IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 18, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Now I bet you were expecting some storyline development since we’re about three weeks removed from Best in the World, but you don’t know your Ring of Honor. Tonight is a gauntlet match for the #1 contendership to the Six Man Tag Team Titles. I’m not sure if there’s anything else on the card, but it wouldn’t shock me. Let’s get to it.

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

The Kingdom can’t wait to see how which Melvins get the next title shot because the conspiracy is still real.

Opening sequence.

Kelly Klein vs. Jenny Rose

Well at least there’s something else. Rose won’t put up with the trash talk and slaps Klein in the face to start. They hit the mat with Rose getting two off an Oklahoma roll and an armdrag out of the corner has Klein a little flustered. Rose charges into an elbow in the corner though and we take a break. Back with Klein dropping her with a clothesline and getting two off a one handed cover. She’s quite good with the cocky character.

There’s a running boot to drop Jenny again. Riccaboni: “Jenny Jenny, Kelly has your number right now.” Jenny turns to a running elbow in the corner and a release German suplex sends Klein flying. Klein is in trouble but grabs a quick suplex and rolls through into the End of the Match for the knockout at 7:58.

Rating: D+. Rose is another name in the division who can do the basics but can’t get much further than that. Klein and Dashwood come off as miles ahead of everyone else and it makes things look that much worse every time they’re out there. I still have no idea who these people are and I don’t know anything about them. The division isn’t going to get any better until that’s changed.

The Dawgs go to ask Cody for money to pay Shane Taylor to be their partner. Cody: “I just financed a 10,000 seat arena. I don’t have expendable cash right now.” The Dawgs think Marty Scurll might have it but Cody’s not cool with that. He pulls out an envelope of money and hands it to them instead, much to the Dawgs’ delight.

Matt Taven joins commentary with the Kingdom behind him.

Gauntlet Match

Five team trios gauntlet match with the winners getting a future Six Man Tag Team Title shot against the Kingdom. Shane Taylor/The Dawgs vs. Jonathan Gresham/Alex Shelley/LSG start things off, showcasing the depth of this “division” with two thrown together teams. LSG chops Taylor for no effect to start so Taylor kicks him in the chest. It’s off to Titus vs. Gresham as Riccaboni says every team has to start somewhere. True, but maybe it shouldn’t be in a #1 contenders match.

Shelley and Ferrara come in to make sure we have all three combinations before it settles down to Taylor headbutting Shelley in the face. Back from a break with Shelley avoiding the doggy splash. The hot tag brings in LSG for a running flip neckbreaker and the rope walk flip dive to take the villains down. Back in and LSG ducks Ferrara’s right hand into a rollup for the elimination at 8:58.

Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser/Brian Milonas are in third with Bruiser wasting no time in hitting the flip dive off the apron. Milonas catches LSG’s dive and picks up Shelley for a swinging side slam/dropkick to the head combo. Young and Gresham have a series of standing switches to a round of applause, break apart, and then do it again. That’s enough wrestling for Milonas, who crushes Gresham with a crossbody as we take another break.

Back again with Gresham and Young doing more standing switches until Gresham scores with a DDT. LSG comes back in and starts cleaning house, including low bridging Milonas to the floor. Everything breaks down and LSG hits something like a low F5 on Young. Milonas comes in to run LSG over though and what Riccaboni calls a Hart Attack with a legdrop (or as the Midnight Express called it, the Veg-O-Matic) gets two. The backbreaker into the clothesline drops Shelley and Bruiser’s windup DDT plants Gresham. The PowerPlex is broken up though and LSG’s 450 pins Milonas at 19:46.

So Cal Uncensored is in fourth and beat the heck out of the exhausted trio. We take a third break and come back with So Cal Uncensored taking turns beating on LSG. Sky’s super hurricanrana sets up Celebrity Rehab for the elimination at 24:17. Good performance from the makeshift team and I’m fine with having them get squashed in the third fall against an established team.

The final team is Kenny King/Eli Isom/Chuckie T because….well someone has to be the final team. It’s a big staredown to start so let’s look at the announcers a few times. Chuckie backdrops Daniels to start and clotheslines him into the corner for the tag off to Sky. King comes in as well and can’t quite figure out the Best Friends elbow with Chuckie. Some forearms have Kazarian in trouble and it’s already back to Chuckie for the rolling hilo.

Back from another break with Isom missing a dropkick and getting pummeled down like the jobber that he is. A slingshot legdrop gets two and it’s off to the chinlock. Isom fights up for a clothesline and King comes in to pick up the pace. King kicks Kazarian in the face as everything breaks down. For some reason Isom gets tagged in and it’s a three way hug. Chuckie and King dive to the floor, leaving Isom to reverse Angel’s Wings into a cover for the pin at 35:16.

Rating: B. I really don’t care for the idea of having all of those teams being thrown together for something like this but the action was quite good. The LSG team was a nice collection of three guys with nothing to lose trying everything they could and the surprise ending wasn’t bad. I’m still not sold on this “division” though and this match didn’t change my mind about the future.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event dominates the show and was entertaining enough to make things work fine. That being said, it’s not like any of this stuff matters as the trio isn’t going to win the titles so this was just a big one off show with no long term importance. That’s fine once in awhile, but it’s been the case for three weeks now. Do something that matters, because this is really old.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-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 11, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s another non-storyline advancing week as they’re still not all the way to Best in the World in the taping cycle. Assuming this is the final week before we catch up, we’re only going to be three weeks behind so they’re getting better. Tonight is going to be about some international talent being brought in, as tends to be the case around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Cody, in a white suit, talks about hearing stories of marauders leaving one man behind to tell the story. That’s what he plans to do with Titan tonight, so he can go back to CMLL to continue the partnership with Ring of Honor, in case they want to see someone bigger. Brandi: “No one is bigger than you.”

Opening sequence.

Sumie Sakai/Stella Grey vs. Gabby Ortiz/Riley Shepard

Riley is making her debut and trained with Ortiz. That means a comparison to the Godfather and D’Lo Brown. Ian: “Of course that’s who you think of!” Stella armbars Shepard down to start and Sakai comes in with a dropkick to the ribs. A Hennig necksnap into a basement dropkick get two on Grey and it’s a double Russian legsweep to keep her in trouble.

Back from a break with Stella suplexing Ortiz so Sakai can come in with the Mongolian chops. Everything breaks down and Sakai scores with a double clothesline. A neckbreaker gets two on Shepard but Ortiz runs back in with a DDT. Stella comes back in with a spear and Smash Mouse gives Sakai the Shepard at 7:49.

Rating: D+. Perfectly acceptable from a wrestling standpoint but I STILL DON’T KNOW WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE! Tell me something about them. Does Stella have a pet hamster named Knuckles? Is Ortiz a part time spelunker? How many pieces of Gilligan’s Island memorabilia does Shepard own? Tell me something other than where these people trained because the vast majority of the division is just a revolving door at this point.

