IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 19, 2020
Location: Cabarrus Arena, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

For the first time in a good while, there are a few interesting things going on around here and that means we might be going somewhere. Granted I’ve had that false hope before and I’m almost scared to imagine how much worse it could get. Hopefully we get more of the good and less of the bad though so let’s get to it.

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

We look at Josh Woods/Silas Young beating the Briscoes to become the new #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles in a good match.

Clips of Alex Zayne winning his debut match against Bandido.

Dalton Castle gives Joe Hendry advice during his photo shoot, involving roller blading and eating pizza that is too hot. Or maybe he’s a mean tree! I could listen to Castle’s random words for days.

Come to house shows!

Buy merch!

We look at Sumie Sakai turning heel. Yeah I still don’t care about her.

Clips of Sakai vs. Nicole Savoy.

Brian Zane’s Top 5 of the week looks at best factions, with Generation Next at the top of the list. That’s one of those really obvious ones and that’s ok.

Lifeblood vs. Vincent/Bateman

Vincent and Bateman jump them from behind before the bell but Lifeblood uses the power of good wrestling to save themselves. Bateman gets caught in the corner and a catapult sends him into an atomic drop. It’s off to Vincent who can’t hit a chokeslam but can get taken down with a middle rope dropkick. An elbow sends Williams to the floor, where he has to beat up the clown named Chuckles. That earns him a cutter from Bateman though and we take a break.

Back with Williams fighting out of the corner but getting rolled right back into said corner to keep him in trouble. Sliced Bread is broken up and it’s a hot tag to bring in Haskins for the fast paced house cleaning. Haskins clears the ring and kicks Bateman off the apron, followed by the suicide dive to Vincent. Back in and Haskins gets two off a clothesline to Vincent but everything breaks down. Williams piledrives Vincent into a Sharpshooter but Chuckles comes in with a block of wood for the DQ at 9:14.

Rating: C. Lifeblood continues to be entertaining and seems to be working as hard as they can ever time, but I’m not sure how much they can do at this level. Then you have Vincent and Bateman, who are already more interesting than almost everything the Kingdom ever did. They’re still nothing all that great, but it was the right call to not have them take a clean loss here.

Post match Vincent and Bateman go after Haskins’ leg but Williams chases them off with a chair.

Bouncers/2 Guys 1 Tag vs. Jeff Cobb/Dan Maff/Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

So yeah, Woods and Young are just faces now. I’m not sure I’m good with that but sure why not. Gresham bails from the threat of Young’s wristlock to start before remembering that he’s Jonathan Gresham and therefore can easily take Young down. A headscissors freaks Gresham out and the staredowns continue. Gresham monkey flips him out of the corner but they keep their hands locked and it’s a monkey flip off.

Some rollups give Young some twos as they remember other people are involved in this match. That means Woods coming in to easily take Gresham down so it’s off to the floor for a breather. Woods tells Lethal to come in and easily takes him down in a hurry. Lethal gets run over with a few shoulders but manages the hiptoss into the basement dropkick. That means it’s off to the Bruiser vs. Lethal, with the former promising to punch him in the mouth. The no tooth bite and the promised right hand put Lethal down so it’s off to Cobb as we take a break.

Back with Woods suplexing Cobb but getting sent outside for the big beatdown. Lethal comes in and suplexes Woods for two before taking him into the corner for the tag to Gresham. And not that it matters as it’s right back to Lethal for a heck of a whip into the corner. A double suplex drops Woods again but he grabs a suplex of his own to drop Lethal. Gresham dives into a knee to the head and the three of them are all down.

The hot tag brings in Young, who slingshots in with a double stomp to Lethal. Young hits a backbreaker into a clothesline but it’s Maff coming in to chop away at Bruiser. Maff gets to clean house with a spear getting two on Young, setting up Cobb’s standing moonsault onto Woods. Cobb can’t suplex Milonas but he can hit the Tour of the Islands on the Bruiser for the pin at 16:53.

Rating: B-. They did a bunch of stuff in one match but at the same time, how much drama was there in this? Cobb is a nearly unstoppable monster and Lethal is one of the most successful wrestlers ever in this company. I’m supposed to be believe that a glorified comedy team like the Bouncers and eternal midcarder Silas Young were threats to that lineup? Good enough match, but not exactly a shocking result.

Post match Maff and Cobb stare the champs down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good enough but it took about twenty minutes to finally get to that wrestling. What we got was good but it is pretty clear that there isn’t enough to make this into a regular TV show week to week. It’s basically just clips strung together into something resembling a show, which makes for a pretty standard experience week to week. That doesn’t make for the most thrilling stuff, but at least you get a good match almost every time.

Results

Lifeblood b. Vincent/Bateman via DQ when Chuckles interfered

Jeff Cobb/Dan Maff/Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham b. Bouncers/2 Guys 1 Tag – Tour of the Islands to Beer City Bruiser

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 12, 2020
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia/Cabarrus Arena, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

We’re back around here and that means there is likely to be something about the NWA Invasion. It might not be the most original story in the world but it’s something fresh and that’s EXACTLY what they have needed around here. Things have felt stale for a long time now and that isn’t going to be completely fixed with one story, but it’s a big upgrade. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look at PCO vs. Rush involving a ton of interference, including NWA World Champion Nick Aldis, with the match ending in a no contest.

Ian and Quinn preview the show.

Clips of Flip Gordon beating Flamita at Honor Reigns Supreme. Flip stole the mask post match.

Brian Johnson isn’t interested in watching footage with PJ Black and leaves. Black says phase two is about to begin.

Here’s what’s coming up at various upcoming shows.

We go to Atlanta where Bully Ray ranted about dirt sheets promised Maria Manic was coming to fight him. Cue Maria, with Ray daring her to get on the apron and then in the ring. Maria looked scared but then got inside and speared Ray down. A table was loaded up but Angelina Love and Mandy Leon ran in to beat her down. Ray splashed Maria through the table to wrap it up.

Buy merch!

Brian Johnson/PJ Black vs. Bouncers

During their entrance, we hear the Bouncers asking why we have so many makeshift teams around here. Oh and buy their jersey. After some yelling over the t-shirts, Milonas shoves Black down and catches a crossbody without much effort. A slam plants Black again and a Pounce sends him into the corner. Johnson comes in and gets chopped down so Bruiser comes in to chop it out with Black.

Another chop puts Johnson in the corner and there’s another one to the back. Milonas’ falling splash crushes Johnson and we take a break. Back with Bruiser’s no teeth bite and an old Bushwhackers’ Battering Ram for two on Johnson. A cheap shot lets Johnson go to the apron where he slips off the ropes to the floor, gets back up and slips again, before finally hitting a spinning shoulder.

