IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 20, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Things have been on fire around here as of late, mainly due to last week’s debut of the Lifeblood stable. I don’t know if it’s no longer being able to rely on the Bullet Club guys or what, but the last few weeks have been a lot of fun. Now if they can keep this up, we could be in for a great time. Let’s get to it.

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

Luchasaurus vs. Chris Sabin vs. Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon vs. Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus

Tags with lucha rules. We come into the arena for the opening bell as everyone is already in the ring. Sabin can’t get anywhere with a hold on Luchasaurus, who shrugs him off and kicks him in the head. A middle rope hurricanrana works a bit better to send Luchasaurus to the floor so King comes in, only to have Titus tag himself in for an All Night Express showdown. They run the ropes for a bit without making any significant contact as they know each other that well. Makes enough sense.

Taylor, a former Rebellion teammate with the two of them, comes in so King and Titus kick him down in short order. Luchasaurus gets the same treatment but the fight breaks out over who gets to cover him, as tends to be the case. Gordon comes in with a springboard spear to King but Taylor LAUNCHES Gordon to the floor with a hard shoulder.

Luchasaurus comes back in with some great looking kicks until Sabin hits him with one of his own. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way knockdown as we go to a commercial. Back with Titus diving onto Gordon and Luchasaurus, leaving Shane alone in the ring, allowing Kenny to springboard in with a Blockbuster. Shane is fine enough to block Luchasaurus’ dive before hitting one of his own.

Now Luchasaurus hits the step up dive but Gordon has climbed into the balcony for his big flip dive. The 450 hits Shane back inside but King makes the save and hits Gordon with a chair. That’s enough to DQ King and we’re continuing as a five way. With Sabin down (apparently due to a torn ACL, which could keep him out of action for nearly a year), Titus tries his bet on Shane but gets caught in Greetings From 216 for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B-. It was wild and I can live with the DQ ejection as this was almost all action from beginning to end. The important thing here though was having the match open the show, which is something you don’t get very often. It fits the idea of the promotion being all about action and that’s a nice way to open things up. Good, fun match too.

Trent Barretta has a family emergency so Chuckie T. has found a replacement for the Tag Team Title shot tonight.

Marcus Kross/Griff Garrison vs. Bouncers

Griff and Marcus like to dance with the latter looking a bit Super Sayianish. Marcus gets shoved down so it’s off to Garrison, who gets the exact same treatment. Double teaming doesn’t work very well on Milonas either so it’s off to Bruiser, who misses some elbow drops. A top rope headbutt rocks Bruiser but he pulls Marcus out of the air for a Samoan drop. Milonas’ reverse splash connects but Marcus smacks Bruiser in the face, allowing the hot tag to Garrison. The running splash misses in the corner though and Milonas nails a sitout Boss Man Slam. Closing Time crushes Garrison for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C-. The jobbers were trying here and that’s as good as you can get from something like this. It’s not like the ending was in doubt so let them get in a little bit before they get crushed. There’s a good chance that they’re going to be around as commentary was hyping them up, so it helps to have them do something before they lose in the end.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Chuckie T./???

The Briscoes are defending and the mystery partner is…Colt Cabana, who happens to have his gear on underneath his suit. The brawl is on in a hurry with all four fighting on the outside until it’s Jay getting double teamed inside. They shake hands instead of hug (they’re just good friends instead of best friends) but the delay lets the champs take over for the first time.

We take a break and come back with Chuckie getting posted and chopped into the corner as Cabana tries to come in like an inept partner. Chuckie finally gets in a middle rope dropkick and the hot tag brings in Cabana to clean house. That means a double standing Lionsault and the snap jabs that so many people tend to use anymore. A Bionic elbow sends Mark into the corner but he’s right back with a middle rope bulldog.

Everything breaks down again and Chuckie hits a standing Sliced Bread #2 on Jay. Colt grabs a chair on the floor with Jay making a save. A Blockbuster from the apron knocks Cabana out of the chair and we take another break. Back again with Jay kicking Chuckie in the face but the Doomsday Device is broken up. That’s fine with Jay, who hits the Jay Driller to pin Chuckie at 11:51.

Rating: B. They’re pushing the idea of the Briscoes as part of the plague, which almost has to be the next heel stable. That could be something interesting with Lifeblood running around, though we’re still in the early stages of everything so it’s hard to say. It would seem to be where things are heading though and given the amount of people who have left the company, a stable war is a good way to bridge the gap.

Post match Mark hits the Froggy Boy to put Chuckie through a table.

We see a clip of the big Elite beatdown, which again would seem to point to the plague being a thing.

Clip of Lifeblood forming, which seems to point to the stable war.

Here’s Jay Lethal for a chat, though after he sends Ian out of the ring. Jay puts the title on the mat and says there is so much pressure on him other than just being World Champion. Some of that pressure involves watching this company deteriorate right in front of your eyes. You have people like Bully Ray and the Briscoes running around doing whatever they want and Jay isn’t going to stand for it anymore.

Then there’s a man running around with a fake World Title and that’s too far. Dark days are here but a change is coming. This brings out Lifeblood, who says they’re speaking the same language. Jay says he knows some guys who believe the same thing, which is why he doesn’t want to join a group like this. Juice says there was never an invitation, which doesn’t sit well with the champ.

Jay talks about how awesome the team is and goes through each member to sing their praises, though he has to stop for a few chants. After several minutes of praise, Juice says if Jay knows a bunch of people in the back like him, let’s have a ten man tag. The match is made for next week. This took a LONG time to set up but, other than a lot of the praise, there wasn’t much that could have been cut.

Overall Rating: B. You mean the solution all along was to stop focusing on the same people over and over again for years? I know the Elite guys were really popular but things have gotten that much better since they’ve been gone. This was another very good show in a series of them and if this is what we can get used to around here, I could see this becoming one of the real highlights of the week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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 13, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still down in Atlanta and this time around it’s an old school feeling with the NWA World Title on the line as champion Nick Aldis defending against PJ Black. Neither of them are exactly regulars around here, but that’s never stopped ROH when guest stars are involved. We should be getting ready for a big show around here, though it’s kind of hard to tell which one it is around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

John Skyler, Corey Hollis and Josey Quinn (also not regulars) are in the ring and say they deserve the attention. No six man team can beat them, and I think you know where this is going.

John Skyler/Corey Hollis/Josey Quinn vs. Villain Enterprises

Before the match, Marty Scurll says he used to be like the three of them because they’re not a bit jaded. He’s sure the three of them are going to make a huge impact, but tonight they’re going to feel the wrath of Villain Enterprises. The fight is on in a hurry with Enterprises taking over with a grand total of no effort and standing tall in the ring.

