IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

Kenta warmed up in the empty arena earlier today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright

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

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

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

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

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

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright

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

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

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

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

Bobby Dempsey vs. Adam Pearce

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

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

Mike Quackenbush vs. Jerry Lynn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nigel McGuinness is warming up for the main event.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jay Briscoe vs. D’Lo Brown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor World Title: Kenta vs. Nigel McGuinness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From March 13 in Collinsville, Illinois.

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

We see some highlights from a show on March 18.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 26, 2020

The bottom of the barrel continues to be scraped as this time around we have the Allure. Yes the Allure, which is totally not the Beautiful People even though they have some of the same people involved doing the same things. Yes it’s totally different and yes you are supposed to buy that. Let’s get to it.

Video on the Allure.

Mandy Leon talks about her career, including being in the first Women Of Honor match, first women’s No DQ match and first women’s 2/3 falls match. One of her matches was against Jenny Rose from Global Wars: Buffalo 2017.

Jenny Rose vs. Mandy Leon

We’ll make it a Muta Lock, which doesn’t last long again. Mandy is back with a majistral cradle into a full nelson with the legs but Rose rolls out into a surfboard. Back up and Mandy hits some running knees in the corner to set up a facewash. As Deonna talks about how awesome it is that Leon picked that up in Japan, Mandy sends Rose outside for a running flip dive off the apron.

Some boot choking on the apron sets up a chop off until Rose spears her down. Back from a break with Rose hitting a suplex on the floor and taking it back inside for a clothesline. They slug it out until Mandy snaps off a headscissors out of the corner. A Hennig necksnap gets two but Rose is back with a spinning side slam. There’s a bridging fisherman’s suplex for two more but Leon grabs a pumphandle driver for the pin at 13:29.

Rating: C-. This got better near the ending but the first half felt like a choreographed performance rather than a match. Rose has gotten better but it still isn’t the easiest thing to watch. At the end of the day, the Women of Honor have never been a strong suit and have regularly felt like something there for the sake of having it there, which is rarely a good idea.

They shake hands post match.

Mandy talks about how she has done the honorable things for years and it got her nowhere. That’s what led her to the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden.

Post match Angelina Love and Velvet Sky (the Beautiful People, who Madison Rayne wanted to team with and then left anyway) debut and Leon comes to the ring. The three of them beat Klein down and do the same to an invading Stella Gray and Jenny Rose. A graphic pops up on screen dubbing them The Allure. Good. They’re already the most interesting thing in the division’s history because they’re known characters with personalities and the ability to talk. Now DO SOMETHING WITH THEM.

Angelina Love welcomes us to the show and talks about working for Ring of Honor in 2004 as part of the Embassy. She talks about coming back in Madison Square Garden and talks about how the Allure has dominated the division since then. One such match took place at Saturday Night At Center Stage in 2019.

Angelina Love vs. Sumie Sakai

Angelina jumps her before the bell and stomps away as commentary wonders how Angelina can have so little respect. Mandy gets in some choking from the floor and there’s a hair pull for the knockdown. We take a break and come back with Angelina charging into some boots in the corner but charging into a side slam for two. Lights Out (jumping Downward Spiral) into a Koji Clutch has Sakai in more trouble and Leon pulling the bottom rope away makes it even worse.

Back up and Smash Mouth gets two on Angelina but Sakai gets caught going up. Love hits a Samoan drop for two of her own but Sakai pulls her down into a blocked cross armbreaker attempt. Sakai won’t let go and even pulls Love back out of the ropes. A second reach of the ropes breaks things up but Mandy uses the distraction to blast Sakai with the hairspray. The Botox Injection (bicycle kick) finishes Sakai at 9:18.

Angelina and Mandy get together (via split screen of course) to talk about how great they are. They brag about their wins over Rose and Sakai and now it’s time for a tag match. From Unauthorized.

Allure vs. Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose

No DQ so Sakai and Rose jump them on the way to the ring. The beating continues at ringside as Ian Riccaboni can’t remember the difference between Kanye West and Humpty Dumpty. Leon is knocked down inside and we take a break. Back with a double suplex getting two on Leon as Ian wants to start a band with Joe Hendry and Caprice Coleman. Leon whips out a chain to choke Rose on the apron to put her on the floor.

Back in and Sakai is sat in a chair for a bad looking running double dropkick and Allure gets two pose. Back up and Sakai grabs a stuffed cat to hit both of them in the head. A good looking fisherman’s buster onto the chair plants Love for two as Rose suplexes Leon on the stage. Sakai’s moonsault only hits chair but Angelina can’t cover. Instead they fight over the chair until Love hits Botox Injection for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C-. The violence helped a bit and that’s about all there is to say here. The Allure is more interesting than most of the division, but it doesn’t help when they’re up against Rose and Sakai. They’re both talented in the ring but they aren’t the most interesting, which brought them down here quite a bit. Not a terrible match, but it wasn’t exactly good either.

Post match Love cuts a promo in a Hulk Hogan style voice but here’s Maria Manic to cut her off. The Final Battle challenge is on and Angelina looks terrified.

The Allure reaffirms their awesomeness one more time.

We get a vignette saying Follow The Trend to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Yeah they’re out of ideas here as they are now featuring something from the Women of Honor division. It has been a big problem since they first started and it hasn’t gotten any better since. The Allure is just the Beautiful People with a different name and that is hardly something all that appealing in 2020. These new TV shows can’t start fast enough, because this is getting rough in a hurry.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 19, 2020

The news of fresh television tapings couldn’t come fast enough as we are now at the Best Of Rhett Titus. I get that the guy has been around for a long time but they couldn’t open the vault and do someone from their great catalog? Say the Briscoes Part II or something like that? Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Titus.

Rhett welcomes us from in front of his house, with his son in a push cart. In his backyard, Titus talks about what he has been doing lately, including training and spending a lot of time with his son (who has a lot to say). It’s time for his son to go down for a nap so here’s our first match, from Final Battle 2010.

All Night Express vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Adam Cole

O’Reilly and Cole are young guys I’ve heard a lot about but have never actually seen. The Express recently turned face (in March that is. Still heels here) and have grown up on camera from comedy jobbers to a serious tag team. They’re Rhett Titus and Kenny King (Kenny from the second season of Tough Enough). Titus vs. O’Reilly to start us off. Kyle is a submission guy apparently.