Thankfully he brings Black in for a chinlock so things can settle down a bit. Johnson grabs his own chinlock and throws his feet on the ropes, which is such a lost art these days. Black points out the cheating to the referee and comes in, only to get clotheslined by Bruiser. Milonas gets the hot tag and starts cleaning house, including a double crossbody to Johnson and Black. Closing Time is broken up but Johnson grabs a chair, with Black taking it away. Now it’s Closing Time to finish Johnson at 10:56.

Rating: D+. So yeah that happened. The Bouncers brought up a good point in their pre-match promo when they said that just because you team together doesn’t really make you a team. A lot of these new teams are just people doing stuff because they have nothing else to do. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t exactly make the tag division look strong.

Post match Johnson walks away from Black.

Post break, Johnson rants but Black comes in to say you win with your mind and then your body. They do some breathing to calm down. Well Black does at least as Johnson walks away again.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Villain Enterprises

Rhett Titus is on commentary and that would be Rush/Dragon Lee/Kenny King (with Amy Rose) vs. PCO/Marty Scurll/Brody King. Lee takes Scurll down to start so Scurll spins around to grab a hammerlock. A shoulder puts Lee down but he nips up (off camera) to annoy Marty. La Majistral gives Marty two and we take an early break. Back with Brody shouldering Kenny down as King is becoming the new Jay around here.

Rush and PCO come in for the hoss fight with PCO planting him off a spinebuster. Everything breaks down and they fight to the floor with La Faccion taking over, including choking Scurll with a camera cord. PCO gets thrown inside so Lee can work on his leg, followed by Kenny striking away in the corner. Rush grabs a triangle choke over the ropes, followed by the running kick to the face.

We take another break and come back with PCO clotheslining his way out of trouble. Brody comes in with a bunch of running corner clotheslines and it’s Scurll sunset flipping Brody to German suplex Kenny for two. Everything breaks down again and Lee’s backsplash gets two on Brody. Lee and Brody strike it out until it’s Rush coming in to chop away and PCO and Brody at the same time.

That earns him a double chokeslam and La Faccion is sent outside. That means a double backdrop to send PCO onto all three of them, setting up the PCOsault for two on Rush with Lee making the save. We hit the parade of secondary finishers and everyone is down. The Villains take over on Kenny with Marty going after the fingers.

That earns him a kick to the head but Marty is fine enough to hit the Ghostbuster for two. Brody’s suicide dive takes out Lee and Rush, setting up the apron Swanton from PCO to Kenny. The chickenwing has Kenny in trouble but he flips out into a rollup for two. Marty and Lee go up top but the rest of the Faccion comes in for a double powerbomb/double stomp combination to finish Marty at 17:17.

Rating: B+. This is where the Villains shine and I could watch them do something like this every week. Their matches are always well laid out and make you feel like you’re watching organized chaos, albeit in a good way. La Faccion needed to win here as they’re still brand new and they got that win in an awesome match. Also: new booker takes the fall, which is a good sign.

Overall Rating: C. Ring of Honor is such a weird company right now as PCO is the World Champion but you would never notice unless you saw the title because he’s basically a lackey for Marty. That’s where things get confusing: Marty is probably the top star in the whole company but he almost never wins anything while PCO is just…there. It’s a really weird setup and I’m not sure how much good it is doing for everything else.

Speaking of everything else, I’m having trouble remembering anything else going on in the company because everything feels like it’s just coming and going. The main event saved the show, but how many times can Villain Enterprises pull a rabbit out of their evil hats? You can only do something to get some attention going and the NWA Invasion, which wasn’t on this show other than a recap, is all they have in that area right now. Not a terrible show, but they have a lot of work to do.

Results

Bouncers b. Brian Johnson/PJ Black – Closing Time to Johnson

La Faccion Ingobernable b. Villain Enterprises – Double powerbomb/top rope double stomp combination to Scurll

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: January 29, 2020
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

We’re off to Atlanta again and that could make for some interesting moments. The Final Battle fallout is officially over and we need to move on towards whatever is up next, which will eventually include Supercard of Honor. I’m not sure what to expect from this one but this show is so all over the place these days that you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

We look at PCO defending against Rush, which saw a bunch of people, including NWA World Champion Nick Aldis getting involved for the no contest. That could benefit both sides.

The hosts tell us to watch Free Enterprise.

Clips of Dragon Lee retaining the TV Title over Andrew Everett.

Silas Young and Josh Woods get in an argument in the back and Silas yells at Woods for almost knocking over Quinn McKay.

Video on Vincent turning on Matt Taven and forming his own team.

Vincent/Bateman vs. Sal Rinauro/Michael Stevens

Bateman pulls Stevens inside and kicks him in the face as we ring the bell. The fans chant for Bateman but sound like they’re slipping in some YOWIE WOWIE at the same time. Bateman keeps up the beating with some slow forearms and chops until Stevens hits a quick Eat Defeat.

Rinauro comes in and, after an enziguri from Stevens, gets two off a sunset flip. That’s it for the offense though as Bateman is back with the slow chops to take over again. Rinauro grabs a running Stunner but Bateman plants him with a brainbuster. Vincent gets the tag and cuts a promo….which is censored out, including a graphic saying that the statements are too controversial. Either way he pins Rinauro at 3:25.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and there’s nothing wrong with that. The thing at the end with Vincent being censored is the coolest thing they could do as it adds some intrigue. Vincent wasn’t interesting in the Kingdom but maybe he can do something else here now that he’s got his own team. The squash was effective enough but they need to do something to make these guys stand out.

Nick Aldis talks about how he’s here to save this place. Now you have Marty Scurll as the new big deal but he had to come to the NWA as a bonus. They are not friends right now and if Scurll wants a turf war with Villain Enterprises against Strictly Business, bring it on. He’s happy to team with Rush against Marty and PCO. Aldis is a great promo.

Here’s Shane Taylor, with the Soldiers of Savagery, to call out Joe Koff. Shane thanks him for the opportunity around here and the best year and a half of his career. If Joe wants him to stick around though, he has some demands: a Six Man Tag Team Title shot, a World Title shot, the biggest contract around and his face on every poster. Koff doesn’t get to answer but that doesn’t seem likely.

Buy merch!

Clips of Jonathan Gresham beating Josh Woods via countout.

Marty Scurll says Flip Gordon is taking PCO’s place in the Six Man Tag Team Title match. The fans are all over Marty here and it’s almost weird to see.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. Flamita/Bandido/Rey Horus

Marty, Flip and Brody King are defending. Brody and Flamita start things off with the masked one being launched into the corner. A shoulder drops Flamita again and his chop just annoys King. Back up and Flamita manages a running hurricanrana, only to get knocked down again. Marty and Bandido come in with Bandido hitting a running dropkick. A running hurricanrana is blocked and it’s a quick standoff, with the fans being behind the luchadors.