We come back from a break for the opening bell with Quinn making the mistake of chopping someone who attaches himself to car batteries. PCO chops him right back in the corner, which amazingly enough works far better. A swinging slam draws in Skyler and Hollis, who get beaten up just as well. Skyler gets tossed into the corner and then chokeslammed for a bonus as PCO is doing this by himself.

A missed flip dive onto the apron just wakes PCO up even more and Hollis’ dive just earns himself a shove into the barricade. Scurll comes in for a chop of his own but Skyler takes him down with a slingshot spear. The villains (as opposed to the Villains) take over in the corner and Hollis grabs a chinlock. The comeback doesn’t take long as Scurll knocks Hollis away and brings in King for the house cleaning.

Skyler gets put in 619 position for a running cannonball to the back for a change of pace. A running backsplash crushes Skyler so it’s off to Hollis, who gets powerbombed into a Boston Crab. PCO adds a middle rope legdrop but his flip dive through the ropes sees his legs caught in the rope for a somewhat scary botch. King’s Gonzo Bomb (Dominator into a piledriver) sets up the chickenwing to make Hollis tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. The Villains were a lot of fun here and that’s what they were shooting for in a match like this. You set up three guys at the beginning of the show and have these guys destroy them, especially when it contains acts like Marty and company, who are going to be beloved around this place. Fun match here and a lot more entertaining than I was expecting.

Post match the Kingdom pops up to say they’re the best trio in the world and are glad to defend against anyone anytime, especially Melvin Enterprises. The match can take place…but not tonight.

Post break the Kingdom doesn’t think much of Villain Enterprises because the Kingdom is in control. He’s Matt Taven and this is his kingdom.

Jay Lethal says it’s getting hard to keep track of everyone in line for a title shot when Taven is running around with a fake title. Taven has his attention now.

Kelly Klein defended the title in a big match….which isn’t important enough to put on TV so you can see it on Honor Club.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis vs. PJ Black

Aldis, with Kamilla Kaine is defending in the first title defense in Atlanta since 1993. They fight over arm control to start until Aldis gets backed into the ropes. A legsweep takes Aldis down but he pops up with a headlock takeover as they’re certainly sticking with the basics so far. Black bails away from the threat of a right hand and asks for a time out, though Colt doesn’t think that’s an option.

Another takeover puts Aldis down this time and Black gives him a clean break as well. Aldis gets two off a backslide and it’s another standoff. The next legsweep attempt works this time and Black stomps him in the back, only to get dropkicked for his efforts. A headscissors sends Aldis outside for a breather but he slides right back in and Black pokes him in the eye. You can’t be called the DAREWOLF and have your big spot so far be a Three Stooges move. Black loads up the dive but Kaine gets in his way, allowing Aldis to run him over as we take a break.

Back with Black fighting out of a chinlock so it’s off to a front facelock to keep him in trouble. That’s broken up as well so Black hits a spinwheel kick to set up a top rope elbow to the head. A top rope double stomp to a standing Aldis connects for two but he’s right back up with a powerbomb for two. It’s too early for the Kingsland Cloverleaf so Aldis crotches him on top instead. That means a release German superplex for a somewhat delayed two and we take another break.

Back again with Black hitting a super hurricanrana into a moonsault press for a rather weak cover. Black goes with something like a dragon sleeper, which Aldis countered into a Tombstone. A top rope elbow gives Aldis another near fall so he tells Kaine to throw in the title. With Kaine on the apron for a distraction, Black goes Eddie Guerrero by grabbing the title and throwing it to Aldis and dropping to the mat.

It’s enough of a distraction for Black to grab the Billy Goat’s Curse (Colt’s reverse Boston crab) but a rope is reached in a hurry. With Aldis on the floor, Black’s dropkick through the ropes hits Kaine by mistake, which is a huge deal because a wrestler taking a dropkick is something horrible. Back in and Aldis rolls through a high crossbody for two, followed by the Cloverleaf to make Black tap at 20:25.

Rating: B-. Well that was….long. It was a perfectly fine and even good at times match but it’s nothing that I needed to see and it just kind of came and went. Aldis is a nice choice for the title and certainly better than some of the losers that have held the NWA Title over the last few years. This worked well enough, though I really don’t need this title around ROH more than very infrequently. Again good, but it felt like a special attraction that no one was asking to see.

Clip of Bandido vs. Mark Haskins from last week.

Here’s Juice Robinson for a chat. He said you would be seeing more of him around here and he didn’t just mean for a tour here and there. Robinson knows this company stands for honor and he’s had something in the works for awhile now. Tonight the pieces come together right here in Atlanta. This place was founded by people like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. The lifeblood of Ring of Honor has been due to people like Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black (Seth Rollins) because they cared about honor.

The Code of Honor was in effect and it was all about mutual respect. So what has happened around here over the last few years (An over-reliance on New Japan and WWE taking all the top guys?)? Tonight is a new beginning though and it starts right now. That brings up the heart rate monitor….and here are Bandido, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood, Tracy Williams and David Finlay. They are Lifeblood and they’re bringing honor back to ROH. I have heard far worse ideas than this one.

Overall Rating: B+. When did this company get really good? The main event was a little more than it needed to be but the opener was fun and the ending segment makes me want to see more. Under the right circumstances, they could have a really interesting future and that’s the first time I’ve been able to say that in a LONG time. This worked quite well and for once, I want to see where things are going. Well done indeed, especially after some rather uninteresting months.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: February 6, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Juice Robinson

We’re onto a fresh set of TV tapings here with a big match between Eli Isom and Silas Young for a future TV Title shot. This is actually a tournament final, though I thought it would be slightly bigger than four people. Other than that we have the continued rise of Villain Enterprises, which could go somewhere with the right push. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tracy Williams vs. David Finlay

This is Finlay’s debut. They trade headlocks to start with Williams taking him down and stomping on the arm. A rollup sets up a failed Crossface attempt so Finlay dropkicks him to the floor. Back in and Williams snaps off a suplex for two, setting up a quickly broken chinlock. Some loud chops just fire Finlay up for a jumping elbow to the face.

Back from a break with Williams rolling out of a Rock Bottom and hitting a DDT onto the turnbuckle. A discus lariat gets two on Finlay but he’s right back with an Irish Curse for the same. Finlay kicks him in the face for another near fall and slips out of a Crossface as a bonus. Williams gets two of his own off a Death Valley Driver, followed by a jumping piledriver for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that ROH built itself on: two younger, lesser known guys getting to trade big moves until one person won. It might not be the most classically structured match in the world but that’s not what they were going for here. Sometimes you need to showcase new talent and that’s what they did here, with the popular Robinson pushing how much fun it was in a very good addition.