O’Reilly hammers away and moves very quickly to take over and it’s off to Cole. Ok Cole has longer hair. Got it. Back elbow off the middle rope gets two for Cole. Reilly takes over so King pulls Titus to the floor. Kyle dives to the floor to try to take the Express out but they manage to catch him, only for Cole to dive on all three of them and take them down.

Back to the ring and it’s O’Reilly vs. Titus but King is in before I finish that sentence. The Express tags in and out very quickly. Double teaming sets up a spinwheel kick by King to take down Kyle for two. We hit the chinlock and it’s back off to Titus quickly. We get one of those relatively annoying contrived spots as O’Reilly hands King’s foot to Titus and leg drags Titus, making Titus leg drag King.

Hot tag to Cole who gets a DDT to King onto the apron. That always looks awesome. O’Reilly gets rolling butterfly suplexes to Titus although I’d question the amount of pain in them. Missile dropkick by O’Reilly from the apron takes down King on the floor as Cole hits a top rope cross body for two on Titus. King back in and some nice double teaming gets two on Cole. It was a hot shot by Titus to set up a double knee to the back by King so Titus could roll up Cole for two if you were curious.

Terrible kick by Cole but he gets caught in a suplex anyway so it didn’t get him anywhere. The superkicks start flying and everyone is down. Titus gets caught in the tree of woe and it’s a double baseball slide to his face. Cole and O’Reilly are a lot like the Guns but not as crisp. Titus pulls the rope down to send O’Reilly to the floor and a blockbuster/powerbomb combination ends Cole at 10:04.

Rating: B. Nice fast paced tag match to open things up here but the total forgetting about tagging hurt it at the end. It turned into can you top this which is fine for an opener but I have a feeling that’s what it’s going to be in almost every match tonight. Fun match and a good way to open the show, but nothing we haven’t seen in a lot of other matches before.

Titus talks about the All Night Express’ feud with the Briscoes, but it’s a little too violent for TV. Everything is available on Honor Club though, which is a nice plug without beating us over the head with it.

Then the team split up but the Briscoes put out an open challenge at All Star Extravaganza VII.

Briscoes vs. ???/???

The Romantic Touch, a masked wrestler is the first to answer the challenge. Since he has no partner, the Briscoes beat him up and toss him outside (as is his custom)….and here’s the All Night Express (in a surprise as Titus was pretty obviously the Romantic Touch most of the time). The fans are happy with the surprise and the brawl is on in a hurry with the Briscoes being cleared out. We settle down to Mark slugging away at Kenny but walking into an atomic drop into a clothesline. Titus’ splash gives King two and we take a quick break.

Back with Titus hitting a dropkick but Jay comes back in to grab a chinlock. That’s broken up and Titus rolls over but there’s still no tag. Instead the yet to be named Redneck Boogie gets two on Titus. King breaks up the All Night Express though and Titus hits a running flip dive to take Jay down on the floor. Mark grabs the Blockbuster off the apron though and takes Titus back inside. After King takes care of Jay, a powerbomb/springboard Blockbuster combination finishes Mark at 8:33.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough but there was only so much you can get out of a team who was split up and then vanished for three years. It was a good way to bring them back, but I’m not sure how long their legs can last. At least they have a fresh team and it isn’t like the Briscoes taking a loss (or several losses) are going to hurt them.

Titus talks about all of the wrestlers he has faced, but none of them were as technically sound as Jonathan Gresham. From Future of Honor 3.

MCW Title: Rhett Titus vs. Jonathan Gresham

Titus is defending. They shake hands and stare each other down for a good while to start Titus takes him down to start and hits a fireman’s carry into an armbar. Gresham’s leglock is reversed into an armbar but they flip up to their feet for a standoff. Back up and Titus rolls over to the corner and jumps up to the middle rope for an elbow to the face. The cravate goes on and Gresham can’t break it up in a hurry as you might have expected.

That’s fine with Titus, who hits a clothesline with the good arm for his own two. Gresham kicks at the arm again but Titus kicks him to the floor. Back in and the frog splash only hits raised knees to give King another two. Gresham slaps him in the face and Titus gets fired up, only to be sent outside for a suicide dive into the barricade.

They get back in again and Titus has to power out of a Kimura, setting up an elevated DDT for two. The frog splash hits Gresham’s back and the regular version gets another near fall. Back up and they trade kicks to the head until Gresham’s hurricanrana is countered into a sunset flip for two more. Titus snaps off a dropkick to retain at 26:20.

Rating: B-. Good match here, though the sunset flip would have been a better ending than the dropkick. Titus hung with a more established star here and that’s the point of something like this. Gresham can do all kinds of things in the ring and Titus getting a win like this should help him a lot.

Titus talks about how much he liked the match and thanks the fans for waiting on them. They’ll be back soon.

Overall Rating: C+. Titus is a talented guy and someone who seems to work very hard, but at the same time he is pretty low down on the totem pole of Ring of Honor. You can only go so far with things like this and the news that we are going to be seeing something fresh is long overdue. Things need to be fixed up a bit and while this was ok, it could get bad in a hurry otherwise.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 12, 2020

We’re going with a big guy this time in Shane Taylor. After breaking up with his tag team with Keith Lee, Taylor stuck around ROH and became TV Champion, but he was rumored to be leaving the promotion earlier this year. He hasn’t actually appeared since December, so his current status isn’t the most clear. Let’s get to it.

Video on Shane Taylor, who has his own promotion company (read as his name for the lackeys).

Shane talks about how he elevates everyone and makes the company mean more just by being there. All that matters is Shane Taylor is money in this sport.

Ron Hunt, Taylor’s promoter, talks about how Taylor has proven himself time after time. That has been the case for the last four years and he’ll keep doing it in the future. We’ll start our look at his dominance at Best in the World 2019.

TV Title: Bandido vs. Shane Taylor

Taylor is defending and Bandido slaps him in the face to start. That ticks Taylor off so Bandido can start ducking and dodging in a fast manner. They head outside and this time Taylor catches him with a powerbomb onto the apron to take over. Back in and the chinlock goes on but Bandido kicks him in the head for the break. Another kick to the head sets up a corkscrew crossbody to send Taylor outside.

You don’t do that against a luchador and it’s a running dive to take Taylor down again. Back in and another middle rope moonsault keeps Taylor in trouble but he catches a charge in the corner with something like a chokeslam. The middle rope splash gives Taylor two but Greetings From 216 is broken up. A superkick rocks Taylor but the 21 Plex is blocked with a grab of the rope. The powerbomb and a knee to the head set up a package piledriver for two on Bandido.

