New Column: Dishonorable Discharge

Ring of Honor and ancient history.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-dishonorable-discharge/

Ring Of Honor TV Results – October 16, 2019: The (Bad) Main Event Formula

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 16, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

So we should be coming up on something interesting here as at least it should be time for the Death Before Dishonor fallout. It helps that TV isn’t your normal fallout so hopefully we can get something fresh a little faster around here. I’m not sure what to expect otherwise as I still need to get around to the pay per view, but it could make for some more interesting TV. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with the end of Rush winning the World Title from Matt Taven at Death Before Dishonor.

Video on the Six Man Tag Team Title match at Death Before Dishonor Fallout, focusing on Dragon Lee. Kind of at least, as the hosts said it would be but it comes off as just a regular video on the match.

Jay Lethal is worried about facing PJ Black (injury replacement) in the #1 contenders tournament and complains about it to Jonathan Gresham. Didn’t they break up?

Video on Angelina Love cheating to win the Knockouts Title from Kelly Klein.

The announcers talk about the #1 contenders tournament.

Brian Zane from Wrestling With Wregret gives us the Top Five Things From Death Before Dishonor. I like Zane’s show so this is a nice little bonus.

PJ Black is ready to face Jay Lethal in the first round of the tournament. Always bet on Black.

Coast To Coast is coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Tracy Williams is ready for a No DQ match against Flip Gordon.

Coast To Coast vs. Silas Young/Josh Woods

Young and LSG start things off with Silas bouncing out of a wristlock and they roll around the ring with a small package getting several twos each. Woods comes in to kick LSG down so Ali comes in for some grappling, which is just fine with Woods of course. Ali gets taken into the corner for a series of running forearms from Young but he’s fine enough to take Woods into the corner.

Woods suplexes his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Young to clean house. The hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two on Ali and everything breaks down. The backbreaker/clothesline combination sets up Rolling Chaos Theory for two on LSG and it’s a toss into a cutter to finish Ali at 8:00.

Rating: C-. I’m actually getting into Woods and Young as a team, but I have no reason to believe that they’re going anywhere. This company has a bad tendency to build people up and then do nothing with them because the tier structure is so strong around here. Hopefully that changes, but until they get somewhere with some fresh talent, it isn’t going to matter.

Matt Taven wasn’t happy after losing the World Title.

We recap the first round of the #1 contenders tournament.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: PJ Black vs. Jay Lethal

Why they showed the result of this match in the previous recap isn’t clear. Jonathan Gresham is out with Lethal. They fight over arm control to start and roll into a standoff as the first gear continues. Black shoulders him down and gets one off a legsweep as the rapid fire takedowns send us into another standoff.

Lethal’s cartwheel into a basement dropkick has Black in trouble for the first time and Lethal stomps away in the corner. The Figure Four makes Black scream but he’s in the ropes in a hurry. Black grabs a reverse suplex into a dragon sleeper, followed by a double arm crank. The Rocking Horse hold keeps Lethal in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Black getting crotched on top, setting up a delayed superplex. They strike it out until Lethal dropkicks him to the floor for back to back suicide dives. The Lethal Combination sets up Hail to the King for two but Black pops up with a middle rope Spanish Fly for his own near fall. They fight on the top until Black knocks him down, only to miss the Placebo Effect (springboard 450). The Lethal Injection is blocked twice in a row so Lethal tries is a third time and connects for the pin at 15:42.

Rating: B-. Lethal is always good for a solid match and Black….dang I’m not sure what it is but there is just a little something off about him that takes away some of the impact he could have. His matches are usually fine if not good but there’s just something about him I can’t get behind. This was a rather nice main event, though the spoiler before the match didn’t help things.

Overall Rating: C. Perfectly acceptable show here, but that’s the problem: it’s just acceptable and not something you need to watch. Ring of Honor TV has become little more than an amped up Main Event, and that’s not a good place to be. What we got wasn’t bad, but it’s just nothing you need to watch. Get an Honor Club subscription if you really like the place, though if you have, there is no need to watch the TV show. That has been the case for a long time now and it’s getting to be annoying.

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

Ring Of Honor TV – October 9, 2019: The ROH Problem In One Hour

Ring of Honor
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois/Potawatomi Casino, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

The show has started to change into a hybrid of its original format and the new one with more matches, though they are all still from Honor Club events. That makes a lot of sense given how they didn’t really need TV, but if you’re watching this show at its weird hours, aren’t you likely already subscribed to Honor Club? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a highlight package of various luchadors in ROH.

The hosts welcome us to the show and thankfully know that Rush is the new World Champion. If nothing else, at least the new style of show has cut down on the ridiculous amount of time between the big shows and any fallout from them.