Video on Bandido.

The Kingdom tells Villain Enterprises to get their umbrellas.

Mark Haskins vs. Bandido

Feeling out process to start with the aggressive Haskins grabbing a headlock but getting shoved up against the ropes. Bandido starts the flipping and it’s an early standoff. More flipping ensues but Haskins kicks him down and avoids a charge to the floor. That means a suicide dive to drop Bandido and we take a break.

Back with Haskins charging into a boot in the corner, setting up Bandido’s corkscrew crossbody. The big running flip dive takes Haskins down again and, amazingly enough, the fans are way into someone who can fly like this. Bandido gets two off a pop up cutter but gets kicked right back down. That just earns Haskins a superkick but they kick each other in the chest for another double knockdown, which the fans seem to appreciate.

They (the wrestlers, not the fans) slug it out until Haskins charges into a torture rack, with Bandido flipping him forward into something like a GTS for two. Haskins is right back up and spins him into a Sharpshooter (a fast one at that too) but Bandido is right next to the rope. A top rope double stomp gives Haskins two so Haskins goes back to the leg. That’s broken up in a hurry so Bandido knocks him against the ropes (619 position but standing instead of kneeling), flips forward and bounces off the ropes (ala the Tajiri handspring) for a snap German suplex and the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B+. Well that was insane. This was all about showcasing both guys and I had a great time watching it. Bandido really impressed me last year at various times and Haskins looked great as well, which is exactly what the point of this was supposed to be. I want to see these two do this more often and I’d buy a ticket to see it. Well done here, with exactly what they were shooting for.

Nick Aldis is ready to defend the NWA World Title against PJ Black next week. I know the NWA World Title has been around ROH before but it’s nice to have it actually mean something (not much of something, but something) this time around.

We look back at Bully Ray, Silas Young and the Briscoes attacking the Elite (not named) a few weeks back.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Eli Isom vs. Silas Young

Silas takes him down with a hammerlock before going with the strikes instead. A quick rollup gets two on Isom and it’s off to a front facelock. Isom gets in a forearm to knock Young back a bit but misses a springboard missile dropkick. We take an early break and come back with Isom still in trouble and getting stomped down in the corner.

A release gordbuster (appropriate in Atlanta) lets Young talk some trash (as he always does) and we hit the chinlock. Isom fights up and gets two off a rollup before just unloading with right hands. White Noise gets two and we take a second break. Back again with Silas holding a full nelson of all things before dropping Isom again.

Silas’ springboard moonsault COMPLETELY misses (John Morrison would think it looked bad) but he covers for two anyway. Young hits a heck of a top rope superplex (drawing the Barry Windham comparisons) for one as Isom is getting fired up. They chop it out with their chests going very red until Misery plants Isom for the abrupt pin at 13:04.

Rating: C. This was nowhere near as good as the two previous matches, mainly due to there being no doubt as to the winner. Young beat the heck out of Isom for most of the match and I couldn’t imagine them setting up Isom as a major challenger to a monster champion. Silas won in a hurry too, as they didn’t exactly building anything up other than a quick comeback until Misery got the pin. Not bad, but just kind of there.

Post match Young talks trash about TV Champion Jeff Cobb, including insulting his family. This brings out Cobb but Shane Taylor runs in as well, putting Cobb in the middle of the villains. The fight is on with Cobb getting the better of it until a low blow cuts him down. Young and Taylor stand tall to end the show.

ROH is still beginning anew.

Overall Rating: B. That’s one of the better episodes they’ve done in a long time and if the main event had been better, it would have been an all timer. The main thing that Ring of Honor needs to do at the moment is build up new stars and they pulled that off very well here. With all the big names leaving, there’s all kind of space at the top of the card to make new names and if they’re built right, the transition could be rather smooth. Very fun show here and a breeze of an hour.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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 30, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

As long as this show doesn’t include sixteen minutes of Beer City Bruiser vs. Silas Young, I think we’ll be fine. The major story at the moment is a tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the TV Title, which could allow for some fresh stars to get a chance to shine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

PJ Black vs. Juice Robinson

NWA World Champion Nick Aldis (flanked by Kamilla Kaine) is on commentary in preparation for his future title match with Black. They slap away to start with Black sweeping the leg to take over. Juice’s snap jabs have Black in trouble and there’s a slingshot dive to the floor to take him down again. Black gets in a kick to the ribs back inside and we take a break.

Back with Robinson still in trouble and Black putting on a reverse Boston crab before rocking Robinson head first into the bottom buckle a few times (I believe Konnan used to call that the Rocking Horse). Black suplexes him down and bends the arm back, followed by a clothesline and some posing. A top rope right hand gives Black two more but Robinson grabs a suplex.

Black walks into a spinebuster and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more. Pulp Friction is broken up and Black connects with a moonsault press for two more. Some left hands have Black in more trouble and there’s a Cannonball in the corner. Robinson goes up so Black throws the referee into the corner for the DQ at 12:31.

Rating: C+. You knew they weren’t going to job Black before a title match and Robinson is WAY too hot to take a loss so the DQ was pretty obvious. It took some time to get going but everything after the break picked up in a hurry. Robinson does have the charisma that so many wrestlers miss, so it was cool to see someone giving us a nice performance instead of just going from move to move.

Post match Black knocks Robinson down again and goes to glare at Aldis.

During the break, Robinson says he didn’t come here to lose via DQ. You’re going to see him around here a lot more in 2019 and there will be new life breathed into this place.

The Kingdom yells about beating Villain Enterprises later tonight.

Shane Taylor vs. Mike Law

Right hand, Greetings From 216 in 30 seconds.

Post match Shane says everyone has been asking who paid him to take out Christopher Daniels. That would be no one, because he wanted to beat Daniels up himself.

Colt Cabana brings out Flip Gordon for a chat. Cabana praises him for everything he did back at Final Battle, meaning he defeated Bully Ray once and for all. Gordon says he spent eight months fighting a bully and it’s mission accomplished. Now he wants the World Title, but here’s Kenny King to interrupt. Ian: “I’m just glad it’s not Matt Taven.” Amen brother.

King is tired of mediocre guys coming out here and demanding title shots. King was the last man to pin Jay Lethal and we see some rather doctored clips that ignore King putting his feet on the ropes. Gordon doesn’t have him fooled because King knows he’s the better man. If Gordon was a real warrior, he would have done more than join the reserves. Good promo, but Gordon vs. King doesn’t scream big match on any level.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. The Kingdom

Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll/Brody King/PCO) is challenging. Before the match, Taven says they’re not just handing out a title shot to three guys who haven’t proven themselves. Therefore, we’ve got some replacements.