Horus and Flip come in to continue the very formalized series of tags. A running kick to the back of the head gives Horus an early two so Flip is back with a kick to the mask. Flip sends him outside so Marty can get in a running shot and we settle down a bit. King comes in to take over on Horus with a splash giving Marty two. Back from a break with Gordon clotheslining Marty by mistake, allowing the hot tag off to Bandido.

The top rope spinning crossbody takes King down again, followed by a moonsault to the floor from Bandido with the other two hitting running flip dives at the same time (awesome spot). Back in and Flip gets beaten down, including Bandido suplexing Flamita into a moonsault for two. Gordon is right back with a springboard spear and it’s King coming back in to start wrecking people. Everything breaks down again and the sunset flip into a German suplex gets two on Flamita.

King kicks Scurll off the apron by mistake though and Horus is back in with his springboard tornado DDT for two. Bandido’s crucifix bomb plants King again and a Spanish Fly does the same to Flip. Horus DDTs the heck out of King again and everyone is down to a VERY warm reception from the fans. Bandido and Scurll are up for the slugout with the X Knee hitting Scurll.

Back up and Scurll tries to fight off all three challengers at once, earning himself a superkick into a moonsault slam for two. Flip and King are back in for the exchange of chops, followed by the Motor City Machine Guns’ Made In Detroit for two on Bandido. Flip and King dive onto Horus and Flamita so a triple kick to the head can get two on Bandido. Marty takes way too long loading up the chickenwing though (some things never change) and it’s a victory roll to get Bandido the pin and the titles at 16:47.

Rating: B+. As usual, Ring of Honor is at its best when they let it all hang out and go nuts, which is what they did here. Villain Enterprises are awesome in matches like this one and you can’t go wrong with Bandido and company. This was a heck of an entertaining match with everyone getting to show off. It’s also good to keep the World Champion out of this as he shouldn’t be taking a loss, even if someone else gets pinned.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event more than carries the show and it was a heck of a way to use the last third. They did everything you could want them to do out there and I had a good time watching it for the most part. It’s still weird to just do portions of big events as it feels like a highlight show rather than a show that goes week to week. Then again we tried that and it was such a mess that there is no point in going there again. In other words, it comes down to the action itself and this week’s was good.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 22, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Brian Zane
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

We’re still dealing with the Final Battle Fallout and that means things should be getting interesting around here sooner or later. The last few shows have done very little to get my interest up after the pay per view but maybe they can change things around here. I mean, I wouldn’t bet on it but stranger things have happened. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look at Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham winning the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle.

The hosts welcome us to the show, which will be all about tag teams. Fair enough.

Bouncers vs. Dalton Castle/Joe Hendry

We get the Code of Honor to start before Milonas shoves Hendry down a few times. Back from a break with Castle coming in and promising to slam Bruiser. Castle can’t do much to him so Bruiser starts punching him and gets in the fake biting. The Bouncers go New Zealand with a Battering Ram but Hendry low bridges Milonas to the floor. Bruiser even goes all the way up and dives onto all three for the big crash and quite the earned reaction. Back in and Milonas’ falling splash gets two on Hendry but Bruiser misses his running hip attack in the corner.

That means Castle can come back in to suplex Bruiser (not bad) for two and Hendry adds a fall away slam (not badder). Castle doesn’t seem to like Hendry tagging himself back in so Bruiser can shove Hendry away, allowing the hot tag to Milonas. Everything breaks down but Castle saves Hendry from Last Call. That lasts for all of a few seconds before Castle is sent outside, leaving Hendry to take the Last Call for the pin at 9:07.

Rating: C. The Bouncers have become one of the most consistent acts around here and that’s one of the most bizarre things I ever could have imagined. I don’t get how that works but they’re getting something out of it. Castle and Hendry aren’t doing as much for me, but it hasn’t seemed like ROH has had anything planned for them for weeks now.

Buy merch!

Ian and Quinn preview the rest of the show.

Master & Machine vs. Brian Johnson/PJ Black

Johnson tells Black to get out to start, which isn’t a nice way to talk to your new mentor. Black tags himself in anyway and the fans are rather behind him. Machine slams him down though and it’s Johnson tagging himself back in. Everything breaks down and Black kicks away at everyone until we take a break.

Back with Johnson holding Master in an abdominal stretch, though Johnson won’t let him grab the rope. Johnson’s middle rope splash gets two but Black kicks his feet off the ropes. The hot tag brings in Machine to clean house with an Oklahoma Stampede and a spear getting two on Johnson. Master’s top rope elbow gets the same but Black runs Machine over. A superkick to Master sets up a fist drop from Johnson for the pin at 5:53.

Rating: C-. Johnson and Black are another team who don’t get along and that’s just what we had with Castle and Hendry. Master & Machine haven’t shown me much yet but they do seem to be trying hard out there, which is all you can ask for when a team (or any wrestler) is just starting out.

Brian Zane gives us his Top 5 Tag Teams in Ring of Honor history, which of course is topped by the Briscoes. Like it could have been anyone else.

2 Guys 1 Tag vs. Briscoes

For the #1 contendership and that would be Josh Woods/Silas Young. A long Rock Paper Scissors game means it’s Woods starting against Mark with the latter making the mistake of going amateur against the former NCAA Champion. It’s a spank to Mark and we take a break. Back with Young hammerlocking Mark and getting two off a shoulder.

Jay is sick of waiting though and comes in for a hard forearm each to Woods and Young to knock them both outside. That means Mark can hit a springboard flip dive and we settle down to Jay beating up Young. Jay charges into a raised boot though and a blind tag allows Woods to come in for a Saito suplex.

Another suplex into a slingshot hilo gets two and we take another break. Back again with Mark getting the hot tag to come in and clean house. The Rock Bottom suplex drops Woods and the brainbuster plants Young. Woods counters the Froggy Bow into a quickly broken cross armbreaker with Woods being sent into a middle rope boot to the face.

Redneck Boogie gets two on Woods and Mark kicks Young in the face again. Woods superplexes Mark off the top though and everyone is down for a bit. They get back up for the four way slugout with the Briscoes getting the better of things. The Doomsday Device is loaded up but here are Lethal and Gresham for a distraction so Woods can Rolling Chaos Theory Mark for the pin at 15:14.

Rating: B-. The interference at the end brought it back down just a bit because they were starting to rock at the end there. Woods and Young work well together and they could have a good title shot against Lethal and Gresham. It makes sense for the champs to be scared of the Briscoes but dang I was hoping for a clean upset win here. Still though, good stuff.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event bailed this one out in a pretty big way as the other two matches didn’t exactly blow anything away. It was fine to have a theme though and showcasing the tag division a bit is a good idea. If nothing else, it’s nice to see that they actually have a tag division, which isn’t something more companies can brag about these days.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: January 8, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

We’re onto the Final Ball Fallout shows, meaning I should probably watch Final Battle at some point. At least we get some fresh content this week, but I’m not sure what to expect from everything else going on. Hopefully things pick up a bit in the new year, but I’m not sure I would get my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We look at PCO winning the World Title at Final Battle in a big upset.