Barbaro Cavenario vs. Rush

From Illinois and non-title as Rush had not won the title yet. They start fast with an exchange of armdrags into a staredown as the fans are rather pleased. A shot to the face and a top rope forearm give Cavenario a quick advantage so Rush sends him into the corner for a clothesline. Rush forearms and punches away as Cavenario is down in the corner so he pops up and knocks Rush down instead.

A Vader Bomb from the middle of the ropes gets two and it’s a hurricanrana to send Rush outside. That means a big dive to the floor and it’s another dive as we take a break. Back with Cavenario headbutting him down, only to miss a Lionsault. That means a big flip dive from Rush but it’s Tranquilo instead of a second dive. See he mixes it up like a champ. The referee takes a chair away from Rush so Cavenario…..does the Worm. That earns him a suplex into the corner and the Bull’s Horns gives Rush the pin at 11:22.

Rating: C. Well they did a good job of making me think something of Cavenario but that isn’t exactly the best way to present the new World Champion. I know they didn’t have that set up when this was filmed, but maybe they shouldn’t air it then. They knew what was coming when they put this show together, so why do something that made Rush look weaker than he almost ever has around here?

We talk about the #1 contender tournament.

Dalton Castle and Marty Scurll are ready to win the tournament and the title because this is their big chance.

Buy our shirts!

We get some highlights of Triton/Caristico/Stuka Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb/Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal from Global Wars with Gresham getting the pin in what seemed like a hot match.

Jeff Cobb is getting a World Title shot at Rush in England.

Highlights of Team CMLL defeating Villain Enterprises at Global Wars.

Volador Jr,/Stuka Jr./Caristico vs. Rey Bucanero/Okumura/Hechicero

Hechicero and Stuka grapple a bit to start with Stuka having to prevent his knee from being cranked. A headscissors gets him out of trouble but Hechicero takes him down and drops an elbow on the back. Stuka pulls himself up into a headscissors and the fans are rather pleased. Volador and Bucanero come in with the former hitting a headscissors before it’s off to Caristico vs. Okumura for a slugout and an early break.

Back with Caristico hitting a slingshot dive onto Okumura before it’s back to Stuka vs. Hechicero for the chop off. A surfboard from Hechicero into a bulldog from Bucanero takes Stuka down and the triple teaming begins. That includes some running splashes with Caristico having to make a save. Stuka is kicked to the door and everything breaks down….with Stuka cleaning house on his own.

Volador gets the hot tag and it’s a triple dive from he and his partners. Back in and Volador gets caught in a triple team of his own. That doesn’t last either as Caristico comes in with a springboard crossbody and we take another break. Back again with Caristico flipping Bucanero and Okumura around with headscissors.

It’s back to Stuka for an assisted monkey flip into the two of them in the corner but Bucanero is right back with a sleeper….which he releases after about three seconds. Everything breaks down again into a Tower of Doom with Okumura and Bucanero being sent outside. Volador gets put into 619 position and it’s Hechicero with a running crossbody to his back. Hechicero puts him on top though and Volador snaps off a super hurricanrana for the pin at 19:58.

Rating: B-. I liked it enough, though it would help a bit if I had any idea who these people are or why I should care about them. This has been a problem for Ring of Honor for a long time: they bring in all of these wrestlers from other promotions and just expect the fans to go for it. It can work every now and then but long term, it isn’t going to be enough.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was a great example of everything wrong with Ring of Honor at the moment. Yeah the wrestling itself was good but it was just a bunch of people doing moves to each other until someone won. It comes and goes with nothing really changing and that is the case far too often. Rush is the new World Champion, but does that change much?

Rush’s character is Tranquilo and being a big star from CMLL. He got his push here because of what he did in CMLL, which is exactly why the six guys in the main event were on here as well. They need some homegrown stars and an interesting story, neither of which have been a big factor in a very long time. The company can be enjoyable enough but it is also one of the least interesting things in wrestling at the moment. Nothing has any kind of staying power and it’s just hoping you liked the matches presented that week. If they want to be a big deal again, that has to change, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

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

Ring of Honor TV – October 2, 2019: For A Change? Maybe? Please?

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 2, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni, Rhett Titus

It’s Death Before Dishonor weekend, though I’m not sure this is going to mean a thing in the long run. The pay per views have never meant much as far as television goes, though we’re pretty clearly in a different era here. Hopefully some of that changes this time around, as it’s not like it can get much worse. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a clip of Rush and Jeff Cobb winning the All Stars vs. Champions elimination match but Rush kicked away the offer of a handshake.

Clips of Silas Young/Okumura/Felino beating the Shinobi Shadow Squad in Atlanta.

After the match, Silas brought in Josh Woods to say he hoped he had been learning. Woods low blowed Okumura and laid out Felino.

In the back, Silas grabs Woods’ notebook and tells him to take better notes before throwing the book down. Young doesn’t care that Woods’ girlfriend bought him that.

