have expected from these teams.

Post match respect is shown, with Jay thanking all of the fans. The Briscoes aren’t done and are ready to face any team in the world…so there go the lights. Back up and AEW’s FTR of all people are here for the big brawl. Referees break it up and a lot of swearing ensues. FTR holds up the titles and the next fight has to be broken up.

Bryan Danielson says he wouldn’t he be here without Ring of Honor, especially Final Battle. He thanks the fans for making the shows and hopes that Ring of Honor will stick around.

We get a cool look at all of the Ring of Honor World Champions.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal

For the vacant title, as Bandido is out with Coronavirus. The fans are rather happy with this one as they trade wristlocks to start with no one getting anywhere. A headlock takeover doesn’t do much for Lethal either as they’re certainly starting technical. Gresham manages to send him outside and catches Lethal with a kick in the arm on the way back in. A headlock takeover with an armtrap keeps Lethal down but Lethal cartwheels into the basement dropkick to get a breather.

Lethal slams him down to work over the back a bit more but Gresham small packages him for two. A slap to the face drops Gresham and a flapjack does it again. It’s too early for the Lethal Injection and the Figure Four, as Gresham rolls him up for two more. Another kick to the arm cuts Lethal back down and Gresham needs a breather. They chop it out with Lethal getting the better of things but telling Gresham to chop him again.

A ripcord powerslam plants Gresham again but he catches Lethal on top. What looked to be a superplex is broken up so Lethal tries Hail to the King. Lethal is ready for Gresham’s raised knees but can’t get the Figure Four either. Instead it’s a reverse Regal Roll to set up Hail to the King to give Lethal two more.

Gresham is right back on the arm and grabs a crossface chickenwing. Lethal flips forward for a cutter and they’re both down again. That means it’s time for the locker room to come out and watch as Gresham hits some running forearms for two each. The arm gives out and Gresham hits another forearm for two. The Lethal Injection is countered into a rollup for two, setting up the Octopus to make Lethal tap at 15:35.

Rating: B. Gresham absolutely had to win here as that is the story that has been set up for months. I can imagine that this would have been the ending whether Bandido had been around or not and that is the right way to go. Gresham has been the workhorse of the company since its return and going with the Pure Rules wrestler as the final shot at the final show is a smart move.

The celebration is on, including Gresham’s wife, Jordynne Grace, getting in the ring. Commentary thanks the fans, with Coleman saying “see you in April” to end the night.

Overall Rating: B. This might not have been a great show, but it was something more important: it felt special. The show felt like it was a bunch of people saying goodbye to a company that meant a lot and that absolutely should have been the case. The good thing here is that there was no truly bad match (though some came close) and it felt like a fun way to go out rather than something dull and dry. It was nice to see something be more about the fans and the company’s legacy, which is how things should have gone. The last two matches are worth seeing and that’s not bad on a three hour show.

No matter what its fate may be, Ring of Honor is one of the most influential companies in modern wrestling history. You can see it style (and a lot of its wrestlers) everywhere from PWG to Impact to AEW to WWE and the style is even more prevalent. This place has meant a heck of a lot to the wrestling world and it is going to be sad to see Ring of Honor go away. I’m glad it went out on a pretty good show too, with the big ending and tributes making it all the sweeter.

Results
Righteous b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Orange Sunshine to Edwards
Allure/Miranda Alize b. Chelsea Green/The Hex – Astral Projection to Belle
PJ Black/Flip Gordon/Bouncers/World Famous CB b. LSG/Sledge/Max The Impaler/Demonic Flamita/Will Ferrara – Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to LSG
Dragon Lee b. Rey Horus – Incinerator
Rhett Titus b. Silas Young, Joe Hendry and Dalton Castle – Dropkick to Young
Josh Woods b. Brian Johnson – Choke
Shane Taylor b. Kenny King – Marcus Garvey Driver
Rok-C b. Willow Nightingale – Code Rok
Violence Unlimited/Rocky Romero b. EC3/Eli Isom/Tracy Williams/Taylor Rust – Ganso Bomb to Isom
Briscoes b. OGK – Froggy Bow to Taven
Jonathan Gresham b. Jay Lethal – Octopus

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Ring of Honor
Date: October 27, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Well now everything has changed. Ring of Honor’s future suddenly looks WAY different and that is not the best news. I’m not sure what is going to happen with the company but it is clear that things are going to be wrapping up. Hopefully the final few shows are good, but this is very uncharted territory. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Vincent is checking himself in the mirror and has the rest of the Righteous say that “he” is going to love it.

Quinn McKay runs down the card, which is all based on Violence vs. Pure.