Recap of Cheeseburger vs. Bully Ray, who I’m sure will be booed in his hometown.

Cheeseburger vs. Bully Ray

Street fight and Cheeseburger makes himself look even worse by wearing a cowboy hat. Ray runs down and low blows Cheeseburger from behind before the bell. The fans actually chant for Cheeseburger, much to my shock. Then again New York fans never did make a ton of sense. The weapons are brought in quickly so the fans chant for ECW. That sounds like pro-Ray to me.

Another low blow has Cheeseburger in trouble and Ray shoves former ROH owner Cary Silkin. They get inside for the first time so Cheeseburger can be put in the Tree of Woe with Ray standing on his crotch. A gorilla press and a kendo stick shot send us to a break. Back with Cheeseburger firing off the kendo stick shows for a comeback until a release powerbomb puts him down again.

The fans want tables but have to settle for Ray whipping Cheeseburger with a chain. The referee tries to intervene so Ray whips him as well, drawing Colt Cabana out of the announcers’ booth to spear Ray down. Some chain shots have Ray in trouble and Cabana hands Cheeseburger the cheese grater for a shot between the legs. Cabana leaves so Ray suplexes the heck out of Cheeseburger but misses a splash through the table. That gives Cheeseburger a delayed two and here’s BJ Whitmer to tell Cabana to go to the back. A big boot puts Cheeseburger away at 15:03.

Rating: D-. They lost me here when Cheeseburger came out with his stuffed burger and Riccaboni said Cheeseburger was trying to prove he’s not a novelty act. Cheeseburger is the definition of a novelty act and it’s a novelty that got old a long time ago. Ray is a good heel but unfortunately he’s a heel I still agree with. Cabana vs. Ray isn’t the greatest idea in the world but it’s better than Ray vs. Cheeseburger.

It’s back to Coleman’s Pulpit (DANG IT I THOUGHT THIS STUPID THING WAS OVER!) with the Kingdom as his guests. They give him a Melvin hat and offer him some wine, which he declines. Vinny Marseglia freaks Coleman out but he manages to ask about next week’s gauntlet match. Matt Taven still claims a conspiracy so Coleman tells a story about an entitled guy he knew, who wrecked his car. The moral is supposed to be about the Kingdom overcoming adversity, but there’s no conspiracy. Yelling ensues and I remember why I really don’t care for any of these people.

So Cal Uncensored wants their Six Man Tag Team Titles back.

The Dawgs need money to hire Shane Taylor so they rob Eli Isom. He only has $6 though so they beat him up as well. That might be the most entertaining those two have ever been.

Cody vs. Titan

Coleman has replaced Cabana on commentary. Oddly enough he’s far more tolerable here than he is in his own segments and sounds more like a human than his bad hosting character. Cody has Brandi and Bernard the Business Bear with him, as usual. Titan cautiously shakes hands but won’t kiss the ring. Hang on a second though as Cody needs to do some pushups. Titan counters with some neck bridges and the CODY chants turn into LUCHA chants.

The first contact sees Cody headlock him down but Titan nips back up. Titan hand walks over Cody but gets kicked in the ribs so Cody can pose. Brandi grabs a leg and Cody gets in a shot from behind as we take a break. Back with Cody going for the mask and hitting Titan in the face in the corner. Titan scores with a running clothesline and a springboard missile dropkick, followed by a regular one which didn’t seem to connect.

Bernard trips Titan to the floor but Cody hits the bear by mistake. A big springboard moonsault knocks Bernard’s head off and Brandi panics to get it back on. She’s fine enough to throw Cody some hairspray, which allows Cody to kick Titan low. The Beautiful Disaster gets two and Titan kicks him in the face. With nothing else working, Cody hides behind the referee and rips off the mask, setting up a small package for the pin at 8:49.

Rating: D. When Cody is in the theatrical mode, his matches are chores to sit through. Unfortunately that’s what we were getting here and it made what was a pretty short match feel much longer than it should have. As usual, the international talents are more talk than substance as ROH would rather tell us how great these people are than show us in some way. It’s not the worst main event, but it didn’t have any real value.

Overall Rating: D-. That’s one of the worst episodes I’ve ever seen of this show and I can’t say I’m surprised. The wrestling and storylines ranged from bad to non-existent and I’m getting really tired of waiting around on anything important to happen. Oh and next week is about setting up #1 contenders for the Six Man Tag Team Titles, meaning we have to wait until nearly AUGUST for fall out from a pay per view in June. There has to be a better way to do this and it’s getting worse every time we finish a pay per view.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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 4, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past Best in the World and there was a major moment at the TV tapings the next night, but no one has time for that because we have some one off shows to do first. For the life of me I don’t get why this is the best they can do, but hopefully they can keep it down to just a week or two this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Gresham goes for the arm to start but King actually takes over with an armbar of his own. You wouldn’t expect him to actually win a technical display but he even one ups that by winning on the mat. Back up and Gresham’s top wristlock works a bit better and he flips over into a crucifix for two. King goes back to what works for him with a double shoulder but some headlock takeovers annoy him all over.

We take a break and come back with King flipping Gresham off his back for a big thud. Gresham gets whipped hard into the corner and we hit an arm trap chinlock. King plants him but takes way too long trash talking before missing a springboard legdrop. Back up and Gresham scores with a running kick in the corner, followed by a running delayed dropkick.

A hard spinebuster gives King two but the Royal Flush is countered into a small package. They roll around exchanging small packages for a few near falls each and the fans are way into that, which I think I can get. A standing Lionsault drops King for no cover and they’re both down. King drops him on the back of his head though and the Royal Flush is good for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C+. King played a good heel here and Gresham is someone who can wrestle against anyone so this was a rather nice TV match. They’re playing up the idea that Gresham can’t win the big match (if you consider King the big match) and that means he’s either turning heel soon (not a terrible idea but not needed) or he’s going to keep getting closer until he finally pulls it off. Either way, I’m more interested in Gresham than I was before.

In two weeks, there’s a six man tag team gauntlet for a shot at the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Oh sweet goodness how bad could the lineup be for that?

Josh Woods vs. Facade

Shane Taylor is on commentary. Woods wastes no time in rolling some gutwrench suplexes but the last one is countered with a hurricanrana. Facade kicks him in the face and hits a standing Lionsault (just like in the first match) to send Woods outside. Back in and Woods misses a running knee in the corner and gets kicked in the head again as Facade is moving around fast enough to mess with Woods’ timing.

A rope walk dropkick puts Woods on the floor again and a double springboard flip dive (with Woods waiting in one place way too long) drops him again. There’s a springboard bulldog for two and that’s enough for Woods, who comes back with Rolling Chaos Theory. A reverse AA is enough for the pin on Facade at 4:11.