Soldiers of Savagery vs. Sal Rinauro/Michael Stevens

From Atlanta. Promised Land (double chokeslam) finishes both jobbers at 45 seconds.

Jeff Cobb needs another shot at Matt Taven so he’ll beat three guys tonight.

Atlanta again. Master and Machine are Griff Garrison/Marcus Kross while the Twins are the former Boys, now as superheroes, complete with an over the top voiceover introduction. Marcus starts with Brent with the latter jumping around and stopping a charge with the threat of a power ring. Brandon comes in off a blind tag for a springboard crossbody and it’s time to work on the arm.

Back from a break with Brandon enziguring Kross in the corner and monkey flipping him right back out. Caprice: “Would that be a super monkey flip?” Kross dropkicks them both out of the corner and the hot tag brings in Garrison for a bunch of forearms. A good spinebuster and some backbreakers have the Twins down and earn Garrison some nice applause. Brandon gets tossed at Brent and a spear gives Garrison two as Coleman isn’t sure if that would have been an upset or not. It would have been but that sounded good.

Everything breaks down and Kross enziguris Brandon down. Kross flips out of a chokeslam attempt and blasts Brandon in the ribs with a palm strike. A powerbomb/Disaster Kick combination gives Garrison two on Brent with Brandon making the save. Brandon dives onto Garrison and it’s a double belly to back faceplant to finish Kross at 8:20.

Rating: C. It was a little sloppy at times but I was digging both teams. The Twins having something different to do is a good sign though there is something amusing about them being somewhat bumbling superheroes instead of suddenly being awesome now that they have their own gimmick. Kross wasn’t much here but Garrison has some potential, especially with the fire he showed off the hot tag.

Quick discussion of the Top Prospect Tournament.

We look back at Mark Haskins winning the International Cup last year by defeating Adam Page.

Jay Lethal is ready to beat three other guys to get a title shot. It’s a big gamble but the title is that important to him. Tonight is his night and he has this.

Matt Taven vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal

Non-title Defy Or Deny, meaning an elimination match. If Taven wins, whoever he beats last can never have a title shot as long as Taven holds the title. If anyone else wins, they get a title shot. King has Amy Rose with him. Taven yells about how he’s beaten all three of them so the triple teaming starts in a hurry. King and Lethal pair off as Taven low bridges Cobb to the floor. That leaves Taven to headlock King down but Lethal comes in to get rid of both of them.

Cobb is back in for a showdown with Lethal with the fans being split on their choice. Lethal’s shoulders work as well as you would expect them to so Cobb shows him how it’s done. Lethal gets in a suplex but Cobb is on his feet first, just to show off a bit. Cobb misses the standing moonsault though, allowing Lethal to nail the basement dropkick for a delayed one. King pulls Lethal to the floor so Taven takes his place, only to get caught in a delayed vertical suplex.

King’s kick to the ribs doesn’t make Cobb drop Taven as he muscles him back up just to show off. That leaves Lethal to hammer away at King on the floor and we take a break. Back with Cobb LAUNCHING Taven into the corner for a good visual but missing a forearm. King and Taven double team Cobb down before kicking Lethal in the face. A hard whip into the corner keeps Lethal down as we’re in something close to a tag match.

King rolls Taven up for two but Taven would rather put Lethal in the Figure Four than get some revenge. Cobb throws King onto the hold for the break and beats up Lethal as we take another break. Back again with King hitting the Blockbuster for two on Cobb as they seem to be wearing down a bit. King loads up the Royal Flush on Cobb but Taven breaks it up, with the announcers bashing him for such a stupid move. Lethal counters the Climax and hits a cutter on Taven for two. Everyone comes back with superkicks and a DDT to Cobb gives us a four way knockdown.

Taven and King slug it out until Lethal hits the Lethal Combination on King. Hail To The King is loaded up but Lethal goes after Rose for grabbing the title. The belt is left in the ring so Taven can blast Cobb with it….for a DQ at 16:51. King hits Lethal with the title as well and grabs the Royal Flush and the elimination at 17:22. It’s King vs. Cobb for the title shot, meaning neither can lose their future title shots. The Royal Flush is escaped and Cobb snaps off a German suplex. Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title shot at 19:18.

Rating: B. This took its sweet time to get going and that’s a positive thing in a match like this one. A longer form match is a good call in a longer form match and that’s the case even more when you have four people all fighting for something important. The wrestling was entertaining and the right person won so there isn’t much for me to complain about around here.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped this one a lot but you can just feel how far down this promotion has gone. There is almost nothing of interest to keep the fans around, though maybe some of the Death before Dishonor results could help make things a bit better. That is, if it isn’t too late already, which very well may be the case. Anyway, good main event and not much else.