That means frustration sets in so Shane goes up….AND BANDIDO CATCHES HIM IN MID AIR??? That’s the kind of thing that impressed people when Diesel did it to Bret Hart so good freaking grief man. Bandido powerslams him for two and a shooting star gets the same. Another 21 Plex attempt is countered into the Greetings From 216 to retain the title at 12:35.

Rating: B. It takes a lot to truly shock me with a spot but Bandido, who is far from a big guy, pulling Taylor out of the air, actually stunned me. I don’t remember the last time that happened but my goodness it was awesome. Bandido is a lot more than just a high flier but he’s awesome at that too, making this one a very nice surprise.

Hunt talks about wanting to prove that the title reign wasn’t a fluke, so it was time to defend it again, this time against a hungry competitor. From Mass Hysteria.

TV Title: Eli Isom vs. Shane Taylor

Taylor is defending and spits on his hand during the handshake offer. Isom gets powered up against the ropes to start but comes back with a forearm. That has absolutely no effect and Taylor misses some rights and lefts in the corner. The uppercuts work well enough for Isom and he starts running the ropes, only to get knocked out of the air with a shoulder. A running dropkick puts Taylor on the floor but he easily catches the slingshot dive.

Isom manages a posting though and the baseball slide works a bit better. The suicide dive sends Taylor into the barricade but he pulls Isom down and hits a hanging DDT to the floor. A hard whip sends Isom into the barricade and a running knee to the head makes it even worse. Back from a break with Shane hitting another running knee in the corner for two. Isom bails to the floor so Shane tries the package piledriver on the apron. That’s broken up to prevent a bad case of death, only to have Taylor hiptoss him out to the floor.

Taylor’s middle rope splash misses back inside and Isom slugs away with right hands to limited avail. An enziguri works better and sends Taylor to the floor, followed by the middle rope moonsault. Back in and Isom’s frog splash gets two and a tornado DDT is good for the same. A Samoan drop gets a heck of a two but Taylor drops him with a right hand. Taylor powerbombs him into the package piledriver for two and the place goes nuts on the kickout. Not that it matters as the Greetings From 216 finish Isom at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was a lot better than I would have bet on and that’s because they made the story work. I don’t think they were ever going to convince fans that the title change was coming but some of those near falls gave you a reason to believe. Nice job here, as Isom continues to look good almost every time he’s in the ring.

Hunt says you should bet on Taylor, like you can do in Las Vegas. Like at Death Before Dishonor 2019.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon vs. Tracy Williams vs. Dragon Lee

Taylor is defending, it’s one fall to a finish and PJ Black is on commentary. Lee is a surprise bonus challenger. Gordon and Williams slug it out to start and head to the floor, leaving Lee to bounce off of Shane. A hurricanrana sends Taylor outside so it’s Gordon taking his place, only to get dropkicked back down. Now it’s Williams coming in and getting dropkicked down as well, leaving Lee to hit the Tranquilo pose.

That’s broken up and it’s Gordon vs. Williams all over again. Williams gets the better of it and grabs a dragon sleeper with Shane making a fast save. Lee sends Shane into the corner for a slingshot kick to the face, only to miss a dropkick to Williams’ head. We haven’t had a dive in a bit so Lee takes out Williams and Gordon at the same time with a big crash.

Taylor cannonballs off the apron to take everyone out at once for the big knockdown. Back in and Gordon hits a tornado DDT on Taylor but Williams DDTs Gordon onto the top turnbuckle. Lee comes back in and starts throwing some suplexes but Taylor isn’t about to get taken down with a hurricanrana. Gordon and Williams get in a fight over a chair, allowing Gordon to knock him down. That’s about it though as Gordon walks into Greetings From 216 to retain Shane’s title at 8:26.

Rating: C. They did well enough here, though it wasn’t anything great. The problem here is Shane has been so dominant and there isn’t a feud for him anywhere. It’s just one match after another and while he is kind of awesome, there is only so much that he can do without a reason to watch him. Gordon vs. Williams has been good, but it’s been done to death at this point, which is often a problem around here.

Post match Lee stares Taylor down to set up the next match.

Taylor himself says stand for something and bow to no one. Change the game.

Overall Rating: B. This was another good show, but it’s rather nice to hear that we are coming back to regular shows in the near future. You can only get so much out of these things and ROH is rapidly running out of interesting names to put out there. Good show here though, as Taylor is a little better than your run of the mill big man and the Shane Taylor Productions deal is a nice enough idea.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 5, 2020

We’re on to Joe Hendry as the possible options continue to dwindle around here. Hendry is someone who seems to have all of the potential in the world and the singing is a great deal, but I’m not sure he warrants an episode all to himself. Then again these things have a pretty good track record. Let’s get to it.

Naturally Hendry handles the opening, with his own music video.

Hendry talks about everything that he has been doing since the pandemic started. This includes rapping about his team with Dalton Castle and communicating with him through green screen. They have since fallen out (They have?) but let’s go back to a better time. From ROH TV, February 5, 2020.

Master and Machine vs. Dalton Castle/Joe Hendry

Hendry takes Master down with an early wristlock but it’s back up so they both miss some kicks to the head. Master’s hurricanrana works well enough but he has to slip out of a fall away slam to send us to a break. Back with Castle vs. Machine with Castle wrestling him down and scoring with a suplex.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Machine has to get out of a Bang A Rang attempt. Master puts him down and belly to back suplexes Master into a moonsault. A double stomp into an elbow gets two on Castle but it’s off to Hendry in a hurry. Hendry’s delayed vertical suplex connects for two and it’s already back to Castle for a chinlock. Make that a chinlock from Hendry, followed by a suplex from Castle.

Master gets in a kick to the head though and it’s Machine coming back in to pick up the pace. Castle and Hendry get beaten up, including a spinebuster to Castle and a spear to Hendry. The Skywalker Elbow gets two on Hendry but he’s right back up with a double fall away slam. Everything breaks down and Master is shoved into a Codebreaker, setting up the reverse Sling Blade for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C+. This worked better than I was expecting as Master and Machine (not Master and Commander as I keep wanting to put) are a rather nice treat that I wasn’t expecting. Castle and Hendry are getting better but it took so long to get there that it doesn’t feel like it’s worth the time.

Hendry talks about how he has been around Ring of Honor for about a year, and this is the match that probably got him signed.

From Honor Reunited: London 2018.