Rating: C. Facade looked good for a high flier and his springboards were solid enough. He was a bit sloppy though and that’s not the best thing in the world. I do however like the way Ring of Honor gives people a shot like this and Facade made something of it. Woods is still trying to figure things out and get back on track after the Top Prospect Tournament but this wasn’t the best way in the world.

Post match Woods calls out Taylor and Shane agrees to fight here in New York. Actually hang on because Taylor isn’t fighting in front of these people for free. Wait Taylor is a heel? That seems to change far too often.

Earlier today, the Dawgs tried to get Taylor on their team for the gauntlet. They don’t knock though and offer an IOU, which doesn’t work for Taylor.

Cheeseburger is ready for a No DQ/No Countout match against Ray next week.

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Oh it’s a post pay per view TV show for sure. No Vinny Marseglia with Taven and TK O’Ryan here and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. This is an old rivalry and Guerrero works a top wristlock to start. The fans give that a LUCHA LIBRE chant and it’s time for a standoff, complete with a lack of commentary for some reason. After chasing O’Ryan away, Guerrero sends Taven to the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.

Taven gets thrown into the crowd and O’Ryan goes into the barricade to keep things even. Another whip sends Guerrero into the barricade as well and we take a break. Back with Guerrero fighting out of a chinlock but gets enziguried out to the floor. That sets up Taven’s great looking no hands dive but Guerrero steps to the side. Taven and O’Ryan are set on a chair for a big wipeout, followed by some rapid(ish) fire chops in the corner.

A super gordbuster gets two but Taven is right back with a knee to the face. Back again with Taven getting two off a Lionsault but having a super hurricanrana countered into a superbomb. A springboard enziguri drops Guerrero again but he’s right back up to catch Taven on top. Cue the red balloons and Marseglia from underneath the ring for a distraction though, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this. It wasn’t boring and the work was fine but Guerrero is more a treat for the live crowd and he’s not exactly the biggest name in the world. This really felt like a main event on a show you didn’t need to see and while it was fine, it’s really not a match that I need to see or really care about. Taven has gotten a lot better though.

Post match the Kingdom celebrates for a long time before Taven says he respects Guerrero. Just realize that you’re not as good as Taven of course.

Overall Rating: C. Oh yeah this was a post pay per view show. No major stars (Taven is close but I’m not seeing him as a top guy), no major stories, and a “big” main event that will mean nothing in about a week and isn’t likely to be referenced again. The worst part is we’ll do this again next week because we might be looking at the second half of the month before we FINALLY get something storyline driven. You get used to it, but that doesn’t make it any better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: June 27, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s the go home show for Best in the World and since this is Ring of Honor, there’s a good chance that this is going to be one heck of a crash course on the way to the pay per view. We know some of the card, but around here it tends to be a very fast final push towards the show, which doesn’t exactly interest me in the bigger shows. Hopefully they surprise me so let’s get to it.

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

Well of course the go home show is the start of a new taping cycle. Heaven forbid they GET THIS STUFF STRAIGHT FOR ONCE and don’t make us wait the better part of a month before we get any storyline advancement.

Here are Dalton Castle and the Boys to get things going. The fans are happy to see him, at least partially because this is where he became World Champion. He’s been working harder than ever and at Best in the World, he’s putting the title on the line against two members of Bullet Club. People have been asking him why he’s doing that. Well why not? He used to play semi-pro Jai alai in Tampa so he’s not scared of anything.

Castle has props for the match, so one of the Boys hands him a pretzel. He says it’s a metaphor….and then admits that he doesn’t know what a metaphor is. He’ll fight Cody, Marty Scurll, or a Frankenstein wolfman in there and he’ll drop them all. Castle is the best wrestler in the world and in Baltimore, the two of them are going to regret doubting him. This title is going to be his for a long time. Good, fired up promo from Castle here, which is becoming a strong suit for him.

Jay Lethal recaps his quest to get back to the World Title, which starts by defeating all of the people who have recently beat him. He doesn’t care how many times he has to fight, because he’ll fight forever to be champion again.

Jay Lethal vs. Chuckie T.

Chuckie pinned Jay in a triple threat match last month. Lethal works on a wristlock to start and easily flips out of a hammerlock. A snapmare puts Lethal down though and we have a required standoff. They fight over a hiptoss with Chuckie sending him outside for all of a second. Back in and Lethal misses a middle rope crossbody with Chuckie just stepping to the side ala Samoa Joe.

We hit the Black Widow for a good while until a dropkick sends Lethal down and us to a break. Back with Lethal nailing the basement dropkick, followed by the triple suicide dives as the announcers name the fans. Chuckie kicks him in the head though, only to walk into a double clothesline. Lethal gets sent outside and catches Chuckie in a cutter (minus the backflip of course) for a big drop.

That’s only good for a nineteen so Lethal superkicks him for two more. The Lethal Combination is broken up and Chuckie gets two off a rollup, earning himself some kicks to the head. This time it’s Lethal’s turn to charge into a boot though, setting up the stuff piledriver for two. The Awful Waffle is broken up though and the Lethal Injection gives Jay the pin at 13:28.

Rating: B. Chuckie is starting to grow on me as he’s been having actual good matches instead of just doing the comedy stuff over and over again. Lethal is of course great against anyone and I could go with him eventually (emphasis on that word) moving back up to the World Title scene, where he really belongs.

They shake hands post match.

Video on Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon, with Ray being a jerk to the smaller guys, including Gordon.

Best in the World rundown.

Adam Page is ready to finish Punishment Martinez.

Jay Lethal is ready to break the tie against Kushida.

The Briscoes are over the Young Bucks and know they’re the best team of this generation.

Dalton Castle is ready to throw bodies left and right and he has plenty to pick from.

Cody is ready to get the title back at the same show he won it at in the first place.

Marty Scurll says it’s time to become World Champion.

As usual these were short, to the point, and worked fine.

Punishment Martinez/Briscoes vs. Bullet Club

Page and the Bucks here, as you probably guessed if you were paying attention in the interviews of course (they always come back to haunt you). Nick and Mark get things going with Nick running the corner into a spinning armdrag. Jay throws a chair in for a distraction so he can low bridge Nick to the floor. Of course that means a flip dive from Matt, leaving the power guys to slug it out in the ring. Back in and Matt has to save Nick from a chokeslam and a double dropkick puts Martinez on the floor.

The flips and kicks have the Club rolling with a pair of dives taking the Briscoes down again. Martinez isn’t about to be outdone (except for when he’s being outdone) so he climbs onto the post for a huge flip dive and a big reaction. It takes a lot to get cheered in a Club match but they did it here. Martinez grabs a table but Nick avoids a running powerbomb through his brother through the table. The referee gets distracted by the appearance of a kendo stick, allowing Jay to get in a chair shot. Mark’s top rope elbow puts Nick through the table and we take a break.