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

Ring of Honor TV – September 25, 2019: It Couldn’t Last Forever

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: September 25, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

It’s the go home show for Death Before Dishonor and in this case that means very little. As usual, this company doesn’t tend to adhere to pay per view schedules, other than saying that the show is this weekend. Maybe the new format will help things out a bit. It’s not like they can get much worse. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a clip of Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises in Atlanta with a bloody PCO having his face censored. Not that it mattered as King got the pin with a Gonso Bomb.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Vinny Marseglia

Fallout from Marseglia burning Bruiser with a cigar. Marseglia jumps him at the bell and the fight is on in a hurry, as it should be. Bruiser comes back with a whip into the barricade but misses the Cannonball off the apron for a crash. That’s fine with Bruiser, who comes right back with a dive off the barricade to crush security but not Marseglia.

Back from a break with Bruiser missing a Vader Bomb so Marseglia kicks him in the head to take over. Something close to a Swanton gives Marseglia two and frustration sets in. We get the I CAN’T BITE spot, followed by the Beer City DDT for two. Somehow Marseglia gets the turnbuckle pad off and Bruiser goes face first into the steel, setting up a Dudley Dog for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C-. Bruiser is someone who has no business being good but has enough charisma to make up for all of his limitations. I’m not sure why I’d want to see these two in a singles feud as Marseglia works a good bit better when he’s in a team. This wasn’t too bad, but it shows how fast they are running out of talent around here.

There will be an eight man tournament to name a new #1 contender for the World Title at Final Battle. Here are the brackets:

PCO

Kenny King

Dalton Castle

Mark Haskins

Colt Cabana

Marty Scurll

Bandido

Jay Lethal

The first round will take place over Death Before Dishonor weekend and the finals are at Glory By Honor in October.

TK O’Ryan has attacked Brawler Milonas with the baseball bat.

In Nashville, the Allure bragged about how awesome they are and walked out of a scheduled match. We see some clips of Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Damaris Dawkins….with Angelina Love joining things and winning. I know she isn’t the most popular star in the division but she has so much more charisma and star power that there is no way to avoid centering the division around her.

Allure doesn’t like the statement that Angelina stole the win and threaten McKay. Has Velvet Sky just disappeared?

Joe Hendry is selling t-shirts ala the Home Shopping Network and mocks Dalton Castle. Hendry has a ton of charisma but his in-ring work has never sold me.

Next week: Defy Or Deny.

We look at Matt Taven calling out for new challengers in Toronto and being answered by Rush.

PCO is not cleared for the main event so we have a replacement match.

Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises

See, we’re getting Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises instead of Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises. Instead of the Six Man Tag Team Title match, this is for the Tag Team Title shot at Death Before Dishonor. Bandido offers Marty the Code of Honor but Marty tags King instead. A single leg takedown attempt doesn’t work at all so they trade some flips, including King flipping out of a hurricanrana attempt.

Now the handshake goes through, allowing Scurll to get in a cheap shot from behind. Everything breaks down and Lifeblood takes over with a superkick, but walk into a double suplex from King. A double superkick puts him down though, only to have Scurll get in a cheap shot from the apron. One heck of a right hand drops Haskins to the floor and it’s the bird pose to take us to a break.

Back with Haskins still in trouble as Marty starts in on the hand. The overly elaborate chickenwing announcement lets Haskins get in a kick to the face and the hot tag brings in Bandido. House is cleaned, though Bandido can’t do his catch the diving giant as he dives from the middle rope. Haskins’ running Falcon Arrow sets up a frog splash for two on Scurll, but he’s right back up with a sunset flip into a slingshot German suplex on Bandido. Everyone gets knocked down and we take another break.

Back again with King getting low bridged to the floor and kicked in the face, setting up a top rope double stomp for two more on Scurll. Haskins’ Samoan driver gets another two but King has to be knocked outside again. The 21 Plex into the Sharpshooter makes Scurll tap at 14:41 as Bandido dives onto King.

Rating: B-. These guys mesh together so well and their matches are always worth seeing, even in the smaller form like this one. That being said, they are running out of ways to keep it fresh as it seems that we have seen this match half a dozen times in some form or another. It’s still good, but they need to find something new sooner or later.

We get the graphics for the pay per view matches, many of which were not mentioned during the show.

Rush promises to win the title to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling carried this one but this show made it very clear how barren the cupboard is in Ring of Honor. There’s a tournament thrown together with a lot of the same names that we have seen around here for a very long time and the idea of any of them against Rush or Taven does very little for me. This company has been ravaged by so much of the talent leaving and they are in need of a major upgrade before it’s too late. It’s something they can survive for the time being but that isn’t going to last forever.

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

Ring of Honor TV – September 18, 2019: From One Week To Another

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 18, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McKay, Ian Riccaboni

I’m not sure what to expect from this show anymore as it has gone from one match a week to a few matches a week to one really big match a week and it’s hard to say what to expect. Odds are it’s more from the Atlanta tapings and that….could mean a variety of things, which tends to be the case around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Clips of various Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises matches.