Joe Hendry vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham’s full nelson is broken up in a hurry and it’s an early standoff. More grappling goes to another standoff and Gresham asks for some more grappling as the match stops again. Hendry grabs his own full nelson and has to go to the ropes for the break this time, which gets some questionable applause. They fight over wrist control with Hendry getting the better of things as Gresham can’t quite escape. Gresham finally flips him away and we get another standoff, though this one includes a handshake.

Hendry is taken into the ropes and Gresham gives him a little pat on the face, which seems a bit cruel. Gresham slips out of a hold on the mat and offers a handshake but Gresham isn’t sure as we take a break. Back with Hendry offering a hammerlock and then spinning Gresham to the floor for the escape. Gresham seems to know he was shown up and heads back inside, only to get kicked to the floor again. Back in again and Gresham takes the leg again, but this time he avoids getting kicked to the floor.

Hendry grabs a waistlock and wrestles him to the floor as frustration begins to set in. Gresham heads inside again and takes Hendry down twice in a row, setting up a crisscross. A shoulder puts Gresham down and a jumping knee to the face does it again, earning Hendry some applause. They fight over a small package and roll around the ring, followed by a pinfall reversal sequence. Gresham gets caught with an uppercut but comes back with a standing springboard moonsault. An Oklahoma roll finishes Hendry at 9:24.

Rating: C+. This was better than a lot of these evenly matches matches as they gave you a sense that it wasn’t planned. So often they feel like a recital but that wasn’t quite the same case here. Of course they had obviously planned sequences, but I liked it well enough to keep me interested and not have my eyes rolling, so well done for something like this.

Here’s a commercial for a Hendry CD collection, with songs all about wearing masks in the pandemic.

Hendry wraps it up with maybe his favorite ROH match. From Honor United 2019.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Joe Hendry

Taylor is defending and they both have their entourages with them, though it’s one on one when we get ready. During the referee’s instructions, Shane calls him a ballerina and they lock up against the ropes. Hendry takes him into the corner for a shove off as Castle isn’t all that impressed so far on commentary. Taylor spins out of a wristlock so Hendry does it a little bit better, which doesn’t mean much when you consider Hendry’s much smaller size.

A big shoulder drops Hendry and we take a break. Back with Hendry shouldering him to the floor but Taylor pulls him down with a Tower of London. The big leg on the apron makes it even worse and for some reason Hendry tries a suplex back inside. This goes as well as you would expect so Taylor chinlocks some sense into him. Back up and Hendry gets sent outside for a whip into the barricade. We take another break and come back with Hendry sending him into the barricade to even things up again.

Taylor is sent into the barricade a few more times but comes back with a shot to the face for two more. Hendry finally does hit that suplex and starts striking away, setting up a Codebreaker for another two. That means another slugout until Shane hits a heck of a package piledriver for a great near fall. A middle rope splash gets a slightly less great two but Hendry is up with the fall away slam into the ankle lock. Hendry even sits down with it before being kicked away. Taylor slips out of a slam though Greetings From 216 retains the title at 15:59.

Rating: C+. Hendry is someone who should be a star but it isn’t clicking for some reason. Maybe it’s the fall away slam finisher but the whole package isn’t coming together. That being said, it’s not like he is going to be pushed as anything more than a midcarder around here anyway. Just get things together so we can see what all he can do.

Hendry thanks us for watching because this is the best wrestling in the world. They can’t wait to get back in front of the fans so keep checking them out.

Overall Rating: C+. I keep really wanting to like Hendry as he has a great look and can do some good stuff in the ring, but it doesn’t feel like he is the star they want him to be. Granted having a fall away slam for a finisher probably has a lot to do with that. He could be a nice addition around here though and that’s what they seem to be doing with him, so keep doing this and they’ll be fine.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 29, 2020

We’re up to a name you might have expected to be around a little sooner with Jonathan Gresham. He is one of the best technical guys going today and has been a Tag Team Champion since last year but somehow he doesn’t make it into the first seventeen Best Of shows. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Gresham.

Gresham welcomes us to his home and talks about what he has been doing since the quarantine started. Believe it or not, this mainly includes a lot of working out and training. Anyway, on with the matches.

From ROH TV, September 4, 2019.

Bandido/Mark Haskins vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Haskins and Gresham start things off with the technical exchange you knew was coming. A standoff lets Gresham pose a bit as the tiny chants seem to be going for Haskins. Another takedown gets Haskins nowhere and we take an early break. Back with the technical off continuing, this time with a series of headlocks being reversed into a series of headscissors. They shake hands with Gresham tagging in Lethal and bailing to the floor.

Bandido comes in to a very well received reaction and it’s another standoff as they’re still not all the way into second gear so far. They trade flips with neither being able to get anywhere, including a pair of no count covers into another standoff. The fans are rather appreciative and a handshake means it’s time to try it again. This time Lethal gets kneed in the ribs and it’s Haskins coming in for a double basement dropkick. Lethal fights back but Haskins blocks a sunset flip and stomps on the arm to take him right back down.

That doesn’t last long though as it’s already back to Gresham, who sends Haskins into the ropes while Lethal dropkicks Bandido off the apron. We take another break and come back with Lethal yelling at Gresham for low bridging Bandido to the floor. Gresham doesn’t have time to argue though as he sends Bandido into the apron and grabs a chair, which is too far for Lethal. That and it would be a DQ as the referee was watching.

Gresham shoves him down and everything breaks down with Haskins hitting a Death Valley Driver to send Gresham into Lethal for two, with the kickout offering a shock. A Samoan driver gives Haskins two more so he does it again, setting up Bandido’s frog splash for two with Gresham diving in for a save. Gresham sends Bandido into the steps, leaving Lethal to Figure Four Haskins.

The hold stays on for a long time until Bandido comes back in to powerbomb Gresham onto Lethal for the save. Gresham and Bandido slug it out with Gresham nailing an enziguri, only to get caught with a pop up cutter. Lethal comes back in and gets caught in a torture rack into a GTS. The 21 Plex sets up Haskins’ Sharpshooter to make Lethal tap at 18:22.

Rating: B+. The ending more than pushed this one over the line as they took their time getting started and then blew it away at the end. The closing segment had me wondering if they would actually give Lifeblood the win before actually doing it and it was really entertaining as a result. This was the idea of “send them out there and let them tear the house down” and it worked very well.

Then it was time to face Jay Lethal one on one. From Death Before Dishonor 2019.

Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham

Lethal doesn’t think much of Gresham not offering a handshake but Gresham has to show off what a jerk he has become. They go to the wristlocks (of course) to start with Gresham taking him down and stomping on the arm. That gives us a standoff so Gresham headlocks him down, only to have Lethal shake out for another standoff. Gresham can’t get the Octopus so Lethal rolls him up for two instead.

They hit the mat and it’s another standoff as Gresham can’t out wrestle him yet. The stalemates continue until Lethal sends him to the apron for a baseball slide to take the knee out. Back in and Lethal dropkicks him right back to the floor, setting up the freaking suicide dive. Back in again and it’s Lethal hitting the cartwheel dropkick for two as Gresham is in trouble for the first time.

It’s too early for the Figure Four so Gresham’s knee is fine enough for a standing Lionsault, though the knee is still a little banged up. Gresham takes him down by the arm and cranks back on it while also pulling on the leg for a bonus. A keylock goes on but Lethal drives him into the ropes for another break. Lethal’s arm is banged up but it’s fine enough to hit a powerslam and now the Figure Four goes on.

They roll to the ropes and then out to the floor with the crash being the only thing that breaks the hold. Gresham’s chair is taken away so they stop to yell at each other about who caused their losing streak. The slugout starts on the floor and winds up in the ring with the Lethal Injection being broken up with a kick to the arm. Since the Injection isn’t working, Lethal goes with an RKO for two instead.

The Figure Four goes on again and is broken in another hurry so it’s another Lethal Injection attempt. This time it’s countered into a backslide for two, so Lethal tries it AGAIN, this time to have his arm go out. Lethal counters la majistral into a cradle for two but Gresham unloads with strikes to the head. The Octopus goes on and Gresham cranks WAY back on the arm for the tap at 17:21.

Rating: B+. I REALLY liked this one as Lethal was his usual great self but Gresham was fired up and needed to prove himself. Couple that with giving him a target like the arm and there was almost no way Gresham could lose here. It was a heck of a performance too as Lethal was giving it all he had but fell short in the end. They played a great chess game with Lethal having to protect the arm but going for the win with the Injection but eventually giving out after Gresham worked over the arm as much as he could. This was great and one of the best things I’ve seen from ROH in a long time.

Post match, respect is shown.

Finally we have Gresham wanting to prove himself. From ROH TV, January 15, 2020.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Alex Shelley

Jay Lethal is here with Gresham. They fight over arm control to start and that’s an early standoff. Gresham spins him down and works on the leg on the mat but Shelley spins out for another standoff. Back up and Gresham misses a moonsault press as we take a break. We come back with Shelley Downward Spiraling him into the buckle to take over.

They run the ropes until Shelley’s leapfrog is pulled down by the leg with Shelley dropping a knee on said leg. A few rolls send us into a Figure Four on Shelley but he channels his inner Dunne and bends the fingers apart for the escape. Gresham takes him down by the knee again and we take a second break.

Back again with Gresham hitting a shinbreaker, only to have Shelley snap off an enziguri with the good leg. Shelley pulls himself up but loses a chop off, mainly thanks to another kick to the ribs. The same rollup that Shelley used to win the first match gets two and a superkick rocks Gresham again. They trade headlock takeovers into headscissors (kind of late in the match for that sequence) until Gresham stacks him up for the clean pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. The technical stuff was good here but they didn’t do that well into going into the history between these two. It was treated like some big showdown match but instead it was just a nice, back and forth technical exchange. Gresham working the knee was fine, but there was very little to suggest that he was some new big time heel, especially one who had just won a title by cheating.

Post match Shelley shakes hands with the champs before leaving in peace to end the show.

Gresham wraps it up by talking about his connections with a promotion called Lucha Memes, which is doing some good things. More on that later.

Overall Rating: B. Gresham is one of those guys who would work anywhere anytime because there is always a use for a pure technician. It might not be the most thrilling guy or someone who can be the top star in a promotion, but he is someone who looks awfully good to have on a card. That’s what we had here, with some excellent stuff that is worth your time to check out.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 22, 2020

This is going to be a tough one as the show is all about Hana Kimura, who took her own life earlier this year. She was featured on several Ring of Honor shows including some fairly high level events, which means they have a lot to pick from here. I’m not sure how this one is going to go but it likely won’t be easy. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Kimura.

We get a quick bio of Kimura, who really did accomplish a good bit in such a short time.

From the 16^th Anniversary Show.

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

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

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

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

In the back, Hana sings about having the belt and Sumie isn’t sure about that.

Cheeseburger introduces our next match, from Best in the World 2018.

Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani/Tenille Dashwood vs. Hazuki/Kelly Klein/Hana Kimura/Kagetsu

Kagetsu is the Stardom Champion and we get a staredown over the titles. Sakai wants to start for the team and gets kicked in the face by Kagetsu. Well that’ll teach her. Kimura comes in and wants Dashwood, meaning the brawl is on. Before that has a chance to go anywhere, it’s Klein coming in to throw Jenny around. Of course the fourth pairing comes in with Iwatani Sling Blading Hazuki. I might be a bit more excited if you didn’t know the tags were coming as soon as the sequence started.

The villains (Klein’s team in case you get confused by the teams with a bunch of names thrown together because you don’t do your Stardom homework) come in and triple team Sakai with three boots on her face at once, allowing Kimura to hold up the Oedo Tai (stable) sign for a cute visual. Sakai DDTs Klein and the hot tag brings in Dashwood to clean house, including a double Taste of Tenille in the corner.

A high crossbody gets two on Dashwood and Sakai comes back in with a missile dropkick. Everything breaks down again and Sakai gets a guillotine choke on Kimura. That’s muscled into a delayed suplex for two on Sakai but Kagetsu hits Kimura with the sign by mistake. Sumie dives onto a pile and hits a dragon suplex for the pin on Kimura at 10:27.

Rating: C. I say this a lot and I’m going to keep saying it until it’s no longer a problem: I have no idea who these people are and I don’t know why I’m supposed to care about them. It’s a bunch of Stardom talents and some names from Ring of Honor, who I don’t know either for the most part. The division does exist, but it’s not going to go far if I have to do outside research to figure out who these people are or what they’re doing here. Give us some quick videos or translated promos if necessary, but find a way to let us know what’s going on.

Mandy Leon talks about meeting Hana after working with her mother. They wrestled together in Japan and Hana was always smiling.

From ROH TV, July 28, 2018.