Back with a normal six man having broken out with Nick elbowing Martinez in the face. Of course he can take the Briscoes out on his own but thankfully the diving hot tag is broken up. One heck of a springboard flip dive from Matt takes the Briscoes down and NOW the tag brings in Page to slug away at Martinez. That just ticks Martinez off so Page spits in his face (Colt: “That’s disgusting.”) and sends him outside for a huge moonsault down to the floor.

Back in and the top rope splash/moonsault/running shooting star sequence gets two on Martinez and it’s off to the stereo Sharpshooters on the Briscoes. The Buckshot Lariat drops Martinez and Nick hits the 450 for two more. A double clothesline puts Page and Martinez down though and we take another break.

A great looking superkicks rocks Jay and a double version each have Matt and Martinez down. The triple superkick rocks Jay but Mark dives off the top to cut off a Meltzer Driver. The Jay Driller gets two with Page making a save and everyone is down. Page breaks up a Doomsday Device with a powerbomb to put Martinez through a table, leaving Matt to victory roll his way out of another Doomsday Device for the pin on Jay at 17:44.

Rating: A-. So you remember how I said last week that it’s hard for me to get invested in a Bucks match because they’re always going to win in the end? Well that was the case here too but sweet goodness this was a heck of a match with a bunch of people I like so it’s hard to seriously complain. Well save for the Doomsday Device not working because Matt just flipped when he got clotheslined. That’s never going to work and they would have been fired for trying it on the Road Warriors. Or just beaten to non-PG bloody pulps.

Post match Cody runs in to save his buddies from a beatdown. They have to be healthy for All In you see.

A Best in the World ad ends the show.

Overall Rating: A. Well that was awesome. The weaker match on the show was just shy of pay per view quality and they even got some promotion for the pay per view in there. Sure it was just promos and the taping schedule is going to be another mess but my goodness this show was great and probably the best episode of Ring of Honor I’ve ever seen. Check this one out for sure.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: June 20, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re less than two weeks away from Best in the World and that means it’s time to start setting up some of the lower matches on the card. Well at least that would be the case most of the time but around here you never know because Ring of Honor doesn’t always announce a lot of its card until the weekend of the show. Let’s get to it.

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

The Bullet Club is ready for Los Ingobernables de Japon because Los Ingobernables couldn’t sell out an arena in thirty minutes like the Club did.

Opening sequence.

Chuck Taylor vs. Kenny King

Chuck offers a handshake but pulls it away because he’s kind of a jerk. They finally do shake hands and King motions a bunch of hugs to the crowd. A headlock slows Chuck down to start and King runs him over with a shoulder, meaning it’s time to dance. Chuck runs him right back over and it’s time for some Kentucky dancing. They share a hug and Chuck teases jumping him to no avail. More dancing sets up another hug but this time Chuck belly to belly suplexes him to take over.

Back from a break with Chuck missing a middle rope moonsault and Kenny slugging away. Chuck gets sent outside for a dive but let’s stop for King to take a picture with a fan. I mean, he’s not ready to take it so we’ll come back to that later. King mostly misses a high crossbody but gets two anyway. That’s enough for Taylor to send him outside for a dive and NOW we’ll take a picture with the same fan. A Falcon Arrow gives Chuck two and a stuff piledriver is good for two more. King is right back up with the Royal Flush for the pin at 11:37.

Rating: C-. I’m not big on this style of match as they were just trading moves on each other until one of them hit their finisher for the win. It wasn’t terrible or anything but it’s nothing that I’m going to remember in about five minutes. Taylor has grown on me though and he’s nowhere near as bad as I used to find him.

We look back at the Briscoes attacking the Young Bucks a few weeks back.

The Briscoes aren’t happy with being asked why they’re going down the dark road. The Bucks are the best in the world at selling shirts and making Youtube videos, but they can’t take the titles.

Video on Shane Taylor.

Here’s Shane in the ring to call out Josh Woods. He had Woods beaten in Florida when King Mo interfered. Now Taylor is going to beat Woods up faster than Derrick Rose pops his ACL.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Taylor wastes no time in knocking Woods to the floor with the power, followed by a big headbutt on the outside. A big Cannonball crushes Woods against the barricade and a legdrop on the apron sends us to a break. Back with Woods reversing a powerslam into a sleeper but Taylor throws him down. The referee gets in the way and Taylor knocks Woods out with a right hand for the pin at 5:33. Not enough shown to rate but this was pretty much a squash.

Bullet Club vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Cody, Hangman Page, Young Bucks, Marty Scurll

Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Evil, Sanada, Bushi

Dalton Castle is on commentary and we’ll look at him for the first few seconds of the match. Cody and Naito start things off with Cody striking his pose and Naito doing his eye opening deal. Naito sends him outside and rolls into the pose, which of course is cheered to high Heaven around here. That’s too far for Cody, who throws a bunch of chairs around. Scurll tags himself in to face Bushi so let’s go back to Castle, who is holding the title upside down.

Ever the evil one (though not Evil), Bushi grabs the beard so Scurll goes for the fingers. That sets up a showdown between the Bucks and Bushi/Evil with the fans not being sure what to do. Ian talks about the teams fought in Osaka, even though Evil and Sanada lost the titles there but came out with them here. Nice try at least. They stare each other down and it’s eventually all ten in the ring for a big staredown. The referee tries to keep order (get that man a raise) but the brawl breaks out anyway with the Bucks taking over (you’re kidding me) by way of dives and dropkicks.

Scurll kicks Sanada in the face so Page can hit a running shooting star to clear the ring. Cody does the Rise of the Terminator pose to annoy the fans but Takahashi cuts him off with a Darryl shot. Everyone else gets Darryled until a double superkick takes him down, followed by a big rope walk flip dive to Evil and Sanada. The Meltzer Driver is broken up and Evil chops a chair into Matt’s face as we take a break.

Back with things having settled down a bit as Matt superkicks Sanada down. The hot tag brings in Scurll to slug it out with Takahashi but he can’t quite get the chickenwing. Instead it’s the Ghostbuster for two but Takahashi kicks the heck out of Scurll, allowing the hot tag to Evil. Sanada comes in for a bonus, meaning Nick can have extra targets to beat up. The Bucks grab the stereo Sharpshooters but get broken up in short order. Cue Punishment Martinez to fight Page into the back though and we take another break.

Back again with Los Ingobernables cleaning house for a change and a quadruple basement dropkick rocking Matt. There’s a Destroyer to Matt and the Magic Killer gives Bushi two with Nick pulling the referee out. Even Bernard the Business Bear offers a distraction so Bushi mists him for good measure. Scurll hits Cody with the umbrella by mistake and Naito adds Destino…..but it doesn’t matter as the Bucks come in with a bunch of superkicks. The Meltzer Driver ends Bushi at 16:37.