Villain Enterprises vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

That would be Cheeseburger/Eli Isom/Ryan Nova, because we’re just lucky enough to get a “fun” main event. They’re undefeated on Future of Honor events so Enterprises jump them in the corner to take over. We take an early break and come back with Isom in trouble as PCO chops the heck out of him. Brody drops a backsplash for two as the slow beating continues.

A running cannonball against the ropes crushes Isom again but he gets in a quick suplex for a breather. Cheeseburger comes in and gets to forearm Scurll a few times, followed by a springboard Swanton. It’s off to PCO though and we hit a nerve hold slam to drop Cheeseburger. Somehow PCO gets sent into the corner and it’s Nova coming in to forearm PCO over and over. That goes completely nowhere as PCO takes his head off with a clothesline.

Double teaming doesn’t do much better to PCO and we take another break. Back again with King cleaning house, including the Villains catching triple dives. That means a Tombstone on the floor to Cheeseburger while the other two get chokeslammed onto the apron. PCO powerbombs Nova twice in a row and King hits a Gonzo Bomb (Dominator into a piledriver). PCO’s moonsault finally finishes Nova at 9:37.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much of a squash as it went on far too long, but at least Cheeseburger didn’t get to show all of the heart that he has and waste a bunch of time. At least Enterprises got to show off some offense and prove themselves as actual threats, but there’s only so much you can do against such nothing competition. At least Isom didn’t take the fall though, which is a nice positive.

Bully Ray pours lighter fluid on a fire as we see clips of him losing the I Quit match at Final Battle. Ray says he never said I Quit. Oh good grief is this STILL GOING? If there’s one thing ROH doesn’t know how to do, it’s wrap up a story.

We see the heart rate monitor again and this time it says “A New Beginning From An Old Foundation. Ring of Honor Begins Anew.”

Overall Rating: C. Better show this week as they kept things moving and advanced a few stories. Villain Enterprises got off to a good (albeit long) start and the Robinson vs. Black match was entertaining. This was a show that looked at stuff other than the main event scene and those shows are very important in their own right. If you only have a good main event, the promotion itself isn’t strong and by having everything else work well, you can make it week to week at a far easier pace. Nice show here, which is perfectly fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: WWE

Ring of Honor
Date: January 23, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

Things got interesting to end last week’s show as Brody King and PCO debuted as Marty Scurll’s new enforcers in Villain Enterprises. That could make things interesting going forward as Scurll, and several others, chase Jay Lethal’s World Title. I’m not sure where things are going but they could be interesting if done right. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TV Title #1 Contender Tournament First Round: Facade vs. Eli Isom

Feeling out process to start with the yellow haired Facade taking him down. Isom leapfrogs over him twice in a row and hits Facade in the face but Facade stats nipping up. A kick to the face drops Isom again and we hit the double arm crank. Isom fights up but gets sent outside for a suicide dive, only to get caught and driven into the barricade for a big crash. We come back from a break with Isom getting two off a bridging belly to back suplex.

Facade scores with a Disaster kick to send Isom outside, setting up a double springboard flip dive, because of course he can do that. Back in and Isom nails a discus elbow but walks into the Neon (Burning) Hammer. A rope walk kick to the face (Neon Terminator) gets two on Isom as the announcers are losing it on these near falls. Caprice says Facade would blame that on his mother. As I try to figure that one out, Isom shrugs everything off and finishes with a brainbuster at 8:59.

Rating: C. I’ve seen Facade before and wasn’t that impressed, though his high flying looked good here. The important part here was pushing someone new in Isom, who actually feels like he’s getting somewhere. I don’t know if he wins the tournament, but it’s nice to see someone being given a chance.

Kelly Klein says any singles match she’s in will now be a title match.

We recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Jay Lethal knows everyone wants a shot at this title, but his eyes are on Matt Taven for everything he’s done.

To mix things up a bit, we recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Next week: the Kingdom defends the Six Man Tag Team Titles against Villain Enterprises.

TK O’Ryan vs. Rush

I’ve seen Rush (pronounced Roosh) in MLW and he certainly has some star power. He’s the leader of Los Ingobernables so there’s definitely something to him. Ian recaps some history between these two in Mexico, which is far more background than we get for most of the lucha guest stars. Feeling out process to start and the fans are split here.

A slap to the face annoys Rush so it’s an exchange of German suplexes to give us a staredown. They talk trash (with censored swearing) until O’Ryan takes over with the chops in the corner. A superkick rocks O’Ryan and it’s a running forearm to send us to a break. Back with a chop off going to Rush, meaning we get a tranquilo pose.

They head outside with Rush being sent into the barricade, setting up a belly to back for two inside. Rush suplexes him into the corner but charges into a spinning spinebuster for another two. Something off the top is countered into a top rope superplex from Rush and it’s a hard running basement dropkick in the corner for the pin on O’Ryan at 11:05.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth I hit you and you hit me match but it was very entertaining stuff. Rush definitely has a presence and that makes you want to see him do his thing. Even O’Ryan looked good here, and it’s nice to see some of the stuff done down in Mexico tie into things up here. You can only get so far with “this is a huge star from Mexico” over and over so this was a good idea.

Post match the rest of the Kingdom comes in and lays Rush out with a triple Conchairto.

Rhett Titus, with a trophy, replaces Coleman on commentary.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Silas Young vs. Beer City Bruiser

Before the match, Bruiser says he’s finally learned that Silas sucks. Bruiser wants a fight so we’ll make this No DQ. An early Cactus Clothesline puts Silas on the floor and Bruiser sets up a chair. Young jumps over a shot from the apron and hits a springboard clothesline to knock Bruiser down. Some elbows to the head knock Silas into the chair though and Bruiser nails a flip dive off the apron as we take a break.

Back with more chairs in the ring and a table having been set up on the floor. Silas hits a slingshot stomp to the ribs and the hanging swinging suplex gets one. Another table is set up in the corner but Bruiser spears him through it instead. Bruiser misses a charge and goes through a chair in the corner though, allowing Silas to pound away with a chair. A suplex off the barricade has Young in trouble again as this is going way longer than it needs to. Young is laid over two chairs on the floor as Bruiser goes up.

That’s broken up so Bruiser hits a super hiptoss of all things, followed by the Beer City Slam onto a chair for two more. Back from another break with Silas slamming him through two chairs for another near fall, meaning frustration sets in. Silas pulls out some zip ties and attaches Bruiser to the top rope. Cue Brian Milonas to beat Young down and cut the zip tie because Heaven forbid this match just end.