Kagetsu/Hana Kimura vs. Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Kagetsu gets double teamed to start and Iwatani hits a quick standing flip splash for two. Jenny gets sent outside and takes a suicide dive as we go to an early break. Back with Jenny getting crushed in the corner until a double clothesline bails her out. Mayu comes in with some dropkicks and a double springboard wristdrag. A double dropkick against the ropes has the villains (I think?) in trouble and an even harder baseball slide dropkick nails Kimura for two.

The frog splash misses and Hana hits a hard suplex, allowing for the double tag. Rose gets two each off a northern lights suplex and a top rope clothesline but Kagetsu pulls her into a cross armbreaker. A rope is enough for the save so Kagetsu grabs the referee, allowing Hana to hit Jenny with the Oedo Tai sign. Kagetsu kicks her in the head for two and a double big boot is good (I thought that was the finish). Instead a Samoan driver pins Rose at 9:57.

Rating: C+. If you give these people some characters or tell us a few things about them, I could easily get behind matches like this. It’s a very entertaining match and the four worked hard, but this division needs a top star to build around. For reasons that I don’t understand whatsoever, that spot has gone to Sumie Sakai instead of Tenille Dashwood.

Clips of Kimura in New York City and how important it was to get to wrestle in Madison Square Garden.

From the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden.

Jenny Rose/Kagetsu/Hazuki vs. Hana Kimura/Stella Grey/Sumie Sakai

Kagetsu and Hazuki do their rather cool Oedo Tai dance. It’s a brawl to start with Stella getting beaten up in the corner. Oedo Tai ties her in the ropes for a big triple pose before Sumie gets double drop toeholded down. A double backsplash makes it even worse and it’s off to Rose for a running corner clothesline. The spinning side slam gets two and it’s off to Hazuki to choke on the ropes.

Sakai avoids a splash though and grabs a neckbreaker, allowing the hot tag to Kimura. Some running furry rainbow boots to Hazuki’s face get two but Kimura’s suplex attempt is countered into a guillotine. That’s broken up with straight power into a suplex and it’s a triple submission onto Rose and company. With that broken up, Kimura gets kicked in the face by Kagetsu and it’s off to Rose for a slugout with Sakai.

A double suplex is countered into a double DDT and Sumie’s brainbuster gets two on Hazuki. Smash Mouth gets two with Jenny making the save and everything breaks down. Sumie dives onto her own partners by mistake and Oedo Tai hits their stereo suicide dives. Back in and Kagetsu hits a Samoan driver for two on Sakai. Hazuki is back in with a springboard missile dropkick though and Kagetsu adds a 450 to finish Sakai at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This is how you get a show going as this was almost all action throughout. That’s a nice choice for an opener and while it didn’t exactly focus on Kimura, it was great to see her getting to be on a big stage like this. The match was good stuff too, mainly due to the Stardom women as the ROH roster leaves a good bit to be desired.

Everyone talks about how sad it was to see Kimura pass away like she did. Everyone needs to be nicer to each other.

Overall Rating: B-. I really didn’t know much about Kimura as I’m not the biggest joshi fan but it was clear that she was a young up and comer who was gone way too soon. There is no excuse for what she had to go through and it’s horrible that this was the result. She should have been a star for a long time to come and that smile certainly seemed to be a major trademark. She wasn’t around long but she did seem pretty good at what she was doing. That’s quite a shame and it’s nice to see ROH do something like this for her, as she deserved it.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 15, 2020

We’re dropping down the ladder around here, with this week’s show focusing on Vincent.. In other words, it’s like a look at Luke Harper right after he broke away from the Wyatt Family. That’s a pretty far cry from some of their previous offerings, and I’m almost scared to see what we get soon. Let’s get to it.

Video on Vincent to start.

Vincent talks about how he has grown up in Ring of Honor and used a lot of stepping stones to get here. That all started back at Final Battle 2016 so that’s where we’re going first.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Kushida/Jay White/Lio Rush

The titles are vacant coming in and I still have no idea which one is TK O’Ryan and which is Vinny Marsegila. Before the bell, Corino says the Father (likely meaning Kevin Sullivan) said the evil was coming and that’s clearly Cody. Things start very fast with Rush hitting a standing C4 and frog splash for a pretty hot two.

After a break on the floor, White takes O’Ryan down until it’s off to Kushida for a dropkick to the head. Rush comes in for some YES Kicks but Taven sneaks in for a DDT to take over. O’Ryan adds a spear for two as things settle down into your normal formula. The first hot tag brings in Kushida for the Hoverboard Lock but O’Ryan is quickly in the ropes.

The announcers are nice enough to start explaining why we should care about the Kingdom as Kushida scores with a double Tajiri handspring elbow. Everything breaks down and White gets two off a missile dropkick. To really pick things up a bit, White gets caught in a half crab from the top rope, only to have Kushida put Vinny in the Hoverboard Lock on the top for the save.

A superplex breaks the submissions which don’t count because they’re in the ropes and it’s time for Rush to get to show off because ROH LOVES that guy. Kushida gets in a big dive to take all of the Kingdom down, only to have Taven dive onto the even bigger pile. Back in and Rush has Vinny beaten so TK dives off the top to take out the referee. Rush goes crazy with his strikes but the triple powerbomb crushes Lio to give the Kingdom the belts at 15:22.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of just throwing titles out there and not bothering to put anything important behind them. There’s no reason to care about Six Man Tag Team Titles when there were barely any trios in the first place. It comes off like someone else did something so now we’ve got Trios Titles. That doesn’t mean it works and the match wasn’t great either, making this the finals of one heck of a waste of time, especially with the winners being a reincarnated stable that is missing all the parts that made it work in the first place.

Then someone attacked TK O’Ryan and Vincent. Matt Taven demanded answers, but it was Vincent of course. Vincent took out Taven as well, setting up their big showdown at Final Battle 2019.

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

Taven goes straight at him to start and sends Vincent outside for the suicide dive. Kelly rapid fires off Taven’s resume as Vincent is backdropped over the barricade. That means a dive from Taven and a jumping enziguri in the corner back inside rocks Vincent again. There’s a powerbomb for two and a freaky leglock works on Vincent’s leg. That’s broken up so Taven grabs a DDT for two more but Vincent sends him outside for a drop onto the apron.

A suplex onto the exposed concrete bangs up Taven’s back even more and they head back inside. Instead of staying on the back though, Vincent starts in on the ankle with stomps and bending around the rope. That’s broken up though and Taven sends him to the floor for the Flight of the Conqueror, followed by a top rope splash to the apron for two.