Rating: C+. And that’s why the Bucks get on my nerves: the Road Warriors weren’t pushed as this unstoppable. The Bullet Club, who are having problems, haven’t been a team as long, and are down a man due to Page being gone, is in trouble but DON’T WORRY because the Bucks are here for a bunch of superkicks. In other words, absolutely nothing in the first sixteen minutes mattered because the Bucks are going to come in and almost literally beat up the other team by themselves. What’s the point in even watching a match if there’s no reason to think anything else is going to happen? Good match with an annoying ending.

Cody checks on Bernard and pours water on the mask.

A Best in the World rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. That ending really rubbed me the wrong way and took me out of a lot of the good things that the show had going for it. While still good, this was really all about the main event and that match was really not working for me because of the last few seconds. They did a better job of setting up some stuff for Best in the World, but so much of the TV still feels like they’re filling in time because they don’t have anything else to do outside of their one big match. That’s been a problem for so long around here and it’s getting tiresome.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: June 13, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re getting closer and closer to Best in the World and thankfully two of the biggest matches have already been announced. In this case that would be the World Title and Tag Team Title matches, though the Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight as well. If nothing else, hopefully we can get a good match without much possibility of drama. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon

Flip has to flip out of a wristlock to start and then flips away to avoid a leg sweep. That means a You Can’t See Me (Cabana: “Wrong TV show.”) and Gresham actually gives him credit. Gordon gets sent into the corner but Gresham isn’t exactly going right after him to follow up. The modified Octopus Hold has Gordon screaming in pain and Gresham turns it into an abdominal stretch to make things even better.

Flip gets out and dropkicks him to the floor, of course setting up the sky high dive to take Gresham out. Back from a break with an exchange of some loud chops and then a forearm off until Gordon kicks him in the head. Gresham’s springboard tornado DDT is countered into a Falcon Arrow for a slightly delayed two. The Star Spangled Stunner gives Gordon the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C. I’m surprised by the finish here as Gresham isn’t someone you would expect to be putting Gordon over. If nothing else this should give us more fuel towards the BOOK FLIP FOR ALL IN story, which is actually rather amusing and could lead to a good payoff. I can also go with Gordon using the Stunner as the finisher as he doesn’t need to flip around all the time.

Post match here’s Bully Ray to talk about Gordon. He didn’t know that Gordon’s family was from Montana, which is where Bully’s parents wanted to retire. When Ray’s mother died, he was in the process of buying his parents a ranch in Montana. When he was finishing up the purchase, his dad dies of a heart attack. Ray hands them pictures of his parents, which he had with him at the Hall of Fame induction.

He also found out that Gordon was in the Army, which means a lot to Ray. From now on, they have no heat and Ray wants to shake his hand. I won’t even bother suggesting that he’s being legit as he’s already kicked Gordon low by the time I finish the previous line. Gordon is just a young boy and Ray thinks he’s nothing.

Video on Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo.

We look back at the end of last week’s show with Kenny King costing Austin Aries the TV Title and Aries beating him down after the match.

Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is in street clothes and jumps Klein anyway, sending her into the steps. They head inside with Purrazzo trying an early Fujiwara armbar but getting rolled up for two instead. Purrazzo follows her to the floor and gets caught in a fall away slam to cut her off. Back from a break with Purrazzo rolling some German suplexes, capped off by a release to rock Klein again. A snap suplex that looked more like a brainbuster gets the same and there’s the Fujiwara armbar.

Klein is in the ropes so Purrazzo chops the heck out of her. One more armbar attempt goes badly though and Purrazzo is sent shoulder first into the post. A super fall away slam (without much elevation) gives Klein two and there’s a ref bump (which happens WAY too often around here). Purrazzo hits a cutter for no count and yells at the referee for being knocked down. Klein is back up and reverses the Fujiwara armbar into the End of the Match for the tap at 9:35.

Rating: C+. These are two of the best the division has and that’s not a good sign as they only had a fairly good match. The division has some talent but there’s a reason you rarely see most of the women outside of this company. When two of their best can only put up this kind of a match, they probably need to do something a little bit different as this wasn’t much to see.

Jay Lethal is facing Kushida at Best in the World. This was the announcement that he didn’t get to make last week.

Dalton Castle isn’t worried about facing two friends at the same time because he rages like a furnace. They should fear him.

Caprice Coleman is on commentary for the main event.

Tag Team Titles: Roppongi 3K vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending. Jay and Mark won’t shake hands and jump their much smaller challengers before the bell. As usual, these guys are such great villains. Mark gets caught in the wrong corner to start with Yoh hitting a slingshot dive. Coleman says that new champions wouldn’t mean an upset here. Uh, time to go back to the pulpit Caprice. A double back elbow puts the champs in control though and we take a break.

Back with Jay dropkicking Yoh in the face but not bothering to cover. Mark goes up and gets dropkicked out of the air but Jay is right in to cut off the hot tag attempt. It’s back to Mark to rip at Yoh’s face but he takes too long to follow up, allowing the hot tag to Show. That means rolling German suplexes with a superkick setting up the bridging version for two. 3K (Dominator/sliding cutter combination) is broken up though and Jay kicks Sho in the face, sending us to our second break.

Back with Mark powerbombing Sho for two more and the champs aren’t happy. Jay superplexes Sho to set up the Froggy Bow for another near fall and Coleman is losing it on commentary. Yoh comes back in for some running forearms so Mark chops the heck out of the two of them. That’s fine with Roppongi, who hit double flip dives to take the champs out again. 3K hits Mark with Jay diving in for the save. Jay throws in a chair for a distraction though and Mark gets in the low blow. Sho gets choked out and the Jay Driller to Yoh retains the titles at 13:39.

Rating: B+. I had a heck of a time here with all four working hard and turning it into a really fun match. Roppongi 3K’s growth in just the last year is nothing but amazing as they’ve gone from some worthless jobbers to guys capable of having a really good tag match. Excellent main event here and one of the most exciting things ROH has done in awhile.

Overall Rating: A-. The main event alone carries this one as the first two matches, while fine, didn’t exactly have the most energy in the world. I’ll still take a fun, fast paced main event that caps off a solid hour of wrestling but I could have gone for some build towards Best in the World. At least Lethal vs. Kushida should be a lot of fun as we haven’t seen much from Kushida in recent months.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: June 6, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

With less than a month to go before Best in the World, it’s time to start cranking up the card. We don’t know much about it at the moment other than the triple threat main event, which should be little more than Cody’s coronation. Other than that, there isn’t anything major announced but maybe that can change tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Cody and Bernard the Business Bear to open things up. Cody talks about how ironic it is that he’s called the American Nightmare when the last six months have been a dream. He’s going to be the next Ring of Honor and NWA World Champion but he’s not thrilled with Marty Scurll being in the Best in the World match with him.