Milonas takes too long setting up something from the middle rope and gets chaired through the table at ringside. Bruiser clotheslines him down and a Vader Bomb elbow onto the chair onto Young gets two. A keg to the head doesn’t even warrant a cover as Bruiser puts him on another table instead. The frog splash misses though and Silas hits Misery for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: D. WAY too long here with whatever value the match had being thrown out the window more than halfway through. The Bruiser isn’t someone I’m going to care about because his entire character is that he’s fat and likes beer. I need a lot more than that to care and I’m completely with Silas: Bruiser held him back for a long time and Young is lucky to be rid of him. Yeah he was a little rude when they split, but I’m not going to cheer for Bruiser because of that. Cut this in half (or more) and it could be entertaining, but this was pay per view length when it needed to be average TV length.

Overall Rating: C-. That main event hurt things a lot and that’s not a good sign when it can bring down the rest of the show. I’m curious to see where some of the stories around here go but this show wasn’t exactly a good showcase for the company. The first two matches were entertaining but they’re not exactly high stakes, which keeps things a bit lower on the pole. Not a bad show, but not exactly interesting.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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 16, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

The post Final Battle shows continue and this time around one of the biggest draws is the television debut of Zack Sabre Jr. That’s quite the plus to have as he’s one of the most talented wrestlers in the world and someone who can be a star, especially in a limited quantity around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tracy Williams vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

They’re certainly starting fast. Williams is named Hot Sauce, which should tell you everything you need to know about him. I mean it doesn’t, but a nickname is supposed to do that. Sabre goes straight for the heavily taped shoulder but gets taken down into an armbar. That’s quickly broken with a nip up and it’s back to a cravate from Tracy before he stomps on Sabre’s ankles over and over.

Sabre can’t get up and Williams pulls on a leglock of his own. A rollup gives Williams two but Sabre gets hold on his head, which isn’t likely to go well. Sabre takes him down by the leg and spins the foot around, much to the fans’ cringing delight. Williams goes for a cross armbreaker but they get up for a standoff as we take a break. Back with Sabre starting in on the arm but Williams crushes his chest to put Sabre down. Sabre’s kicks to the chest set up another armbar, only to have Williams take him down with a suplex.

Williams scores with some forearms until Sabre takes him down into another leglock that probably has an awesome name. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker on Sabre and then a Texas Cloverleaf. Sabre slips out and gets a small package for two, followed by a heck of a shot to Williams’ face.

A kick to the arm keeps Williams in trouble but he blocks another one and gets two off a discus lariat. Sabre is fine enough to slap on the Octopus Hold and pull on both arms (also known as Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All To Happiness”.) at once for the tap at 12:33.

Rating: B-. It was quite the display of technical submission skills and hard strikes, but one of the reasons Sabre’s best matches work so well is having him face someone who wrestles a different style. Williams is very similar to Sabre and it took away some of the interest. What we got was good, but Sabre can do a lot more.

Post match Sabre says anything Jonathan Gresham can do, he can do better.

Beer City Bruiser finds Silas Young and asks what’s up with the lack of communication. Young says they were never friends but Bruiser doesn’t get it. They fight next week. Good for Young, as the Bruiser is still mostly a waste of time.

Twisted Sisterz vs. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne

Rematch from a few weeks back. Holidead says she wants Madison to start and gets exactly what she wants, easily winning a test of strength early on. Madison tries to speed things up and a wheelbarrow victory roll gets two. Thunder Rosa offers a quick distraction and the now legal Baker gets kicked in the face for two more.

Back from a break with Baker still in trouble until a superkick puts Rosa down. It’s back to Madison to clean some house, including a cutter for two. Everything breaks down and Holidead clotheslines the non-sisters at the same time. A Backstabber gets two on Baker but Rosa dropkicks Holidead by mistake. Baker discus forearms Rosa into an enziguri, setting up a pumphandle overhead slam for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: D+. Well thank goodness they had the cool/unique team get beaten in their second match before they got over as a dominant team. We certainly need to push the former TNA champion and Baker, who has potential but is pretty bland in the ring. Another instance of having something more interesting available but going with the safer option, which has been a big problem for this division since it started.

Quick ad for Honor Club, featuring the Elite’s final match and subsequent beatdown.

Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending but before the bell, Kazarian brings a chair inside to chase them off. All four start throwing chairs and we settle down to the Briscoes tagging twice before doing anything else. Jay sends Sky into the corner and grabs a sleeper, allowing Mark to get in a few shots of his own. Since So Cal are good guys now, Kazarian is fine with standing on the apron as Sky fights off both champs at once. A suplex sets up a kick to the face for two but Sky comes back with a jumping knee, which is finally enough to bring Kazarian in.

That means a much faster pace, including a springboard Codebreaker to Mark. Everything breaks down and Sky hits a big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Mark hitting a high collar suplex on Kazarian to send him into the corner and put him in trouble, all at the same time. Kazarian fights back with a neckbreaker for two of his own and it’s already back to Sky. Everything breaks down again with Kazarian nailing a cutter on Mark and a pop up tornado DDT for two on Jay.

Sky saves Kazarian from a chair shot to the head and it’s the Rock Bottom into the Backstabber for a VERY near fall as Mark had to pull the referee out. The referee gets bumped and that’s enough for the chair shot to Sky’s back. Mark gets in another shot but instead of following up, the go after Kazarian for some reason.

That allows Sky to grab a victory roll for a VERY delayed two from the replacement referee, only to get caught with the Jay Driller. A top rope superplex into the Froggy Bow only gets two on Kazarian, who comes up with slaps to both of them. Redneck Boogey cuts off the disrespect and retains the titles at 12:19.

Rating: B. Good main event here as SCU goes out fighting as hard as they can. With the AEW news breaking there was no way we were getting a title change here but they were trying to do something entertaining in their last match. That was certainly a success too, and the match was a good way for them to go out.

Here’s Marty Scurll for a chat. People have been asking what’s next for him and it’s time to set some things straight. He’s been the top guy around here for a long time now so it’s time for him to win the top prize. Scurll is the #1 contender and wants the World Title….so here’s the Kingdom to interrupt. Matt Taven says he’s the real World Champion and right now, Marty has no backup when he’s surrounded. Marty agrees that his friends have left him, but he can still make new ones.