Back in and Vincent grabs a Side Effect, followed by Redrum for a near fall of his own. A quick Climax gives Taven two more and a second gets the same, leaving Taven stunned. With that not working, naturally it’s time for a hatchet but the attempted murder is countered into a Dudley Dog to finish Taven at 13:32.

Rating: C+. I’m as shocked as you are that Taven is working so well as a face. He really does seem to have been missing the point all this time and while he isn’t a huge star, he’s good enough to work in a spot like this. I could go for more of him, but his ankle injury would put him on the shelf for a long time. That’s a shame too, as he’s more interesting than he ever has been around here.

Post match Bateman comes out and helps Vincent crush Taven’s ankle.

Vincent and Chuckles the Clown talk about being righteous and hating their lives. They’ll drink to that.

Someone pulls a woman out of a car and she shouts about how much she hates him. Vincent sits down next to her and says he can help her. She comes with him.

Vincent and the woman go to meet Chuckles, who is sharpening a knife. Using said knife, Vincent cuts her hand open and she cringes a lot.

Vincent talks about how he isn’t carrying Taven any longer.

Now it’s time for the team to come together. From ROH TV, February 26, 2020.

Vincent/Bateman vs. Dalton Castle/Joe Hendry

Chuckles and Vita are in Vincent/Bateman’s corner. Bateman and Castle stare at each other to start until Castle takes him into the corner so Hendry can work on the arm. A fireman’s carry into a running shoulder has Bateman in trouble and a jumping knee gives Hendry two. Castle drops a middle rope knee and we hit the waistlock. Vincent holds out Matt Taven’s crutch for a distraction though, which just lets Hendry clothesline Bateman to the floor. Vincent finally comes in and posts Castle as we take a break.

Back with Hendry in trouble as Bateman and Vincent take turns kicking him in the ribs. Vincent gets two off a Side Effect and grabs a guillotine choke for a bonus. That’s broken up with a suplex and the hot tag brings in Castle. House is cleaned with suplexes until Vincent puts Castle on the top.

That goes nowhere as Castle slips down and catches him in a release German suplex. Vincent knocks him outside, only to have Castle get over to Hendry. That means a double fall away slam so Hendry can show off quite a bit as everything breaks down. A reverse Sling Blade puts Bateman down and there’s the facebuster to Vincent, only to have Chuckles pull Castle to the floor. Vincent hits a Dudley Dog for the pin on Hendry at 12:38.

Rating: C+. They were working hard here with Vincent and Bateman continuing to be more interesting than the Kingdom ever was. Castle and Hendry’s oddball stuff isn’t exactly thrilling and the two of them have been doing the same stuff for months now. At least we got a good match out of it though and that’s more than some people can say.

Vincent says a journey is a path we all must take. This is a Righteous beginning. Dig what he is saying?

Overall Rating: B-. The action was fine but at the same time, there is only so much that can be done with a lower level name like Vincent. He might be something one day and he knows how to talk, but I’m not sure what they were expecting here. That being said, I do like the idea of focusing on someone a little lower on the card like this. Let them have the spotlight for a change and plan for the future. Not a bad show by any stretch, but not the most thrilling.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 8, 2020

It’s PJ Black week and that likely means a lot of multi-person matches from Honor Club shows, because there are all kinds of those to pick from. Black has been one of the veteran presences in the company for a long time now and I’m curious to see what they have from him here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Black welcomes us to the show and talks about his love of extreme sports, mainly skydiving and BASE jumping. He reads and cooks a lot, while also trying to add in some more moves to his arsenal. Anyway, on to the matches.

From Honor For All 2019.

Silas Young vs. PJ Black

Josh Woods is here with Young. They go to the mat for the technical stuff to start with Young bailing outside in frustration. Back in and Black runs him over with a shoulder before they trade some rollups for two each. Black sweeps the leg and stomps on the back, only to get dropped with a shot to the face as we take a break. We come back with Black headscissoring him to the floor but Young spits at him. The chase is on and Young hits a clothesline, though Woods was tying his shoe instead of cheating as Young was hoping for.

Young gets two off a hard whip into the corner and we hit the chinlock. Black fights up and hits a kick to the face, followed by a top rope right hand to the head. The springboard clothesline gets two but Young knocks him outside. Woods still won’t cheat for him though, meaning Young has to send things back inside. The yelling at Woods allows Black to grab a small package for the pin at 8:49.

Rating: C. I was liking the technical side of things here for a change as that isn’t what you expect from a high flier like Black. Young not being able to get Woods to cheat for him was a nice story for the match and not something you see to often. I’m not sure I’d put this on a Best Of show, but it worked rather well for a one off.

From ROH TV, March 16, 2019.

Bandido vs. PJ Black

They grapple to the mat to start with Bandido going after the leg. Back up and it’s a standoff with Black shooting an invisible arrow at Bandido. A shoulder just makes Bandido nip up, followed by a handstand nip up to get in Black’s head. Black misses an elbow and Bandido freezes him with the finger gun. A dropkick puts Black on the floor but he’s right back in for a crucifix driver as we take a break.

We come back with Bandido kicking him in the head to block a dive, setting up a heck of a moonsault to the floor. The Cannonball hits the barricade though and it’s time to head back inside for a slugout. Back in and Black gets crotched on top but manages to roll through a super hurricanrana into a Styles Clash for his own near fall.

A pumphandle into a cutter (the Wellness Policy, because we have to take a shot at WWE every few shows) gives Black two but Bandido rolls over and deadlifting Black into a piledriver (Black’s head landed on Bandido’s leg as the whole thing looked messy). Back from another break with Black hitting a moonsault press for two but running into a Spanish Fly for two more.

Bandido charges into raised boots though and a top rope double stomp to a standing Bandido gets two. Black gets caught on top for a super Spanish Fly but the moonsault hits raised boots. A shot to the face rocks Black again though and the handspring bridging German suplex finishes Black at 15:21.

Rating: B-. So you remember when Black was evil and lost to Bandido? Well now he’s good and lost to Bandido again. The match was very back and forth and entertaining, but I’m not sure what the point of this was. Black’s change hasn’t made him any better but I guess he feels better about it? Uh, good for him then I guess.

Post match they shake hands because Lifeblood is good that way.

And now we wrap it up at the Global Wars Espectacular: Milwaukee.