The announcers recap Final Battle and hype up tonight’s show.

Here’s Villain Enterprises so PCO can get in his first address as the World Champion. The fact that Marty Scurll has yet to win the title but PCO has is mind boggling. Scurll praises PCO for wrestling longer than he has even been alive and finally achieving the destiny. PCO thanks the fans for believing in him but we’re clipped to Rush popping up on screen to say he’s coming for the title. They couldn’t even show the full segment?

Rush has his own friends now, with Kenny King (including Amy Rose) and Dragon Lee, who get their own jerseys as part of La Faction Ingobernable. PC says he isn’t giving the title back because they are Villain Enterprises. This was really flat and just set up a not exactly surprising rematch. Also Kenny King as Rush and Lee’s buddy? Really?

PJ Black and Josh Woods are in the back when Silas Young comes in. Black wants to be a Real Man and suggests that his student could beat Young’s student. Brian Johnson passes by so Young says go train him. The match seems to be made.

Clips of Dragon Lee winning the TV Title.

Dak Draper vs. Shaheem Ali

Kind of a random match. Draper headlocks him to start so Ali slips out and tries a shoulder block. An armdrag takes Draper down and hits a belly to back suplex as we take a break. Back with Draper hitting a delayed gutwrench suplex so the cockiness can get cranked up. Ali chops away and flips out of a belly to back suplex, setting up a release northern lights suplex. There’s a side kick and a running splash in the corner, setting up a running basement dropkick to rock Draper again. A Doctor Bomb gets two on Draper but he winds up on the apron and nails a springboard back elbow. The Magnum KO finishes Ali at 7:24.

Rating: C-. Not too bad here but Draper isn’t exactly the thrilling guy they seem to think he is. The participation ribbon is a nice touch but it’s the problem with the Top Prospect Tournament most years: these guys are billed as brand new names and most of the time they’re starting from scratch. Draper is kind of a hard one to go from brand new to something interesting and it’s a long way to go given his rather basic (not a bad thing) style.

Video on Vincent beating Matt Taven at Final Battle.

We look at the wacky tag match from Unauthorized with a wrestling referee and Ian dropping a top rope elbow. Brian Johnson took the pin and seemed rather humiliated.

PJ Black offers Johnson his support but Johnson respectfully declines. Johnson insists he doesn’t need a manager.

We look at Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham cheating to win the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle.

Gresham and Lethal are rather pleased. Lethal is sorry that it took him so long to see that Gresham was right. No one gets punished for what they do around here so he might as well cheat and enjoy the success. Gresham wants to remake the company in their image.

Brian Zane from Wrestling With Wregret gives us his top five Final Battle 2019 moments, with all of the new champions at the top of the list.

PCO/Marty Scurll vs. Dan Maff/Jeff Cobb

Scurll spins out of Cobb’s wristlock to start and makes the mistake of trying a shoulder. A dropkick puts Scurll down and it’s Maff coming in to miss the big elbow. Scurll slaps him on the top of the bald head and then runs away from the threat of violence. PCO comes in instead and the fans are rather pleased with the change. The staredown sets up the double suplex to drop the Villains but Scurll is right back with a cheap shot to Matt to take over.

Maff is so annoyed that he doesn’t see PCO coming from behind with a dropkick. Scurll gets thrown down though and Cobb elbows him in the face for a bonus. An overhead suplex sends Scurll flying for two and the standing moonsault is good for the same as we take a break. Back with Maff press slamming Scurll and driving PCO into the corner. The Cannonball crushes PCO and Maff drops a splash for two.

PCO gets taken into the corner for some chops but fights out with some rather slow punches to both of them. A double clothesline gets PCO out of trouble and it’s Scurll coming in to chop/strike away. Scurll DDTs both of them out of the corner and backdrops PCO onto Maff on the floor. A Boston crab/middle rope legdrop to the back of Cobb’s neck gets two and a suplex is good for the same. Scurll dives into a cutter from Maff though and he even mocks the bird pose before another cutter gets another two.

The French Canadian Destroyer gets two on Maff, because YOU NEED A DESTROYER IN EVERY SINGLE MATCH! PCO’s Cannonball gets two on Maff and a flip dive through the ropes knocks Cobb down again. Scurll tries his own dive but walks into the spear from Maff. That means a big dive from Maff, which doesn’t seem to hut PCO. The Swanton to the apron only hits apron and PCO is done again. Back in and Scurll small packages Maff for the pin at 15:16.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to think of this one. The wrestling was pretty good but for the new World Champion’s first match, I was probably the least impressed with him out of everyone. Maff was a stunt show, Cobb is an athletic freak, Scurll is the star and PCO is…well he’s there too. It was a nice tag match, but the direction didn’t make a lot of sense.

Overall Rating: C. This was their big fallout show from their biggest show of the year and I’m kind of disappointed. We got some recaps of a few things, but at the same time it felt like a show that just came and went. What was on here that would make me want to keep watching? An old World Champion while Scurll STILL feels like the biggest star in the company who is nowhere near the top of the card. It’s a weird place and I don’t know how they are going to get out of the whole situation.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: January 1, 2019
Host: Ian Riccaboni

It’s the second Best Of 2019 show and this time around we’re looking at the Madison Square Garden G1 Supercard. I’m not sure why Ring of Honor would want to do that given that it was where everything started to fall apart, but they might as well get whatever tiny bit of credit they can, despite New Japan being responsible for the success. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a clip of Kazuchika Okada winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title from Jay White in New York.

From the G1 Supercard.

Never Openweight Title vs. ROH TV Title: Will Ospreay vs. Jeff Cobb

Title for title. They shake hands before the bell and Cobb wastes no time in shouldering him out to the floor. Ospreay gets in a shot for a breather and runs back in for a Flying Space Tiger Drop, which is pulled out of the air. Whatever Cobb was trying is countered into a tornado DDT on the floor but he’s fine enough for the delayed vertical superplex for two back inside. There’s a hue toss across the ring as the power vs. speed is on full display early on.

We hit the bearhug with Ospreay having to elbow his way to freedom and nailing a spinwheel kick to the face. Pip Pip Cheerio gets two but it’s way too early for Stormbreaker as Cobb reverses into a fall away slam. The Samoan drop into the nip up into the standing moonsault gets two as Cobb gets to show off. Ospreay grabs the ropes to avoid the Tour of the Islands and it’s the Spanish Fly to drop the monster. A missile dropkick to Cobb’s bad shoulder keeps him in trouble but Code Red only gets two.