The lights go out and it’s Brody King and PCO making their debuts by standing next to Marty. The fight is on with King hitting a big piledriver and PCO completely topping it with the moonsault to the floor. Marty dubs the trio Villain Enterprises (makes sense as that’s what his shirt says) to end the show. Cool debut here, and Scurll is certainly the kind of guy who needs some muscle like this. Also, very well done for PCO to manage to get to something like this after everything he’s been through.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was better here and if you didn’t have such a bad idea with the women’s tag match, it could have been one of the better shows they’ve ever done. What we got here was a really solid wrestling show with a nice angle to wrap it up, which is certainly enough for a positive rating. Fix some of the issues in the middle and it’s great, but for now really good is more than enough.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

So this is something kind of interesting. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to rank the current wrestling shows that I watch from most to least enjoyable. I’ve heard of worse ideas so let’s take a look. Keep in mind that these are only the current shows and the only ones that I watch, so you won’t see many surprises in here.

1. NXT

Like it was going to be anything else. This show is the most enjoyable thing that happens to wrestling fans and one of the best weekly TV shows ever. They never get boring, their worst show is still better than almost anything anyone else produces, and it somehow keeps getting better. They’ve figured out exactly how to do the one hour a week wrestling TV show and I look forward to seeing it every time. This was #1 by a few laps and nothing is in its universe.

2. Smackdown

The more I think about Smackdown, the more frustrated I get at Raw. This show is proof of what WWE is capable of doing and how well they can still put together a big show. While it’s certainly not great, it’s a show that is both entertaining and well done, which is a rare sight on the main roster. The wrestling is good, the promos are better, and there’s a fun feeling here that you don’t get on Monday. Smackdown is very good, and evidence that WWE still knows what it’s doing.

3. 205 Live

If Mustafa Ali was still around, this would have been second. What used to be a terrible show that was little more than a chore to watch has turned into one of the best things going in WWE today. The action ranges from solid to great and it has the best non William Regal boss in WWE with Drake Maverick (must be a British thing). They bring in new talent and have a formula that works very well. Plus Maria Kanellis and that’s never a bad thing.

KEEP GOING!

4. Fusion

I know I talk about this show a lot but it’s become a well done wrestling show. It’s nothing that’s going to blow you away but for about fifty minutes a week, you get a nice blend of action in front of an entertained crowd with some talent you might have be overly familiar with. They’ve put something together in just a few months and it’s a perfectly enjoyable show. Check these guys out if you haven’t, as their show goes up on YouTube every Saturday night.

5. NXT UK

This place gets a hard time, but it’s really not that bad. The problem is the way the show is scheduled rather than what they actually do, and that’s not their fault. The other main issue is calling it NXT, which comes with a very heavy burden. It doesn’t offer anything that a show like Progress doesn’t do better, but the WWE production helps a lot. This is far from bad and cutting it back to an hour a week is going to do wonders for them.

6. Impact Wrestling

Yeah seriously. I know the show has the worst reputation in wrestling and a lot of that is justified, but they’ve gotten a lot better in the last year and a half. It’s still not a masterpiece or even a great show most of the time, but it’s watchable and the stories make sense. That’s a fine place for them to be and if they can continue taking the little steps forward, they might be able to rewrite some of their legacy. Just find a way to make the main events feel epic and they’re well on their way.

JUST AROUND THE BEND!

7. Ring of Honor

This show is the definition of feast or famine. When they’re on, they’re very on and can produce some of the best shows around. When they’re off though, it feels like a low rent promotion took a TV station hostage and ran their show. The women’s division is still a disaster and some of their other stuff isn’t that much better, but they know how to do the wild matches and athletic displays quite well. It’s a watchable show, but not something I really look forward to most of the time.

8. Main Event

Yes a recap show is somehow not on the bottom of the list. This show actually offers a nice service by showcasing the shortened version of the WWE week. The original wrestling occasionally will be entertaining but this is all about giving you a quick look at Raw and Smackdown. It’s fine for what it is, and that’s all it’s supposed to be.

9. Monday Night Raw

What is there even to say here? I’ve literally never missed an episode of Raw and I don’t remember a time when it felt this hopeless (not bad, but hopeless). It’s like they’re always content with not trying anything and would rather just coast until Wrestlemania season, do the Shakeup, and then get back to coasting again. Feuds go on forever with few people getting elevated, and that leaves you with a bunch of uninteresting people fighting for nothing, because the Intercontinental Title is the top title on the show. Without getting into another Lesnar rant, his absence is killing the biggest wrestling show in the world. That shouldn’t happen, and we’re almost to year three of it being the case. Fix that already, because it’s Raw and not Main Event.

What could be lower than this?

Yeah there’s nothing else here.  Nine shows a week is enough and nothing is beating Raw.

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 2, 2019
Host: Ian Riccaboni

Now this one could be interesting and the focus is going to be on the Women of Honor. Why is that interesting you may ask? Well for once we might actually get to know what is supposed to be interesting about some of them. There are several women in the division, but I’m still not sure what is supposed to make a lot of them stand out. Hopefully we can find some of that out here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a quick video looking at the division as a whole, plus some of the bigger names over the year.

From Honor Reigns Supreme in Philadelphia.

Tenille Dashwood/Mandy Leon vs. Kelly Klein/Stacy Shadows

This is Dashwood’s in-ring debut and I believe Shadows appeared a few times on TV over the year. Shadows and Leon start things off with Mandy hitting some pretty weak chops to the much bigger Stacy. That just earns her a forearm to the face and it’s off to Dashwood in a hurry. Tenille gets her to miss a charge over the ropes and fires off some kicks, followed by a Stunner to send her throat first into the middle ropes.

Dashwood charges into a boot to the face though and Kelly comes in for a cravate with knees to the face. The headscissors into the Russian legsweep gets Dashwood out of trouble and we take a break. Back with Kelly sending Leon into the corner and kneeing her in the face again. Stacy comes in for more of the same and throws Mandy down by the hair as the boring match continues.

Mandy does the big dive towards the corner but can’t quite get there until a DDT gets her out of trouble. The diving tag brings Dashwood in to clean house, including a shotgun dropkick to send her into the corner. The Taste of Tenille connects and the reverse layout DDT plants Stacy again. Mandy dives on Kelly and the yet to be named Spotlight Kick finishes Stacy at 9:00.

Rating: D. This was every boring tag match that you can imagine with the only good part being Tenille coming in for the big win in the end. I wouldn’t have had her in there against someone like Stacy who Dashwood can’t do a lot against, but maybe they didn’t have anyone else. It wasn’t terrible but it was dull, and that’s worse.

We see the end of Sumie Sakai vs. Kelly Klein for the first Women of Honor Title in a pretty lame ending with Klein kicking out of Sakai’s regular finisher and then getting pinned with a regular DDT. The big celebration is included.

From May 30.