PJ Black vs. Triton vs. Flip Gordon

Triton is from CMLL. Gordon bails to the floor to start and has a seat in a chair, leaving Triton to take him down and hit a basement dropkick. Black sweeps the leg and hits a jumping double stomp to the back, followed by a dive to take out Gordon. Triton dives onto both of them though and we take a break. Back with Black whipping Triton into the corner to monkey flip Gordon, who comes up holding his knee. That’s enough to send Gordon to the back with some assistance and we’re down to one on one.

They trade the dives over each other until it’s a double clothesline for the knockdown….and Gordon is right back in to stomp away. Nice job on the rather believable knee selling if nothing else. Triton is sent outside, leaving Black to get hit with a running clothesline in the corner for two. Back in and Triton gets caught with the springboard tornado DDT but Black brainbusters Gordon for two more. Black moonsaults onto both of them at once for two and we take another break.

We come back again with Black grabbing a Gory Stretch on Gordon and a Boston crab on Triton at the same time. That’s broken up so Gordon breaks up Black’s 450 with a hard crotching. Triton’s super Spanish Fly gets two on Gordon and a hurricanrana sends him outside. Black is sent outside with him and there’s the big dive to take Black and Gordon down at the same time.

Back in and Triton hits a Five Star onto both of them at once but Gordon rips off Triton’s mask. That means it’s chair time but here’s Tracy Williams to take it away from Gordon. Triton has his mask back but his moonsault hits Black’s feet. The Placebo Effect gives Black the pin on Triton at 12:44.

Rating: B-. The problem with this kind of match is there are only so many things you can do that haven’t been done before. How many times have you seen a multiman match where they’re all flying around and doing whatever they can to each other? It’s certainly entertaining and fun to watch, but they bleed together really hard and that was the case here. At least Black got the win though.

Black talks about mentoring Brian Johnson and he looks forward to seeing him grow into a World Champion. He’ll be back in the ring soon so stick around.

Overall Rating: C+. These things are starting to run out of steam as it felt like this was the leftover Black matches instead of anything you should go out of your way to see. At some point they’re going to run out of interesting people to talk about and while Black has a cool story, he isn’t going to be seen as anything more than a solid hand who can do some cool flips. I’m worried about what we might be seeing on these shows, as the good ones have been very good but then you get something like this, which was just there. Not bad and even pretty good at times, but don’t go out of your way for it.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 1, 2020

Opening sequence.

Video on King.

King pulls into his garage and talks about what he has been doing since he has been in quarantine. That includes drinking expensive booze, training his dog to attack, and training himself of course. On to the matches!

From Global Wars 2018 Toronto.

Ring of Honor World Title: Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and King charges straight at him with the running knees in the corner. Jay is right back up but the Lethal Injection is cut off by a kick to the back. King sends him outside for a big dive as the fire is strong early on. A suplex on the floor gets Lethal out of trouble and King is sent into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Lethal in trouble again but avoiding a charge in the corner.

The cartwheel into the basement dropkick puts King down again and Lethal stomps away. Another basement dropkick to the back of the head keeps King in trouble but he suplexes Lethal into the corner for a big crash. There’s a spinebuster for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Lethal’s back. That doesn’t last long and Lethal is up with a powerslam as we take another break.

Back again with Lethal sending him outside but King grabs the title to cut off the threat of the suicide dive. King gets back in and sends Lethal shoulder first into the post to slow him down again. The armbar goes on with some trash talk included, drawing Lethal back to his feet for a slugout. Lethal gets fired up so King grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to take care of that in a hurry. King takes his time getting up and is superplexed back down as we take a third break.

Back again with Lethal grabbing the Figure Four but King is too close to the ropes. The Lethal Combination gets two but King is right back with a spinning kick to the face. The Royal Flush is blocked so King settles for a Blockbuster instead. Lethal shoves him off the top rope though and hits a Death Valley Driver. King is right back with a kick to the face though and the Royal Flush connects for two.

King’s Hail to the King misses and it’s the Lethal Injection for two more, leaving Lethal stunned for a change. Lethal just unloads with right hands so King flips him off. The ref gets bumped and King grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for three….but the referee sees the feet on the ropes and waves it off. The Lethal Injection connects again to FINALLY retain the title at 22:21.

Rating: B+. I was getting WAY into this one and that’s something I never would have bet on here. They were beating the heck out of each other here and King was making me believe they might have the big upset. You don’t get this kind of King very often and very nice to see him out there for a change.

King complains about the “doctored” footage and brags about winning the Honor Rumble in Madison Square Garden. Then he was blinded by the evil mist but got some emergency eye surgery and won the best of three series against Lethal.

Post break King talks about some of the great feuds in ROH, including the All Night Express vs. the Briscoes. We can’t show you the Ladder War though because it’s too violent so we’ll go with this instead.

From Death Before Dishonor 2017.

TV Title: Kushida vs. Kenny King

Kushida (also the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion) is defending. They fight over the wristlocks to start with King having to bail out to the floor. Back in and some hiptosses send Kushida outside for a change and we take a break. We come back with King hitting a fireman’s carry knee to the face but missing a twisting slingshot dive to the floor. This time Kushida is ready for him and uses a chair as a springboard for a running dropkick.

Back in and Kushida grabs something close to Cattle Mutilation but King manages to power out in a hurry. A regular armbar goes back to the arm, even as the fans are behind King. Kushida hits a kick to the head to slow King down again but he manages his own spinning kick to Kushida’s head.

We come back from another break with Kushida’s running dive off the apron setting up a hurricanrana into the post. Kushida hits a big dive off the top sets up a rolling DDT back inside into the Hoverboard lock. King is straight over to the rope as the fans are right back behind him again. The hold goes on a second time but King manages to suplex his way to freedom.

King takes him to the top but Kushida grabs the Hoverboard lock again and slams King down in a near armbar DDT. They slug it out until King hits the spinebuster for a double knockdown. Kushida tries a handspring but gets caught in an electric chair, with King switching him into the Royal Flush for the pin and the title at 16:25.

Rating: B. I was surprised that they would have a New Japan champion lose clean but it was the right call to put the title on King, certainly in these circumstances. The fans were behind the hometown boy and his daughter was there. What else can you want from someone like this? The fact that they had a heck of a match made it even better, but that is to be expected with Kushida in there.

Post match King’s daughter comes in to celebrate with him in a nice moment.

King told us so to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This one came out of left field as King is only somewhat known for his in-ring abilities. These were two good to very good matches and while King was in there with two awesome opponents, he more than held up his end. It was a great show, which has been the case on almost every one of these Best Of’s. I’m just curious to see how long they can keep it up without firing up the time machine, but it is working well so far.

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

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

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

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