Cue Scurll to a big reaction to say the fans know how great he is, which Cody knows too. Cody is threatened and intimidated by him and at Best in the World, Cody will see how good he is. Scurll has no problem going through him to win the title but Cody thinks he has more to say. They shake hands and Marty teases breaking the fingers but leaves without getting violent.

Silas Young wants no excuses when he beats Austin Aries tonight.

Karen Q vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood cranks on the arm to start and takes her down, allowing a little trash talking for fun. A headscissors is botched a legsweep gives Dashwood two instead. Karen trips her right back and we take a break. Back with Karen slowly pounding away and shouting a lot, which the announcers call a change of attitude. That would be interesting if we knew a bit more about Karen but that might mean personalities for these women.

Dashwood gets slammed face first into the mat but comes right back with a Tarantula to slow Karen down. A loud boot to the face keeps Karen in trouble and the Taste of Tenille gets two. Karen pulls her down into a Liontamer but a rope is grabbed to avoid any longer damage. Dashwood doesn’t get up so she sunset flips Karen from the mat for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: D. Dashwood is a star with great charisma (I really don’t get what WWE didn’t see in her) and Karen is one of the better Ring of Honor women but, as I say every week, PLEASE give us some characters. Dashwood’s identity is that she has something to prove and wants to be the best but Karen….well her middle/last initial is Q. That’s about all I’ve got on her and that’s not enough.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a match and I’m hoping to see it at Best in the World.

Page vs. Martinez is confirmed for Best in the World. Also set for the show: the Briscoes vs. the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles. That could be great.

TV Title: Austin Aries vs. Silas Young

Young is defending and in a coincidence, they’re both from Milwaukee. Aries hasn’t has a title match in Ring of Honor in over eight years. Aries gets driven into the corner to start and Young throws a shirt at him to a big reaction. A takedown gives Aries a rollup for two but it’s way too early for the Last Chancery. That’s enough for Young to give him a round of applause and a shot to the face makes things a little more serious.

Some nice armdrags can’t set up an armbar as Young keeps rolling out so Aries dropkicks him in the face instead to cap off a fast sequence. The middle rope elbow to the seated back gives Aries two and Young bails to the apron. That goes badly as well with Aries ramming him into both buckles over and over as we take a second break. Back with Aries being whipped into the barricade as things slow down a bit, partially due to the pace they’ve been keeping.

Young grabs a quickly broken chinlock back inside before going with the backbreaker into a clothesline for two more. A full nelson of all things has to be broken with Young being sent to the floor and there’s the suicide elbow. Young is right back with a series of shoulders in the corner but neither guy can hit their finisher. Instead it’s a Death Valley Driver on the apron to knock Young silly as we take a break.

Back again with Young getting caught in the Last Chancery but a foot is quickly on the ropes. A frustrated Aries grabs a belt (come on you’re smarter than that) but we’ve got a ref bump. Cue the Beer City Bruiser, though Kenny King is out just a second later to cut him off. With the referee still down, Young tries to grab a title, which Kenny steals right back to knock him cold, allowing Aries to score the pin and the title at….whatever time the fall went down because we have a Dusty Finish. Another referee comes out to tell the downed one what happened and that’s a DQ win for Young at 16:48.

Rating: B-. Is it just me or does Ring of Honor REALLY love their ref bumps in recent months? It’s almost to the point where you expect it every single big match and that’s not the best way of doing things. If the fans are expecting it, the shock and awe that come with it go away. The match itself was fine and it makes sense to keep the title on Young, who needs the boost far more than a major star like Aries.

Post match Aries shoves the referee with King pulling him off. That doesn’t work for Aries, who lays King out with a brainbuster and the Last Chancery to end the show.

There was supposed to be a Jay Lethal announcement but nothing ever happened.

Overall Rating: C. Well one was good and long and the other was slightly less long and much worse. I’m not sure where a lot of Best in the World is going but the fact that we have anything with three weeks left is quite the accomplishment for Ring of Honor. The top of the card is looking very strong and that’s really what matters the most. Give us a solid lower half and maybe we can forget how underwhelming Supercard of Honor was.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: May 30, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

The big story coming out of last week’s show was the Bullet Club Civil War but as is almost always the case around here, you never know where that’s going to lead on the next show. We’re still on the way to Best in the World in about a month, meaning we might start the build to the show in a few weeks. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Dawgs vs. Cheeseburger/Jushin Thunder Liger

Titus shoves Cheeseburger down to start but a quick rollup gives Cheeseburger two. Ferrara comes in and gets grabbed by the arm, meaning it’s off to Liger for the first time. The Dawgs bail to the floor and that means a double flip dive off the apron to send us to an early break.

Back with stereo surfboard holds keeping the Dawgs in trouble until Ferrara gets left alone. Titus slaps him in the back of the head to tag himself in and a catapult into a clothesline puts Cheeseburger down. A northern lights suplex into back to back splashes get two but Cheeseburger spins up into a reverse DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag to Liger for two off the Liger Bomb. Everything breaks down and a double palm strike sets up the brainbuster to put Titus away at 8:50.

Rating: D+. As much as I can’t stand the Dawgs (which is kind of the point), it’s a good idea to have a crowd favorite like Liger opening the show. He’s going to get a huge reaction no matter what he does and he’s still more than fine in the ring. Cheeseburger still needs to fall in a hole but that’s been the case for years now.

We recap Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose. They used to be friends but now Rose wants to be the first champion.

Dalton Castle thinks Marty Scurll and Cody should both get the World Title shot at Best in the World since he would fight a grizzly bear over a parking spot.

Quick look at the end of last week’s show when Marty Scurll accidentally hit Cody with the umbrella.

Women’s Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose

Sakai is defending and Rose is another one of those interchangeable women that Ring of Honor thinks is important or interesting because they’ve been around for a while. Sumie takes her into the corner for some fast stomping and Rose is sent outside as we take another early break.

Back with Sakai getting two off a missile dropkick but walking into a side slam for the same. The swinging fisherwoman’s suplex gives Sakai two more, only to have Rose spear her through the ropes for a big crash. Back in and a fisherwoman’s suplex drops Sakai for another near fall so Rose snaps off a German suplex. Sakai pops up so Rose spears her down, only to get caught with Smashmouse to retain Sakai’s title at 7:17.

Rating: C. And the problems for the division continue. I’ve been watching Ring of Honor for a good while now and I still couldn’t tell you anything significant about either of these two. Rose trained with Sakai and wants the title. Fine. Now tell me something about Sakai or Rose. Let them have some promo time or a character or something, but what we’re getting right now is just people having not great matches.

We look at Cody and Marty Scurll both pinning Dalton Castle lately.

Cody and Scurll don’t agree on who is taking the title from Castle.

So Cal Uncensored needs the Six Man Tag Team Titles back (after losing them earlier this month at a live event) and promises to regain them tonight.