The Oscutter is broken up and Cobb turns him inside out with a clothesline. In a scary sight, Cobb goes up but misses the frog splash. The Oscutter is countered with Ospreay being thrown into the corner, where he bounces right back to make it connect on a second attempt for two. A hook kick to the head drops Cobb and there’s the Cheeky Nandos kick. Ospreay makes the mistake of trying a super Stormbreaker though because it’s a super Tour of the Islands to crush Ospreay dead. A regular version gives Cobb the pin and both titles at 12:56.

Rating: B. That was fun and the perfect choice for an opener. Cobb looked like a star who survived everything Ospreay could throw at him and hit his crazy power moves to retain/win. Power vs. speed is almost as basic as you can get in wrestling and when you do it right, it’s a very cool match, just like this one was.

We look at Rush beating Dalton Castle in less than 20 seconds with Ian explaining the whole thing over the video.

Video on the Honor Rumble.

From G1 Supercard to wrap it up.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll

Lethal is defending in a ladder match and Taven is played to the ring via piano. The ring announcer makes it clear that this ladder match is ONE FALL. You can tell Lethal is fired up to be here, as he should be. Marty goes straight for a ladder so Jay baseball slides it into him. Taven is right there with the no hands dive to take them both down but bangs up his wrist in the process. Lethal goes with some chairs and bridges a ladder between some in the aisle.

That takes too long so Marty jumps him from behind and goes inside to put a pair of ladders in a pair of corners. Lethal and Taven are back in with Jay hitting both of them with ladders to take over. Instead of going up, he bridges a ladder over the bottom rope and of course gets sent face first into it. Marty ties Lethal in the Tree of Woe in the ladder and blasts it with a chair a few times. Lethal is mostly dead so Marty sets up a ladder in the middle, grabs the umbrella, and goes up.

That takes a bit too long though and it’s Taven making the save with a superkick. Taven knees the ladder around Lethal’s neck but it’s Marty going up the ladder. Lethal ties him up in a Figure Four in the ladder but they have to let go so Taven can be stopped. Marty takes a cutter on the apron and Taven powerbombs Lethal onto the bridged ladder in the aisle. This gives Aldis another chance to be the best analyst in wrestling today because he ACTUALLY ANALYZES THINGS.

Back in and Marty gives Taven a 619, which further injures his knee. Taven ladders Marty down and the fans are all over him, because Taven is as popular as a bad fungus. For some reason Taven climbs a ladder in the corner, earning himself a superplex back down. Lethal comes back in and flips out of the chickenwing attempt. With Marty down, Lethal goes up, punches Taven down, and gets caught in the chickenwing on the ladder.

Taven goes up as well and gets his fingers snapped but Lethal kicks them both off the ladder. A Lethal Combination sends Taven into the ladder and Lethal misses a charge, putting one ladder through another in the corner. Marty drops Taven onto the X between the ladders but walks into the Lethal Injection. Lethal throws the double ladder outside and it nearly knocks out half of the first row. Fans: “THAT’S A LAWSUIT!”

Scurll gives Lethal a brainbuster on the floor and loads up a table as Aldis is suddenly very anti-Lethal. Taven is back up and spears Marty off the apron and through the table. They’re both down so Lethal pulls out another table and the big ladder, setting up Hail to the King for the crazy spot of the match. Lethal and Marty go up but Taven busts out a big purple ladder. They all get knock down as Aldis has to explain to Riccaboni why a taller ladder is a good idea. Taven climbs up, hits Lethal in the head with the title, and wins at 29:38.

Rating: B-. This was good for the most part but it’s the worst possible outcome that deflated the crowd. The fans just do not want to see Taven on top of the company and have made that very clear. Instead, he gets the World Title because ROH had put so much time and energy into him that they just did it anyway. The match was entertaining but could have been at least ten minutes shorter on an already long show where New Japan has already lapped ROH five times.

Overall Rating: B. As I was getting some of the matches from the original review, it was really painful to see how much New Japan dominated the Ring of Honor side. The matches were better and their star power was higher, making everything feel that much better and more important. It was a good enough show but it really made me sadder than anything else. Ring of Honor could be something special, but right now, things are not looking good.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: December 25, 2019
Host: Ian Riccaboni

It’s time for the first of two Best of 2019 shows, which is likely going to draw some jokes given how things have been going around here. They have a lot of stuff to pick from and thankfully Ring of Honor is the kind of promotion which is much better when they focus on the wrestling and not the storylines. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look at Shane Taylor winning the TV Title in a four way match in Toronto.

From Best In The World.

TV Title: Bandido vs. Shane Taylor

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

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

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

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

Highlights of Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven in a 60 minute draw at the 17^th Anniversary Show.

From Global Wars Espectacular.

Villain Enterprises vs. Okamura/Rey Bucanero/Hechicero/Barbaro Cavernario

Hechicero, a wizard, chases Marty to the floor to start and Scurll isn’t sure what to do so far. Back in and some wristlocks go nowhere so Brody King offers Scurll some advice (“GET OUT!”). Marty takes him down and hits the bird pose so PCO can come in to face Cavernario. Some shoulders have no effect on PCO so Cavernario gets dropped with a shoulder. A hurricanrana works a bit better on PCO but he gets a boot up in the corner…to send Cavernario into the Worm.

Back from a break with King cleaning house, including a sunset flip from Marty into a King powerbomb for two on Bucanero. The cannonball hits Bucanero in the corner and it’s a brainbuster into a Swanton as everyone makes the save. Hechicero hits a cutter on King for no cover, leaving PCO to get crushed against the barricade. King gets drop toeholded into a double surfboard to make it even worse. Back up and King sends them to the floor for the big flip dive, only to have Hechicero hit his own springboard moonsault.

Cavernario kicks Flip and Marty to the floor for a springboard dive and Bucanero gets launched to the floor. Back in and it’s Hechicero taking the strap down for a strike off with PCO. Hechicero is sent to the floor and that means the PCOsault to take everyone down again. Scurll goes after Okamura’s fingers and it’s King’s backsplash onto Okamura onto Scurll’s knees for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, with everyone getting to do whatever they could. The point here wasn’t the tag wrestling or anything more than just throwing a lot of people in the ring and letting them do whatever they wanted. The fans liked it and it was a good showcase all around. What more could you want here?

Highlights of Matt Taven winning the World Title in Madison Square Garden.

We hear about the Guerrillas of Destiny vs. the Briscoes in a ladder war too violent for TV.

From ROH TV, July 31.

Briscoes vs. Dragon Lee/Rush

It’s a brawl to start (yes, in a Briscoes match) with Lee sending Mark to the floor off a hurricanrana. Jay and Rush trade flips and corner splashes, followed by Jay getting forearmed down. Lee and Mark trade kicks but Lee’s suicide dive is caught in midair for a double suplex.