Clips of the Briscoes vs. the Rock N Roll Express for the Tag Team Titles in Nashville. The Express didn’t die so we’ll call that a moral victory. It did seem to be a hot match.

Marty Scurll says he’s on top of the wrestling world but can’t help being frustrated over Bandido. He doesn’t need to hide behind a mask like Bandido.

Bandido yells in Spanish.

Clips of Angelina Love beating Sumie Sakai thanks to some hair spray to the face.

Kelly Klein is ready to beat Love at Death Before Dishonor.

Shane Taylor is ready for Mark Haskins and Flip Gordon.

Rhett Titus has been thinking about what Kenny King said and he’s going to treat every match like his first and last.

Rhett Titus vs. Shaheem Ali

Titus goes straight to the armbar to start but Ali flips up in a hurry. A headlock on the mat works a little better for Titus as it takes a full five seconds before it’s broken up. An elbow to the jaw has Ali bailing into the corner but he’s fine enough for a slam and a splash for two. Titus’ high crossbody gets the same and we take a break.

Back with Titus flipping out of a belly to back suplex and throwing Ali down with a belly to belly. A northern lights suplex gives Titus two more and he wins a chop off for a bonus. Ali gets dropkicked to the floor and has to counter a slingshot dive into an overhead suplex. The frog splash gets two so Ali tries it again, with the sequel only hitting mat. Titus nails a cyclone boot for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: D+. This one just happened and that’s about as good as I can get about it. What exactly are you expecting from a Rhett Titus match? He hasn’t meant much since the All Night Express and I don’t exactly see this “I really love wrestling and my family” run as being much better. Maybe he can get somewhere with it, though his career path so far would suggest otherwise.

Matt Taven talks about losing his hair to Rush in Mexico City a year ago. He owes Rush a thank you for that because it inspired him to be better. Now nothing happens unless he says so because he is Matt Taven.

Next week: Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises. Again.

Bandido vs. Marty Scurll

The fans are VERY into both of them here. We get a handshake, with Bandido being nervous but going through with it, earning some applause from Scurll. Marty wrestles him to the mat to start and an early standoff takes us to a break. Back with Marty “accidentally” poking him in the eye, though Bandido is fine enough to superkick him outside. Scurll hits his own superkick on the floor to take over and he even heads into the crowd for a quick bow.

Back in and a slingshot into an arrogant cover gets two on Bandido as the fans are eating Marty up here. There’s a surfboard double knee stomp to slow Bandido down and the knee gives out on a gorilla press attempt. The knee is fine enough for a springboard spinning crossbody and a cutter puts Marty on the floor for a big flip dive. Back from another break with Marty suplexing him for a double knockdown.

A tornado DDT looks to set up a chickenwing but Marty settles for a pumphandle Ghostbuster for two more instead. The chickenwing is broken up again so Marty snaps off a half and half suplex instead. Bandido is right back up with a shot to the face and they’re both down for a breather.

Marty teases a chop off before punching Bandido in the face, only to have a middle rope hurricanrana countered into a buckle bomb. The 21 Plex is countered so Bandido hits a standing shooting star press for two instead. The superplex moonsault World’s Strongest Slam plants Marty but he’s fine enough to pull Bandido into the chickenwing. That’s broken up so Marty hits Black Plague for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. Sometimes the solution is to just have two popular guys do a bunch of stuff to each other for twenty minutes and let the fans go nuts. That’s what they did here and the match was a blast as a result. They didn’t need to go any more complicated than that and we can get one more big team match between the groups next week, because that’s what works best around here. I’ll take it over whatever else we can get and it should be another fun match, just like this one.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, these shows pretty much just jump from one week to the next with very little way of knowing if next week’s is going to be any better or worse. This one was fine enough with a good main event, and that’s often enough to carry them week to week. They need to get to Death Before Dishonor already though so something can happen, though I have no idea where they are supposed to go after that, which has been the case for a very long time now.

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

Ring Of Honor TV – September 11, 2019: One Of Those Good Ideas

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: September 11, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Lanny Poffo
Hosts: Quinn McKay, Ian Riccaboni

The new version of the show continues and that means we’re in for a lot more highlights. I think we’re building to Death Before Dishonor but with everything being all over the place it can be kind of hard to remember at times. Either way, expect a face paced show here, which is both a specialty and a curse. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We look at how all of the champions won their belts. I think I sense a theme here.

The hosts welcome us to the show and promise us the Champions vs. Challengers match. Makes sense.

In Atlanta, Dalton Castle promised to become the World Champion again, which draws out the debuting Joe Hendry. Joe thinks the best titles in the world are right here and now Castle is the second most entertaining man in ROH. I’ve liked Hendry well enough over the different companies he’s worked for, though his in-ring work isn’t the most thrilling.

The champions brag about all of their gold and promise to win tonight.