Rhett Titus vs. Tony Deppen

Both of them talk about how they want to show that their style is better. They go with the technical stuff on the mat as Deppen wants to show he can do this too. Titus grabs a test of strength and powers him to the mat without much effort but Deppen reverses into a leglock. That’s broken up and we take an early break, coming back with Titus putting on a headscissors. Deppen is out in a hurry with a backslide but Titus snaps off a butterfly suplex for two.

A knee to the ribs and a knee to the back of the head give Deppen two of his own before he ties up Titus’ arms. Some biting of the hand gets two on Titus and here is Homicide to get on the apron for no logical reason. Titus blocks a backsplash by raising the knees and we take a break. Back again with Titus being sent to the apron but managing a hard slingshot shoulder for two. Homicide grabs a chair for a distraction, causing Titus to miss a running boot in the corner.

Deppen kicks him to the floor and hits a suicide flip dive (a Homicide specialty), followed by a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Homicide is NOT happy with the kickout as they trade rollups for two each. Titus gets in a gutwrench suplex and some running boots in the corner, setting up an implant DDT for two more. There’s the half crab with a knee in the back but Homicide throws in the chair for the distraction. Said distraction lets Deppen hit Titus with the chair, setting up the running boot for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: C+. I liked this one as Titus has improved a bit with his new style. He looks smooth with the clean wrestling stuff and that is nice to see as he has rarely had anything that has stuck (often through no fault of his own). Deppen is a rather good heel too and they worked well together, with the cheating making sense for the faction with the numbers advantage here.

Post break, Titus wants to know where the Foundation was during that. Fair question.

Tony Deppen asks why Homicide wouldn’t help him. They’re from the places with no rules so why would they follow rules here?

Brody King/Chris Dickinson vs. Jonathan Gresham/Tracy Williams

Homicide and Jay Lethal are the seconds. Before the match, both teams say their way is better. The Foundation jump them from behind to start in a bit of a twist and the fight goes outside early. Dickinson beats on Gresham in the corner and hands it off to King to power him around. It’s right back to Dickinson, who tries to go after Gresham’s leg, which just does not seem that bright.

King is back in with a neck crank to grind Gresham down but he finally sends King into Dickinson. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Williams so the pace can pick way up. Dickinson kicks Williams in the face but Williams hits a running corner clothesline. We take a break and come back with Gresham getting the tag and chopping away at Dickinson. The Foundation takes turns stomping on Dickinson’s ankles but Gresham ducks right into a knee to the face (that looked GREAT) to knock him silly.

Gresham gets up a boot in the corner though and tweaks King’s leg, setting up the sleeper. The other two get in a brawl of their own though and then crash the hold for the save. We take another break and come back again with King Boston crabbing Williams as Dickinson gets Gresham in an STF. Both holds are broken up so Dickinson puts the STF on Williams. That’s reversed into a Crossface but Dickinson flips out of that as well and grabs a rear naked choke. King holds Gresham back as Williams passes out at 12:52.

Rating: B. This was quite a match, with both teams getting the chance to shine. Dickinson beating Williams with a clean hold was interesting and not something I would have seen coming. If nothing else, I would have bet on the Foundation to win here to even up the night, so well done on throwing in a surprise here.

Jay Lethal and Homicide are already here and since they’re scheduled for the main event, let’s go.

Jay Lethal vs. Homicide

Lethal has the Foundation head to the back while Violence Unlimited stays at ringside, which can’t possibly go badly. Lethal starts fast and knocks Homicide outside, setting up the triple suicide dives. Back up and Homicide shoulders him to the floor, setting up the big flip dive and they’re both down for a second.

They get back in for the slow motion slugout until Lethal misses a middle rope dropkick. For some reason a fork is placed in the turnbuckle but neither can go face first into it. Instead, Homicide chokes away but Lethal scores with a superkick. Cue Dutch of the Righteous to jump Tony Deppen as the Lethal Injection finishes Homicide at 5:37.

Rating: C. It was fun while it lasted but they were flying through everything here until the screwy finish. That would be the finish where another faction interfered in a match between factions, but at least they interfered after a fast paced match. Lethal vs. Homicide could be a good showdown if they were given the chance, but we only got something fun for a little while here.

The Righteous poses on the stage and applaud everyone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another pretty good show here, but it is kind of hard to get interested when this version of Ring of Honor is not going to be around much longer. There was a theme here, but this time, even moreso than usual, it was all about a few groups of wrestlers and that is not exactly the most interesting. I could go for something different, though I’m not sure if that is an option right now. Either way, at least it was a fun show with a theme.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

Pure Rules Gauntlet Match

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rhett Titus vs. Mike Bennett

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

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

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

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

Respect is shown to end the show.

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

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

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