We take an early break and come back with a notice that this match has been edited for content. Lee is in trouble as Mark hits a swinging suplex before handing it back to Jay for some shots to the face. A double shoulder puts Lee down again as the fans are WAY into the Briscoes here. Lee sends Mark into the corner and brings Rush in for the running slap and a nice reaction. Everything breaks down with the Briscoes being sent into the barricade a few times each.

Back in and Rush makes Jay scream off a chop, setting up a double basement dropkick. A bloody Mark comes back in and gets caught with a basement dropkick of his own. Rush and Lee hit the Tranquilo pose and we take a second break. Back again with Mark using a chair for a big springboard flip dive onto everyone. The Froggy Bow (with Mark’s face blurred for the blood) gets two on Rush with Lee making the save to a chorus of booing.

The slugout is on with Mark getting the better of it but getting caught with a reverse hurricanrana. Jay gives Lee a Death Valley Driver but Rush is back up with a snap German suplex to put everyone down. It’s Mark up with a Rock Bottom suplex and Jay loads up the Jay Driller on Rush. That’s broken up without much effort and Lee hits a running hurricanrana over the ropes to send Mark from the apron to the floor (sticking the landing, of course). The Bull’s Horns hits Jay for the pin 13:11.

Rating: B. I could go for the full version of this one as these four beat the heck out of each other and saved the show. While I can’t imagine Rush sticking around and not winding up in either WWE or AEW, ROH needs to push him to the freaking moon. He’s the best thing they’ve had in a LONG time and having him run through Taven in about ten seconds would be a great thing to see. The Briscoes have proven themselves time after time and Rush/Lee looked every bit as good. It’s a heck of a fight and the kind of high impact match you only get in the tag division around here, so I’ll take what I can get.

Overall Rating: A-. As is the case with almost any Best Of show, they could pick and choose whatever they wanted here and that’s a lot better than trying to take PCO seriously as the top guy in the promotion. They didn’t do anything storyline related here and they shouldn’t have tried. Ring of Honor has all of the material they need and we got a nice selection here so very well done, even if it’s not their usual stuff.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: December 18, 2019
Location: Express Live, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
Host: Ian Riccaboni

We’re at the end of the year now and that means things are going to be….well pretty much just a placeholder show. With Final Battle out of the way and the holidays upon us, this is going to be an unrelated show, which likely means a bunch of stuff from their multitude of Honor Club shows. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Everything tonight is from Unauthorized.

Clips of Jefe Cobbo/El Villainisto vs. Delirious/Mini Delirious with Mini Delirious taking the fall to get unmasked as Swoggle. Yeah Unauthorized wasn’t the most serious show. Colt Cabana: “It’s Little John Studd!”

Ian welcomes us to the show and explains the idea of Unauthorized: it’s a comedy show, though he doesn’t actually use those words.

Cheeseburger/Bouncers vs. Dalton Castle/Flip Gordon/Kenny King

That would be Cheeseburger/Double Cheeseburger/Triple Cheeseburger vs. Dalton White Castle/Burger Flip Gordon/Kenny Burger King to give you an idea of what we’re doing here. Gordon tags himself in to start with Beer City Bruiser, with the waistlock going as badly as you would expect. A big chop puts Gordon down and it’s time for the snap jabs into the toothless bite. Castle and King get the lack of teeth as well so it’s off to King vs. Cheeseburger (with the hat).

Some armdrags make Cheeseburger lose the hat so King takes bite out of the thing. Back up and Cheeseburger takes King’s leg out and climbs onto his back to bend the arm a bit. We take a break and come back with Cheeseburger in trouble and Castle drawing in Milonas so a lot of stomping can ensue. Gordon does the same thing to Bruiser and Milonas and it’s a triple stomp because the Bouncers aren’t that bright.

Actually the referee catches them and in the argument, Cheeseburger crawls through the legs and makes the tag to Milonas. Eh point for a clever idea. Gordon dives into a swinging sitout Boss Man Slam, setting up Bruiser’s middle rope splash for two. The Bouncers help Cheeseburger on a Canadian Destroyer to Gordon but a rope grab breaks it up. We get the big fight over the superplex until the Bouncers suplex all three of them at once.

King hits an Arabian press onto a bunch of people on the floor and it’s Cheeseburger, Bruiser and Cheeseburger fighting on the stage. Cheeseburger gets thrown onto the pile and Gordon teases a dive, only to flip off the crowd. Bruiser does the dive instead and it’s Cheeseburger hitting a palm strike on Castle, only to get rolled up by Gordon for the pin at 14:05.

Rating: C. Yeah this isn’t something that hasn’t been done better before, but doing this at a show like this is fine. It’s designed to be a comedy match and they weren’t hiding that, which helps a lot. This is something that’s ok to do when you’re in on the joke and that was the case here.

Clips of the ten man tag, which included Ian Riccaboni, a referee, a cameraman and Gary Jester teaming with Colt Cabana to win a glorified handicap match.

Brian Zane’s Top Five of the week looks at the best managers with Truth Martini at the top. Makes sense as there aren’t a lot of big managers to pick from around here.

TK O’Ryan comes out in street clothes and talks about being hurt by Vinny Marseglia and Matt Taven. They’re not his friends but he’s been associated with them for a long time. Last night Marseglia put an end to the team and he wasn’t brought in to the party. A few years ago, O’Ryan was brought in cold with no fanfare and two months later, he was a Six Man Tag Team Champion. He loves this company and there is a better way.

The last few weeks have been very difficult for the three of them but if you go back a few months, there is something he never told anyone in wrestling: he had a head injury and people started passing him by. He feels like a horse without a stable and he isn’t sure if he’ll ever wrestle again. It’s true that he hasn’t been the nicest guy but people can change. He has been receiving a bunch of messages from fans, who are the biggest supporters in the world and he’ll never forget that.

This may be his only chance to say thank you and that is what he wants to do right now. If he’s ever able to wrestle again, he’ll be back as a man that everyone can be proud of. This was clipped but it was a heck of an emotional speech and after having no feelings about O’Ryan ever, I want to see him come back. It sounded legitimate and that’s hard to take no matter who you are. Hopefully he gets better soon.

Clips from some Unauthorized matches.

Brian Johnson is tired of failing and promises to make 2020 a year of change.

Lifeblood vs. Dragon Lee/Rush

Mark Haskins/Tracy Williams for Lifeblood (Is there anyone left for the team?) and this is under Lucha Rules. Lee and Haskins start things off and go to the mat early on with Haskins not being able to get the full cross armbreaker. A standoff sends us to an early break and we come back to Rush coming in to face Williams. The missed flips begin until Rush dropkicks him out to the floor.