LSG tells Shaheem Ali to be ready tonight. Kenny King comes in and tells Ali to go show what he used to be.

Clips of the quarterfinals of the Top Prospect Tournament. I still care about none of this.

Next week: Bandido vs. Marty Scurll.

CMLL stars will be at War of the Worlds.

Matt Taven/Shane Taylor/Briscoes vs. Rush/Jeff Cobb/Jay Lethal/Kenny King

Champions vs. Challengers and under elimination rules. Taven and Cobb start things off but Rush and Jay Briscoe come in before anything happens. Some grappling goes nowhere so Rush runs him over and glares a lot, which can be quite intimidating. Mark and Lethal come in with the former grabbing a headlock on the mat as commentary talks about Randy Savage. Lethal hiptosses him down for the basement dropkick but King tags himself in and does the same thing.

Therefore Taylor and Cobb come in for the big hoss showdown. The exchange of shoulders knock each other backwards until Cobb nails a dropkick to take us to a break. Back with Cobb chopping Taven and muscling him up for a one armed delayed vertical suplex. Lethal comes in for an ax handle and it’s everyone taking their turns on Taven. Rush hits his own basement dropkick and Lethal grabs a rollup for two.

Taven slips over for the tag off to Jay Briscoe, who takes Lethal into the corner as we take another break. Back with Mark driving Lethal into Lethal’s corner for some reason, allowing the tag to King. Everything breaks down until Mark suplexes King and the Briscoes run him over for two. With everyone else on the floor, Mark uses a chair for a big running flip dive onto a bunch of opponents. Back in and Redneck Boogey gets two on King with Cobb making the save. Amy Rose checks on King, prompting Jay Briscoe to throw water on her. King isn’t standing for that and grabs a rollup to get rid of Jay Briscoe.

King dances a lot and we take a break, coming back to Lethal chopping Taven in the corner. Taylor comes in but King tags himself in again and punches Taylor in the face. It’s Taven coming in and eating a Blue Thunder Bomb but Taylor is back in with Greetings From 216 to even things up. Lethal comes in and gets waistlocked, followed by a slam from Mark as we take a break.

Back again with Mark taking the Lethal Injection for the pin to make it 3-2. Taven comes in again to work on Lethal’s back with a series of backbreakers. Lethal kicks Taylor away, but also into the referee, meaning the hot tag to Rush doesn’t count. That’s a nice little twist on the classic spot. Taylor knees the still legal Lethal for two as everything breaks down again. The big no hands dive lets Taven knock everyone down and the Greetings From 216 finishes Lethal to even it up.

The four remaining guys slug it out until Taven reverses the Tour of the Islands into a Russian legsweep. Cobb suplexes Taven down and it’s Rush coming in to strike away. The delayed kick in the face lets Rush be Tranquilo, followed by the slugout with Taylor. A running forearm looks to set up the Bull’s Horns but Taven hits Rush with a chair for the DQ. Taven unloads on Rush with the chair….so Rush stands up. Taylor is back up but Cobb hits an Oklahoma Stampede and a snap German suplex. Now the Bull’s Horns can finish Taylor at 39:52.

Rating: B. The match was one of those concepts that is hard to screw up because it’s such an easy idea. One group of people have something and the other group wants that something. How many ways can that be messed up? The ending helps set up Rush as the next challenger, which should be the case very soon.

Rush won’t shake Cobb’s hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s literally a one match show but it’s a one match show that took up two thirds of the time. The good thing is it included a bunch of big names and the match worked quite well. The rest of the show meant next to nothing and I had a good time watching it, so the show as a whole was entertaining. The problem continues to be how everything feels like they’re making it up as they go, but that’s a bigger problem than is going to be solved in a single week.

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

Ring Of Honor TV – September 4, 2019: Thank Goodness For Wrestling

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 4, 2019
Location: Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni

The slow path through the summer continues with another big match from the Toronto show, which is only about a month old at this point. As much as I prefer the new format, there is no hiding how messy the whole promotion is at the moment. Maybe the wrestling can work, but it’s just meandering through the year with no sense of direction. Hopefully it’s an easy hour of TV this week, which is all you can ask for around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the ending of Matt Taven successfully defending the World Title against Alex Shelley in Toronto. Post match Taven listed off all the people he’s defeated and knows he’s on the path to being the best World Champion ever. Cue Rush for the staredown, thankfully with commentary bringing up their history in Mexico.

Ian and Quinn welcome us to the show and preview what’s coming.

We look at Rush beating Dalton Castle for the second time, this time in a No DQ match in Toronto. This isn’t quite as interested after it was mentioned that he won in the Taven clip.

Jonathan Gresham says go talk to Jay Lethal about their tag match tonight.

Lethal says he and Gresham have had some issues but now they’re on the same page. They’re after the Tag Team Titles.

Here’s your weekly rapid fire Top Prospect Tournament discussion.