Silas Young is sick of people coming here with their hands out, like Austin Aries wanting the TV Title. Next week, Aries is going to find out how big of a joke he is.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. The Kingdom

Kingdom is defending. It’s a big brawl to start (as it should be) and Daniels pops a balloon (yes a balloon) over Marseglia’s head in the corner. Sky kicks Marseglia in the back to keep the champs in trouble and comes in for a headlock. Taven and Kazarian get in an argument and Marseglia gets suplexed during the melee. It’s off to O’Ryan but Kazarian stomps him in the back, allowing Daniels to pull on the arm.

A hard shot to Sky’s face knocks him into the corner and the triple team takedown gives the champs control. Marseglia pops a balloon over Sky’s head and the fans think this is awesome. Chicago fans have really low standards. Taven comes in for the first time and knocks So Cal off the apron, followed by a suplex for two on Sky as we take a break. Back with Sky and Marseglia crossbodying each other and an escaped suplex allows the hot tag off to Kazarian.

Everything breaks down and Kazarian rolls O’Ryan up. That’s no cover as O’Ryan isn’t legal so Kazarian gives Marseglia a northern lights suplex for two while still cradling O’Ryan. Everything stays broken down and Kazarian gets two off a slingshot DDT. Daniels is sent outside for a big dive from Taven and a missed fall puts everyone other than Sky on the floor.

You know what that means as Sky hits a big old dive of his own and everyone is down. Daniels pulls out a pair of knuckles but gets them knocked away. Kazarian comes in with a chair but hits the rope to knock himself silly instead. The referee thinks Taven did it so that’s a DQ at 13:04.

Rating: C+. I’m a little tired of seeing these teams fight, especially when the titles change hands fairly frequently. I get the story, but am I really supposed to buy that So Cal Uncensored can’t get the titles back again before the end of the year? The match was fine, but I’m not really feeling the story, especially when you see these matches so often.

Castle vs. Cody vs. Scurll is official for the Best in the World main event. Wait it wasn’t already?

Overall Rating: D+. This was a pretty lifeless show with neither title match really feeling all that important. The Women’s Title has to take an up elevator just to reach trying to get off the ground and the Six Man Tag Team Titles have been done to death already. Best in the World should help, but star power would be a bigger positive for the show at the moment. Not a terrible show, but nothing you need to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: May 23, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still on the way to Best in the World and I’m not sure where things go on the way there. Several people want the World Title and two of them are in action tonight as Jay Lethal faces Punishment Martinez in what could be an interesting match. We’re also likely getting some more on Bully Ray’s heel turn which has had me agreeing with him the entire way so far. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jay Lethal vs. Punishment Martinez

Both guys say they’ll win on the way to the ring. Martinez goes right after him to start but gets clotheslined to the floor. That means the triple suicide dives into the barricade….but Jay goes INSANE by making it seven straight as Coleman is losing his mind. Lethal starts in on the knee but gets kicked away as we take a break.

Back with Lethal still on the leg in a smart move to keep Martinez down. The Figure Four is blocked and Martinez elbows him in the corner. Martinez gets caught on top and punched in the knee again, followed by a running dropkick to the leg. You can’t say Lethal isn’t going with a smart game plan here. Martinez knocks Lethal down and scores with a top rope clothesline for two but Jay suplexes him down to take us to a break.

Back with Lethal holding Martinez in the Figure Four but Martinez reaches up to get a rope. The Lethal Injection is countered into a full nelson faceplant and a curb stomp. Must have watched Rollins vs. Miz recently. Martinez takes Lethal up top, only to be cut off by a shot to the knee. The top rope elbow (not a great one) gives Lethal two and frustration is starting to set in. The chokeslam is broken up and Martinez’s knee gives out. A superkick sets up the Lethal Injection to give Jay the pin at 16:28.

Rating: B. Lethal is getting better and better, which says a lot when he was already one of the best Ring of Honor has ever had. He walked Martinez through a good match here and that’s all you can ask him to do. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lethal getting the World Title shot at Final Battle after all the build they’ve given him this year, and it’s not like it would be the worst move in the world to put the title on him.

Video on Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose for the Women’s Title next week.

Joey Daddiego vs. Shane Taylor

Daddiego says everyone has to go to work and he’s ready to do that harder than everyone else. Joey slugs away but can’t lift the much bigger Taylor. That earns him a heck of a forearm to the jaw and an even harder chokebomb. Taylor gets two off a splash but misses a Cannonball as the fans are behind Daddiego a bit. A hard right hand staggers Taylor and Daddiego gets two off an AA.

They head outside with Daddiego being sent into the barricade over and over (second match in a row with someone going into the barricade multiple times). Taylor lays the mostly out cold Daddiego across two open chairs for a splash off the apron in a SCARY spot. The referee yells at Taylor and gets chokeslammed on the floor. Security runs in and gets beaten down as well, meaning it’s a no contest at about 5:00.

Rating: D+. So the idea with Taylor is that he’s trying to earn money to support his family but after beating jobbers in thirty seconds, he can’t beat a career jobber in five minutes and did stuff that will likely get him fined? Taylor has the skills to become a big deal around here but this is the best they have for him. Such is life in Ring of Honor, unfortunately.

Cody keeps cutting Brandi off and says that he’s getting his rematch at Best in the World. That should be the layup of all layups.

We recap Bully Ray’s heel turn on Cheeseburger, which brought him out of retirement and back to the active roster.

We look at the Briscoes attacking Bullet Club last week in a good angle.

So Cal Uncensored vs. Bullet Club

Non-title. Cody, Adam Page and Marty Scurll here (with Bernard the Business Bear) in the latest six man main event, which seems almost like a semiannual tradition anymore. Cody cranks on Sky’s arm to start and hits a delayed gordbuster of all things to send us to a break. Back with Daniels sitting on the mat and Scurll patting him on the head. Page comes in to a nice reaction and gets to face Kazarian in what has wound up being a heck of a rivalry.

They slug it out with Page getting the better of it and dropkicking Daniels into a moonsault on Kazarian. Cody tries a Disaster Kick but hits Scurll by mistake, with the announcers debating his intent. Daniels leg lariats Cody down and the and Sky hits a super hurricanrana as we take a break.

Back again with Cody and Daniels hitting a double clothesline and the hot tag bringing in Scurll for some rapid fire stomps on Sky. Page adds a running shooting star and Scurll superkicks Sky from the apron. That means it’s time for the dives with Sky hitting the last one to put all six down. Daniels goes up top with Cody and that means a superplex to bring Daniels onto everyone else.

Everyone dives in at nine and Daniels pokes Marty in the eye for the sake of saving his fingers. Kazarian slingshots Page in for a cutter and Sky slingshots himself in to cut Cody. Scurll can’t hook the chickenwing on Sky so Page hits a double Buckshot Lariat on Daniels and Kazarian. Din’s Fire (a sweet Zelda name for the Vertebreaker) hits Kazarian and the Rite of Passage puts Sky away at 15:06.