Haskins won’t let him down though, allowing Lee to hit his own dropkick. Everything breaks down and it’s Haskins vs. Lee, as the lack of tags makes sense. Haskins and Williams fire off knees to Lee’s chest and a double kick gets two. Haskins starts working on the arm in various painful ways, including a YES Lock. That’s switched into the Rings of Saturn, sending Lee’s leg onto the rope.

The slugout is on until Lee hits a hard dropkick, allowing the hot tag to Rush so everything can break down. Lee and Rush load up stereo dives but roll into double Tranquilo instead. Back from another break with Lee biting Williams’ ear and Rush coming in for a half crab. Lee grabs a leg of his own and we hit the posing hold. Haskins makes the save but gets sent outside, only to have Williams get kicked down again, requiring a second straight save. Williams fights back and kicks both of them to the floor, setting up a double Lifeblood dive to the floor.

Back in and Lee chops the heck out of both of them until the strikes get the better of him. A Death Valley Driver into a Samoan Driver/powerbomb combination gets two with Rush having to make the save. Williams hits an elevated DDT onto the top on Rush but Lee comes in with a top rope double stomp for the save. Lee brainbusters Haskins and jumps over the top to hurricanrana him off the apron. The Bull’s Horns hits Williams for the pin at 16:01.

Rating: B+. This was all action and I had a blast with it. Lee and Rush are two of the best around right now and you got a great example of the in-ring talent that they have around here. That’s where Ring of Honor keeps its reputation: when you strip away everything else, you get a heck of a match with four talented guys going out there and tearing the house down. I had a great time with this and it’s one of the best things Ring of Honor has done in a long time.

Overall Rating: B. I know it’s a special show and not something you can do every week but this was a lot of fun and the kind of show that they needed to do. Sometimes the solution to the problem, at least in the short term, is to have a fun wrestling show and that’s what we got here. The main event was a blast and worth your time, with the opener being entertaining as well. Good stuff all around here.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Host: Ian Riccaboni

It’s the go home show for Final Battle and something tells me that isn’t going to matter all that much here. They’re far too late to make the show feel like the big deal that it’s supposed to be and I don’t think I’m being ridiculous to suggest that they likely don’t care much about this TV show anymore. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at PCO beating Marty Scurll to become #1 contender for Final Battle. This is one of only a handful of stories that has received any attention and we kind of get the concept already.

Video on Vincent vs. Matt Taven. Someone attacked their Kingdom teammate TK O’Ryan, with Marseglia eventually revealing himself as the villain. He turned on Taven and busted him open, setting up Final Battle. I believe this is the first time the Vinny Marseglia heel turn has been mentioned in any kind of detail on this show.

Video on Bully Ray vs. Mark Haskins, which is Ray bullying someone else in the exact same way he has ever since he turned heel in the first place. I would ask who thinks this is a good idea, but Ray as the booker tells you all you need to know.

We go to a live event where Haskins, with a table in the ring, calls out Ray. Cue Ray, but he won’t get in, as instead it’s Flip Gordon jumping Haskins from behind with a kendo stick. Ray pays Gordon off (because that feud is already forgotten) and puts Haskins through the table. Oh and he calls Haskins and his family trash, just to be extra nasty.

Dalton Castle finds Joe Hendry on a couch and they get into a discussion of being a big band. Castle gets confused and thinks they should be superheros. Uh, yeah.

Bateman vs. PJ Black

This is Bateman’s debut and Black isn’t on Final Battle. Black works on an armbar to start but gets reversed in a hurry. A forearm to the face puts Black in the corner but he comes right back out with his own shots to the face. Bateman gets knocked to the floor and hit with a slingshot dive as we take a break.

Back with Bateman faceplanting him and hitting a running kick to the face for two. Bateman sends him face first into the buckle as he certainly seems to have a target. Black hits a spinwheel kick but has to bail out of the Placebo Effect. The second attempt connects for two but Bateman slips out of what looked like a reverse DDT.

A headbutt sets up a Snow Plow for two on Black, who is right back with a kick to the face of his own. Black’s top rope hurricanrana into a moonsault gets two more, followed by a crucifix driver for the same. Black goes up but gets crotched, allowing Bateman to hit a Tombstone (This Is A Kill) for the pin at 10:52.

Rating: C. Bateman looked good here and it means someone to beat Black. The match wasn’t anything special but it was a good way to make Bateman look good in his debut. The company needs some fresh talent so maybe Bateman can mean something before he is signed somewhere else.

Joe Koff comes in to see Silas Young and Josh Woods. Josh has some interesting requests for his new contract, but they are all turned down. Koff leaves and Young talks about how they could be Tag Team Champions.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Danhausen

Taylor is defending and this is Danhausen’s (has a painted face, talks strangely) TV debut as well. The Soldiers of Savagery are here with Shane as well, just in case this was in any doubt. Hold on though as Shane needs to talk about how awesome it is to be from Ohio and to list off the stats of his title reign. Danhausen confuses Taylor to start so Shane throws him down without much trouble. For some reason Danhausen tries a chokeslam before going with a slap to the face.

Taylor gets low bridged to the floor so Danhausen shouts before kicking him in the face. There’s a superkick from the apron but Taylor powerbomb him onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Dak Draper watching from the stage. Taylor hits him hard in the face but Danhausen grabs a tornado DDT for two. A running kick to the head gets the same but Taylor blasts him in the face. The package piledriver sets up Greetings From 205 to retain at 6:36.

Rating: C-. Danhausen is someone entertaining enough but at the same time he just got dropped on his head for the pin. It feels like a gimmick that has been done before and that isn’t the best result for a first match. Still though, he has charisma and the fans reacted to him, which is more than some people can say.

In the back, Shane says he doesn’t know who the thirteenth challenger is going to be but they’re unlucky to face him.

Dragon Lee gets the TV Title shot at Final Battle.

Video on the Briscoes vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham, which has been covered in full on here more than once.

We run down Final Battle.

One more Rush vs. PCO video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: D+. I know it’s better than nothing but the build to this show has been so worthless and last minute that it was almost insulting. The exclusive matches were fine here but they felt like annoying detours that we had to get through before we could get back to the Final Battle hype. Final Battle still looks ok at best, mainly because PCO vs. Rush feels like a big house show main event. Could have been worse, but it’s just WAY too late to make a difference.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

And yes, this is the big one. I don’t think there is any secret to the fact that Ring Of Honor is not in the best place at the moment. The company has felt beyond ice cold for a long time now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Maybe their biggest show of the year could make it a little bit better, but they still had a long way to go to make things better. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Joe Hendry/Dalton Castle vs. Josh Woods/Silas Young

So what we have here is a team of wacky partners who didn’t like each other but then did against a team that could be challenging for the Tag Team Titles in the future. In other words, this should go one way to set up a feud between a team, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them switch it up and go with the surprising result.