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 fisher woman’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 Smashmouth 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.

From Honor United in the UK on May 27.

Women’s Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Chardonnay

Sumie is defending and shrugs off a cheap shot attempt. That means some stomping in the corner before Chardonnay gets tied in the ring skirt for a quick spanking. Back in and Chardonnay hammers her down before sending it right back to the floor. That means a baseball slide to send Sakai into the barricade but Sumie is right back with chops to the neck. A crossbody off the barricade misses though and Sumie crashes hard.

Chardonnay gets two off a chop and the Boston crab goes on. Sumie grabs the rope and we take a break. Back without much having changed as Chardonnay chokes in the corner and yells at the crowd. Sumie fights back with a running knee and Smashmouth gets two with almost no reaction on the kickout.

A bridging German suplex is good for two more on Chardonnay, who comes back with a spinebuster for the same. Chardonnay’s signature butterfly suplex gets two more but the Tower of London is broken up. Sumie misses her moonsault and gets caught with a running knee to the face for two more. Another butterfly suplex is countered into Smashmouth for the pin to retain at 10:46.

Rating: C-. Chardonnay had a good look and moved well in the ring but the lack of drama and crowd reaction really pulled the energy out of this. Sumie was her usual uninteresting self and that’s not exactly a good thing for a match like this. You can only do so much with these international house shows and this was no exception to the rule. Not terrible, but pretty dry.

From Best In The World.

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: D+. Everything that has been bad about this division since its inception was on full display here: the non-existent characters, the not great wrestling, the matches that just come and go, and the incredible uninteresting Sakai at the top of the division. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen by a mile and there are some perfectly watchable matches at times, but the complete lack of character work kills any positives that could come from the whole thing. Highlighting the year is fine on paper, but was this really the best they could do? Boring show, but it went by quick.

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Final Battle 2018
Date: December 14, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

As tends to be the case, this is the best promotion of a show that ROH has done all year and that’s the best thing that could happen on the biggest show of the year. The big question here is whether this will be the last big show for Cody and the Young Bucks, who both happen to be in title matches tonight. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Cody debuting here two years ago and then losing the World Title here last year. The rest of the big matches get some attention as well.

The announcers run down more of the card.

Kenny King vs. Eli Isom

They added an extra hour to this show and this is the kind of thing they spent the extra time on? Before the match, King says he doesn’t want to be here against a commercial for the ROH Dojo. Tonight, King gets to prove that the old school is better than the new school. King knocks Isom into the corner to take over and sends him outside for the big corkscrew dive. A clothesline hits the post but Isom can’t do anything because King can beat him up with one arm.

Back in and Isom goes with three straight leapfrogs into a knee to the face to send King outside. That means the no hands flip dive as the fans are already getting into Isom. Isom’s armbar doesn’t get him far as King dropkicks him down and grabs a reverse suplex into a Stunner. Isom hits an enziguri and gets two off a very low lifting powerbomb. King is right back with Be Kind Rewind for two with King pulling him up before three. A quick Gory Bomb sets up a backslide driver for two on King but he dives into the Samoan driver for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: C-. Not a great match or anything but Isom has been a very pleasant surprise in the last few months. While he’s not great in the ring, I was expecting another Cheeseburger and got someone I could see turning into a completely solid midcarder one day. He had a nice performance here and with while he wasn’t ready to beat King, it was nice to see him hanging in there with him.

Post match King won’t shake his hand.

We recap Adam Page vs. Jeff Cobb. Jeff showed up and immediately won the TV Title but Page isn’t impressed. He wants to show that someone is just as strong as Cobb and can hang with him everywhere. I’m not sure if he can do that, but I’m also not sure Page can’t pull it off, which makes for an entertaining match.

TV Title: Jeff Cobb vs. Adam Page

Cobb is defending. Page isn’t playing here and goes right at Cobb with some running forearms and big boots to the jaw. He keeps getting shoved off but Page goes at him again and again as they’re certainly starting fast. Another dropkick puts Cobb on the floor but he catches the shooting star off the apron and sends Page flying with an overhead belly to belly. Back in and Page takes the knee out but mostly misses a Lionsault (barely slapping Cobb’s chest) for two.

Page heads up but gets caught in a fifteen second one armed superplex (good freaking grief). Cobb’s standing shooting star (because of course) misses so he goes to the middle rope, only to have Page roll through a crossbody into a fall away slam. That sends Cobb outside for the suicide dive and the middle rope moonsault as the fans are losing it over this stuff. Back in and Page hits a pair of running shooting stars for two and it’s time for the big slugout.

Cobb pulls Page out of the corner and flips him up into a sitout Tombstone for two more and Page is shaken. He’s fine enough to hit a superkick and a pair of discus forearms to rattle Cobb, who headbutts him right out to the apron. That’s the perfect place for the Buckshot Lariat but the Right of Passage is countered into a release F5 for two more. The Tour of the Islands is countered into a crucifix but another Buckshot Lariat attempt doesn’t work, allowing Cobb to hit the Tour of the Islands on the second attempt. Cobb isn’t done though and hits a second in a row to retain at 13:34.

Rating: B+. Cobb is right there with Brian Cage for the THAT’S NOT NORMAL award. He’s big and stout but can do flips and dives while also being an Olympic wrestler. I mean, what are you supposed to do with someone like that? At the same time, Page has become one of the most well rounded workers in the company and would have a rocket attached to his back if and when he winds up in NXT. This was a blast and worth checking out.

Madison Rayne talks about training her entire career for this moment.

Kelly Klein wants a fair title shot. These are the same promos that aired on TV.

We recap the Women’s Title match, which is basically Sumie Sakai defending against most of the division.

Women of Honor Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Kelly Klein vs. Karen Q vs. Madison Rayne

Sakai is defending under elimination rules with Mandy Leon on commentary. Kelly and Madison fight in one corner while the others fight in another, leaving Leon to offer her, ahem…eh screw the sarcasm. She’s really not good at this and we’d be better off with Caprice Coleman instead. Klein and Karen are sent outside with Sumie chopping away at Madison and getting two off a middle rope crossbody.

Karen breaks up a crossface chickenwing on Madison for no apparent reason and puts both of them in a Boston crab at the same time. Kelly and Karen start double teaming Madison with a t-bone suplex, only to have Karen kick Kelly in the face by mistake. We get the required Tower of Doom with Kelly handling the powerbombing but Sumie hangs onto the top and hits a missile dropkick on Kelly. It doesn’t do much damage though as Kelly is up with K Power to finish Karen at 6:56.