Dante Caballero is ready to take advantage of his tournament spot.

Joe Keys stands in front of a big fan and admires his physique as, ahem, shall we say adult music plays. Isn’t Rhett Titus the resident body guy? He promises to win. Thank goodness most of this tournament hasn’t been televised.

Highlights of Keys vs. Caballero, with the latter winning by submission via the Crossface.

Video on the Kingdom vs. the Bouncers, which is a downgrade for the Kingdom and an upgrade for the Bouncers. The Kingdom beat them down and burned Beer City Bruiser with a lit cigar. Then a fight broke out in Toronto with the Kingdom getting the better of things.

The Bouncers shout about how angry the Kingdom has made them. They’ll get sick with the Kingdom.

Vinny Marseglia says he likes the kind of stuff the Bouncers are doing. He is finally dragging the violence out of the Bouncers because the Bouncers are all about having fun and drinking beer. Now he is happy.

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Clips of a six man CMLL match from Toronto. This looks as crazy entertaining as any of these matches.

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.

Matt Taven lists off names he’s defeated and he hasn’t forgotten that Rush cost him his hair. That was in Mexico but this is his kingdom and he has been waiting for revenge. Rush’s name is going to the bottom of the list.

Overall Rating: C+. I can appreciate them building somewhere with Taven vs. Rush and the Top Prospect Tournament but somehow, the Kingdom vs. the Bouncers stuff was the only interesting part outside of the main event. They’re just in a dead place with the stories at the moment and it’s showing more and more every week. Getting the title off of Taven will help, but what in the world are they supposed to do after that?

Results

Bandido/Mark Haskins b. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham – Sharpshooter to Lethal

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

Ring Of Honor TV – August 28, 2019: At Least There Wasn’t A Shoe

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Mattamy Athletic Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni

The slow decline of this show and possibly the promotion continues as they try whatever they can to get Matt Taven over as World Champion. This time around it means Alex Shelley as the veteran challenger with no chance of winning the title. It’s not like they have anyone else that Taven hasn’t already beaten, other than Rush, who seems to be the one to take the title off of him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We look at Shelley injecting himself into the World Title picture.

Clips of Alex Shelley/Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham beating the Kingdom at Mass Hysteria when Shelley made Marseglia tap.

Shelley is ready to take the title from Taven in Toronto.

We look at Tasha Steelz pinning Angelina Love twice in a row but needing Kelly Klein to save her from the Allure.

Clips of Klein retaining the Women of Honor Title over Steelz at Summer Supercard. Angelina jumped them both after the match. Just put the title on her already and get it over with.

Klein jumped Angelina in the back.

Lifeblood is ready for Villain Enterprises. Again.

We see Flip Gordon attacking Tracy Williams, which seemed to cost Williams the TV Title match later in the night.

Taylor is tired of not being promoted as a big star.

Highlights from Ladder War in Toronto with the Briscoes defending against Guerrillas of Destiny, which has to be clipped due to violence. It certainly does look carnagey.

The announcers give a quick Top Prospect Tournament preview.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley

Taven is defending and OF COURSE we have all the time in the world for him. They go to the mat to start with Taven holding a headscissors until Shelley blows his nose on him for a standoff. It’s back to the mat for a rollup on Taven and they stare at each other again. That works so well that they do it again for yet another standoff. A third rollup into MORE STARING lets Shelley do some pushups as they’re staying in first gear.

Taven bails to the floor to change things up a bit before coming back in for….another rollup for two. Back from a break with Shelley’s Sliced Bread off the post attempt being shoved through a table as something finally happens. Shelley dives back in to beat the count so Taven hits a backbreaker for two. The back is bent over Taven’s knee, followed by a butterfly backbreaker for two more. A Liontamer makes the back even worse but Shelley makes the rope in a hurry.

Taven goes with a rolling neckbreaker for two but Shelley is back up with a slingshot DDT onto the apron for the double knockdown. Sliced Bread onto the barricade rocks Taven, who pops right back up with the dive over the barricade. Back in and Jay White’s Blade Runner gets two on Taven, followed by a pair of superkicks. Sliced Bread gets two more but Taven hits the Climax. The cover is countered into a rollup to give Shelley two but Taven knees him in the head and hits the Climax to retain at 15:22.

Rating: C+. The ending got better but all of the stuff with both guys’ backs being banged up just came and went. Taven’s seemingly never ending title reign continues with another pretty good but not great match. The problem is everything in between as the whole thing just keeps going, whether or not anyone wants to see it continue. Shelley never felt like a real threat to the title, but that is the case a lot of the time when Taven defends.

Overall Rating: C-. Well at least they finally moved forward to a slightly newer show. That being said, having the show focus on Taven isn’t an interesting way to go and I don’t quite see things getting much better. The whole company is searching for bright spots these days and that has been the case for a long time now. The problem is they’re getting further and further apart and that’s not going to work in the long term. The show wasn’t bad, but it isn’t something that makes me want to keep watching. Given their attendance issues of late, that is the case for a lot of people.