I’ll take Woods and Young to win as Castle and Hendry can’t get along. It isn’t an interesting feud, but their combined charismas alone should be enough to get them somewhere. That being said, it’s hardly enough to be all that interesting of a feud and this could only make it on the pre-show. Woods and Young could be fine for some short term #1 contenders, but they’re the best of a bad group of competitors and little more.

Pre-Show: Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus

We have a battle of former tag team partners here, albeit from a team that hasn’t been together in years. King has seemed like someone Ring of Honor has wanted to push for years while Titus is….well he used to be in a good team and that’s about all he has going for him. His deal is that he has a great physique and wins some lower card matches, so naturally we need this match on the show.

For the sake of sanity, I’ll take King to win here as there is zero reason to push Titus. King at least has a resume around Ring of Honor and has more charisma than he knows what to do with and that is enough to give him the nod here. This is a match that should have taken place years ago and now it feels more like they’re doing it because it was written down as a note years ago and they found it under a box.

Jeff Cobb vs. Dan Maff

You might not be familiar with Maff as he is someone from way back in the day for the company. He’s back now though and we have a hoss battle on her hands, with the big Cobb facing the even bigger Maff. Sometimes it’s ok to have a match where two big guys hit each other really hard and throw each other around, which is what we’re going to be getting here.

Cobb takes this of course because Ring of Honor hasn’t gone completely insane yet. Maff is there for the limited legendary status he can offer to the company and Cobb is someone who they could consider giving the World Title in the near future. This one should be the biggest layup on the card and it could be a rather entertaining fight if they keep it short enough.

Angelina Love vs. Maria Manic

This is a case where it isn’t clear what to expect because of one major factor. Over the last few weeks, there have been a series of messages and emails released showing just how bad things have gotten backstage. Manic has been the subject of some of those messages, with Ring of Honor management suggesting that they don’t see much value in her and that she is leaving soon. So what does that mean for this?

I’m still going with Manic, as there is no logical reason to go with Love and I doubt those in charge of the company care enough to beat her on the way out. At the same time though, it wouldn’t shock me if they threw the Women of Honor Title on the line here and gave it back to Love, as the division really is bad enough that the Beautiful People is the best idea that they can come up with at this point. I think Manic wins, though I’m not exactly convinced that she will.

Mark Haskins vs. Bully Ray

This is the latest (out of FAR too many) instance of Ray being a jerk to some young, up and coming wrestler while shouting about being a legend and a Hall of Famer. Then the young guy feuds with Ray for months before going on to defeat him in the blowoff match. That’s the situation we’re in again here as Ray is the booker and therefore gets to do what he wants.

Hopefully I’m not insane by going with Ray to get even more comeuppance by losing to Haskins again here. Haskins is someone that Ring of Honor seems to like and given how their roster has been looking as of late, it would make a lot of sense for them to push someone new. I don’t know if Haskins is the right call to get the big push, but they have to go with someone so why not him?

Bandido/Flamita vs. Villain Enterprises

We may be seeing an out with the young and in with the new here as Marty Scurll seems ready to leave the promotion for AEW and Flamita is there to be a star. I’m not sure how this is going to go as a result, but the match should be entertaining due to Scurll’s talents and Flip Gordon being able to fly with just about anyone.

That being said, I don’t think he can fly with Bandido and Flamita, who are two of the best in the world at the moment. This should be their big debut on the grand stage and that means we could be in for one heck of a spectacle. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is it for Scurll and that is one of the worst things that could happen to Ring of Honor at the moment. Flamita is awesome though, and seeing him fly around with Bandido for the time being should be great.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes(c) vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Lethal is one of the most successful wrestlers in the history of Ring of Honor but somehow he has never won the Tag Team Titles. He also just turned heel for the first time in years after getting frustrated with losing. Gresham is the one who drew him over to the side of evil so I think you know where this is going.

Of course I’m going with the Briscoes dropping the titles here because there isn’t anything else for them to do at the moment. Gresham and Lethal are at least a fresh pair to hold the titles as there is only so much that can be done when the Briscoes have dominated the Tag Team Titles for so long. It might be time to see what they can do as solo acts again because the lack of star power is really hurting things. Let Lethal and Gresham see what they can do with the titles, because the Briscoes need a break.

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

This is a feud that started a few weeks ago but we only just heard about it on television recently. Vincent is the former Vinny Marseglia, who helped make Taven World Champion. The act was beyond tired though and it was time to try something new, though I’m not sure how interesting Marseglia is going to be on his own. That being said, Taven’s title reign is partially why the company is such a mess so this could go either way.

I’ll take Vincent to win here, likely through some shenanigans, as otherwise the feud is done here. Taven is a much bigger star and a win over him would mean something, but I’m not sure how high of a ceiling Vincent is going to have on his own. Hopefully we get a good, intense brawl here as the card is going to need something like that. But yeah, Vincent wins here for the sake of keeping things moving forward.

TV Title: Shane Taylor(c) vs. Dragon Lee

Taylor is someone who has turned into a dominant champion but having him be the champion for hire isn’t exactly thrilling. He’s been turned into the dragon for someone to slay and…well…he’s facing someone named Dragon so it kinds of balances out. Couple that with Taylor also being rumored to be gone from the company and I think you know how this is going to go.

Give me Lee to become the new champion, which is probably best for everyone. He’s a very fast paced guy and someone who could be a great focal point going forward. The fact that his brother is coming into the show as the World Champion helps quite a bit. There isn’t much of a point to keeping the title on Taylor other than for the sake of a surprise, so go with Lee as the new champion instead.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush(c) vs. PCO

So here we are, with one of their biggest matches of the year and it’s going to be Rush, a total star, against a Cinderella/nostalgia/freak show challenger in the form of PCO. I really don’t know how much they can drag out of PCO but that’s what we’re getting here. His run back to Ring of Honor was quite the accomplishment, but going this far? That’s their best option?

For the sake of sanity, I’ll go with Rush retaining here, though it would shock me if he is around the company all that much longer. Rush is someone who could be a top star in a major company for a long time to come and that means I can’t imagine him being in Ring of Honor that much longer. He’ll retain here, but I have no idea who they’re going to find to put the title on next. PCO getting here is so far beyond what anyone could have predicted for him and he can take a ton of pride in getting this far given everything about him. I’m not expecting much of a match, but Rush retains.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t even know how we got here but things are just such a mess around Ring Of Honor these days. Nothing sounds interesting, the television is a waste of time and there is little reason to believe things will get better. That being said, their big shows do tend to be good bell to bell and really, that’s all you can hope for from this company at the moment. The wrestling could carry things for a night, and that’s as much of a positive as you can realistically expect from them these days.

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