Rating: B. I had a really good time with this one and the tension in the Bullet Club continues to be interesting. Scurll and Page are turning into some fun characters and I’m curious to see where the two of them are going. The champs losing isn’t a good idea but it’s so common anymore that it’s not even worth getting annoyed over. That’s not a good sign but it’s also not surprising.

The fight keeps going post match and Marty hits Cody in the face (great shot) with the umbrella to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The annoying Taylor angle aside, this was a heck of a show with two very good matches to bookend things. It’s the second good show in a row since Supercard of Honor but next week is going to fall back down with the Women’s Title match. There’s a lot going on around here and ROH needs to figure out the way to get this stuff together to make the shows like this instead of the messes that they’re more likely to put on far too often.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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: May 16, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

This week should be a big deal with the Young Bucks getting a Tag Team Title shot against the Briscoes, which is about as high profile of a tag match as you’re going to see around here. It might be the biggest tag team match you can have and with a bigger stage, would be one of the featured matches on any major pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelly Klein vs. Madison Rayne

You can tell Kelly is serious here as she ties her hair back. Madison tries to speed things up to start but can’t get a sunset flip. Instead it’s some clotheslines to put Madison in trouble and we take an early break. Back with Klein choking in the corner and yelling at the crowd a lot. Madison comes back with some forearms and a cutter for two but the Rayne Drop is broken up. A second attempt works just fine for two but Klein is right back with a Samoan drop. With that not working, it’s a knee to Madison’s face for the pin at 8:12.

Rating: D+. That’s a big enough win and the kind of thing that Klein needed after her loss at Supercard of Honor. The logical move would be to have her earn another title shot and take the title from Sumie Sakai, but there’s every chance that ROH will go with one of their other unknown names to take the title instead. It’s not like it’s unprecedented.

So Cal Uncensored is ready to face the divided Bullet Club.

Jay Lethal is a better wrestler than Punishment Martinez so he’s not worried.

Here are the Motor City Machine Guns for a chat. They’ve accomplished their goal of winning the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles but what do they do now that they’ve lost the belts? Split up? Or win the titles again? The truth is they’re not sure but they know they’re brothers for life. Cue the Dawgs and the match is on.

The Dawgs vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns clean house to start and an enziguri into a Downward Spiral sends Ferrara to the floor. The Dream Sequence is broken up though and we take a break. Back with Ferrara being thrown into Shelley’s ribs in the corner but Ferrara dives onto Titus by mistake. Sabin comes in for a dive onto both of them but Titus hits both of them in the face. Now the Dream Sequence connects on Titus, who pops up with a running big boot to Sabin. The Doggy Splash gets two as everything stays broken down. Titus gets tied in the Tree of Woe though and Ferrara gets suplexed into him. Skull and Bones puts Titus away at 7:35.

Rating: C-. I still can’t stand the Dawgs but as long as they’re not talking and losing their matches, they’re not the most annoying things in the world. The Guns teasing a split is interesting as well and that could lead somewhere, though their previous singles feud in TNA really didn’t do anything for me.

The Young Bucks are ready to beat the Briscoes again.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Facade vs. Eli Isom

You never know what you’re going to get in this tournament. Facade describes himself as a ninja and has a woman named Danni with him. They grade near falls to start and that means an early standoff. Isom gets in a jumping knee to the face to take over as the face pace continues. A springboard spinning kick to the face of a seated Isom puts Facade down but Isom is right back up with a t-bone suplex. That doesn’t get him very far though as Facade sends him outside for a springboard flip dive, followed by a springboard clothesline back inside. And never mind as here’s Bully Ray to clothesline Facade for the DQ at 4:40.

Rating: C+. That was already better than most of last year’s Top Prospect Tournament matches as Facade was entertaining and memorable while Isom was at least trying. This thing can be VERY hit or miss and last year’s offered Josh Woods alone as an interesting prospect. At least this seems to be off to a better start. Oh and again, it’s a DQ and not the no contest that they’ll bill it as. When you interfere and hit one person, it’s a disqualification whether you want to go with that story or not.

Ray says that as the enforcer (because he wasn’t fired after yelling at his boss and beating up wrestlers at Supercard of Honor), he’s firing both of them for being bottom feeders in the wrestling business. Cue Cheeseburger (Ian: “We needed somebody to stand up to Bully Ray!” Whitmer: “AND IT’S THIS PIPSQUEAK???”) to call Ray a piece of ****.

A one armed chokeslam drops Cheeseburger so here’s COO Joe Koff to fire Ray. Well at least it was only a short term stupid move. Ray unretires, meaning he’s back as a wrestler. As long as they don’t expect me to care about Cheeseburger pinning Ray, fine. He puts on the Hall of Fame ring, which is censored ala the REAL World Title back in 1991.

The Bullet Club is ready to win the Six Man Tag Team Titles but Cody and Marty Scurll disagree about who is going to win the World Title at Best in the World.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending. Mark throws in a chair before the bell but Jay and Nick are fighting, allowing Matt to pelt it at his head instead. The brawl and match start on the floor with Nick being suplexed onto the apron and Matt getting double teamed on the other side of the ring. Nick is right back up though and the Briscos are powerbombed onto the apron to send us to a break. Back with Mark cutting off Matt’s attempt to run around the floor and get to the hot tag.

A spear cuts Mark down instead and now the hot tag connects so Nick can start in with the kicks. The Superkick Party is on and a shooting star press/standing moonsault combination gets two on Mark. Cease and Desist can’t go on so the Briscoes grab a rear naked choke and Sharpshooter of their own. Like most submissions on faces, the holds are broken up in short order. Instead it’s a Razor’s Edge into a neckbreaker (sweet) for two on Matt but the Doomsday Device is broken up. The Jay Driller gets two on Matt but Mark uses a chair to break up the Meltzer Driver for the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This needed more time and was starting to get really good by the end of the match. The Bucks are far better to watch as faces than heels, which is something that should have happened far sooner than it did. That being said, the Briscoes are just on another planet right now and they’re the most entertaining things about Ring of Honor at the moment.

Post match the Briscoes wreck the Bucks with chairs but Mark is smart enough to hide behind the entrance and take out Adam Page and Flip Gordon as they try for a save. Cody comes out a few seconds later but gets beaten down as well. Great ending sequence to make the Briscoes look even more awesome.

Overall Rating: B. This show worked very well with a variety of stories being told and nothing, save for Cheeseburger’s mere existence, felt like a waste of time. The main event was good and the World Title situation could be a lot of fun once Dalton Castle is back to full health. Good show here, and one of the best, most efficient episodes they’ve put together in a long time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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