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

Ring of Honor TV – August 21, 2019: Just Like Everyone Else

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McCay

We’re on the way to….I have no idea actually but the new format should let us know what is coming up. I still like this one a lot better and the match quality has been very good so far. Let the show serve as a showcase for the talent, but this time around it’s about the Shinobi Shadow Squad so I’m not too thrilled. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at last week’s eight man tag, which was a heck of a fight.

Kelly Klein says all Karissa Rivera had to do was ask for a title shot, which is exactly what she did.

Clip of Rush beating TK O’Ryan at Manhattan Mayhem. How long can they run stuff from that one weekend?

We get a blink and you’ll miss it look at the Top Prospect Tournament brackets.

Video on Silas Young wanting to bring Josh Woods to the dark side and Woods considering it.

Clip of Young beating PJ Black pretty clean at Mass Hysteria.

Later that night, Woods brought Young some cigarettes, took one, and left. I guess that counts as storytelling around here.

Women’s Title: Kelly Klein vs. Karissa Rivera

Rivera is challenging. They go to the mat to start with Klein getting the better of it as Cabana tries to talk about Rivera’s family history in wrestling. A layout DDT stuns Rivera and a whip into the corner takes us to a break. Back with Klein working on the back even more as Cabana is ripping into Rivera for having no offense. Some hard shots in the corner keep Rivera rocked but the fall away slam is countered into a bicycle kick. Rivera hits a spinebuster, only to walk into K Power to give Klein the pin at 9:31.

Rating: D. How in the world does Ring of Honor think this is as good as they can get? This was a nearly ten minute squash with Klein never breaking a sweat after Rivera beat Sumie Sakai. The women’s division just needs to go far away as the matches are bad, the one angle they have feels like it’s been going on forever and nothing important is happening in the whole thing. Just get the title on the Beautiful People already and be done with it.

Post match Sumie Sakai comes out to help Rivera up. Klein praises Rivera, calls Sakai legendary, and tells Rivera that she can come get another title shot later. Cue the Allure (minus Mandy Leon) to complain about how it should be Angelina Love getting the title. Maybe Matt Taven was right when he talked about a conspiracy, but the conspiracy is against the Allure. Klein calls them b****** and that’s it.

Post break Klein says she, Sakai and Rivera are going to show Allure what Women of Honor is all about.

WHY DO THEY THINK ANYONE CARES??? You can’t even call Women of Honor a colossal failure because it was never big or good enough to be colossal in the first place. It’s a bunch of thrown together matches with the only stories being “everyone wants the title” and “ALLURE IS BAD”. Klein has switched face with no particular reason and while I’m sure there is more of an explanation on their YouTube videos or Honor Club or whatever, the whole thing just kills anything any given show can have. The division is completely uninteresting and while the wrestlers are talented, this needs to die in a hurry.

We look at a Defy Or Deny match from early June, with Matt Taven pinning Flip Gordon to prevent Gordon from ever getting another title shot. They’ll do it again in a few weeks, because you want to see more Matt Taven!

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

The Squad is challenging and jump PCO to start, earning themselves a backdrop to the floor. That leaves Isom to face PCO on his own, with the monster turning his back so Isom can have some free shots. Isom gets powerslammed for two with the rest of the Squad making the save as we take a break. Back with PCO being backdropped onto his partners, followed by Isom springboarding onto everyone.

PCO kicks out of all three at once and Cheeseburger’s palm strike has no effect (GOOD! NOW EAT THAT SCRAWNY MAN AND TURN HIS SKIN INTO A TOP HAT AND HIS BONES INTO SPOONS!). The chokeslam plants Cheeseburger, leaving King to crush them in the corner. The sunset flip/release German suplex combination sends Isom flying and Scurll kicks Nova’s leg out. A powerbomb gives Scurll two and King is back in with the swinging sitout Boss Man Slam to drop Isom. The Backstabber/running backsplash combination to Nova retains the title at 9:44.

Rating: C-. It was a much better match than the Women’s Title match but I never once bought the Squad as threats to win the belts. They’ve turned the Villains into some awesome champions and I’m not sure who is going to take the belts from them. That’s going to make the eventual title change more important and that’s some good booking.

Overall Rating: D+. And there goes the streak of good shows. This week really emphasized how lame Ring of Honor can be at times with no one feeling like a top star. Taven is World Champion and doesn’t feel like a big star. That’s the problem right now: no one feels like a big star because no one is a big star. Ring of Honor seems happy with just putting people out there to fill in time every week and if one becomes a bigger deal, good for them. That’s not going to work and it’s a reason why ROH has fallen off a cliff in the last year and a half.

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

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

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

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