Madison hits a quick tornado DDT for two on Kelly and the Rayne Drop gets the same on Sumie. The champ is right back up with Smash Mouth to Madison and Kelly steals the pin at 8:58 to get us down to two. Sumie takes her down into a cross armbreaker but Kelly keeps her grip. The powerbomb isn’t enough to break it up so they stand up where Smash Mouth can connect for two. A hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb to give Klein two and K Power gets the same. Super K Power finally gives us a new champion at 13:41.

Rating: C. Not bad but they didn’t have the epic match that they were shooting for. No matter what Ring of Honor tried to do, Sumie’s title reign wasn’t epic and the title change is just a regular title change. There’s nothing special or important about this because Sumie’s time with the title wasn’t all that great. She wasn’t interesting and her matches were nothing of note, but the company stuck with her forever and it made the title seem less and less important every time.

Kelly is presented with the title and hugs Sakai. Totally out of character for Kelly but when does that ever stop anyone?

Jonathan Gresham wants to prove himself against the other best technical wrestler in the world.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

This should be awesome. Sabre slaps him in the face before the bell and Gresham manages to stay calm. Gresham wins the early wrestle off and they’re both right back up. It turns into a shoving match until Sabre takes him down by the wrist. Gresham grabs the leg to escape but can’t get much further than that. Some headlocks into headscissors let Sabre grab a hammerlock before going back to the headscissors to keep Gresham down.

Gresham manages to lock up the legs and sit up for a slugout but it’s another standoff as the fans are very pleased. They hit the mat again with Gresham grabbing the arm until Sabre fights up and grabs an abdominal stretch. He even rolls down into an armbar on the mat as the crazy counters continue. Back up and Sabre uppercuts him, with Gresham saying bring it on. It turns into a slap off, which just looks pathetic no matter what explanation they have. Throw punches already.

A half crab has Sabre in trouble but he reverses into a triangle choke because that’s something people can do. That’s reversed into the Octopus, which Sabre reverses into an ankle lock. Gresham turns that into an ankle lock of his own until Sabre rolls out and hits a kick to the chest. Another strike off goes to Sabre but he misses a moonsault, allowing Gresham to drop a knee on the arm. The armbar is countered into a cradle with Sabre bridging off his head for the pin (like the cocky jerk that he is) at 11:49.

Rating: B. This felt like something out of Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit from the 2003 Royal Rumble where Benoit got caught instead of getting beaten. It was exactly what this should have been with both guys looking incredible and having an excellent display of holds and counterholds. There’s going to be a rematch at some point, and that should certainly be the case.

Sabre won’t shake hands, because he’s a jerk.

We recap Dalton Castle vs. Matt Taven. Castle is back from an injury but Taven called him weak for missing time. Taven also says that he’s the real World Champion so a win over Castle would be a big deal for him.

Dalton Castle vs. Matt Taven

Castle has an army of Boys and is rolled out on the back of a glittery mini stage. Sounds normal for him. TK O’Ryan insists that Taven be introduced as the REAL World Champion and we get some confetti falling. Matt is feeling extra generous tonight and makes this a title match, with Castle touching the title because why not. It’s straight into a slugout to start and they head outside. Back in and Castle strikes the peacock pose so Taven sends him to the apron.

A springboard kick to the face knocks Castle off but the Boys catch him, allowing Castle to come back in and slug away. Taven knocks him outside for a running dropkick through the ropes and a suicide dive, but the big no hands dive hits barricade. Castle hammers away a bit more but Taven scores with a backbreaker back inside. The seated armbar gets Castle out of trouble until Taven flips out of the corner and grabs a DDT for two. A short DDT plants Taven again but O’Ryan gets in a cheap shot.

The Boys take him out but Marseglia comes out from underneath the ring for a double DDT. The distracted referee lets Taven get in a belt shot for two with frustration setting in on the kickout. Castle dropkicks him off the apron and hits a hurricanrana from the apron. The Bang A Rang sends Taven into the post so the Kingdom gets involved again, earning themselves a double ejection. Back in and another Bang A Rang gets two with Taven grabbing the rope. Another attempt is escaped and Taven knees him in the face. The Climax gives Taven the pin at 15:50.

Rating: B. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, with Castle not being able to overcome the odds and eventually falling clean to Taven in the end. Taven might not be the most interesting guy in the world, but at least they’re pushing him very hard and he’ll likely get the World Title at Supercard of Honor in April.

We recap Marty Scurll vs. Christopher Daniels. Scurll beat Daniels to win the World Title shot at Survival of the Fittest, with Daniels claiming he would have won in a one on one match. Scurll agreed to put the title shot on the line, but Daniels only has one match left on his contract. Therefore, it’s title shot vs. career.

Christopher Daniels vs. Marty Scurll

Daniels has a bad neck coming in. Feeling out process to start with an exchange of shoves and Daniels headlocking him down. Scurll slips out and pats him on the bald head, which of course means war. Another takedown sets up a hammerlock on Scurll, followed by the slingshot elbow for two. Scurll elbows him to the floor but misses the superkick from the apron. Instead Daniels pulls him down for the Arabian moonsault.

Back in and Marty hits a superplex to send Daniels outside again. That means the apron superkick can connect, followed by a regular one against the barricade. Back in and they chop it out but Scurll grabs a neckbreaker to stay on…well the neck of course. There’s a dropkick to the back and Daniels’ neck is jarred all over again. The cravate doesn’t last long and Daniels shrugs off a half and half suplex to hit a Blue Thunder Bomb. A belly to back faceplant gets two and the Lionsault gives Daniels the same.

To mix things up a bit, Daniels pulls Scurll up by the fingers but, being nicer than he was in his younger years, goes with some chops instead. Scurll kicks the leg out and gets two off a piledriver as the fans chant for Bruiser Brody (I think). The chickenwing is countered into a cradle and Daniels busts out a Burning Hammer for two.

Angel’s Wings is countered into a Tombstone with the Undertaker cover getting two. Scurll snaps the fingers but Daniels hits a not completely locked Angel’s Wings for two more. The Best Moonsault Ever misses and Marty superkicks him twice. Graduation gets two so Marty stomps on the neck to knock Daniels silly, setting up the chickenwing for the tap at 17:36.

Rating: B. Another good match here with a very well told story. Daniels wasn’t the man he used to be and didn’t quite have it anymore while Scurll was more than willing to be the villain that he was born to be. Daniels going out in defeat is exactly what you would expect here and it was a heck of a big win for Scurll. Well done all around and the ending was exactly as it should have gone.

Post match Scurll leaves and Daniels gets the big moment….until Bully Ray comes in to low blow him. Ray calls out Flip Gordon and it’s time for the I Quit match, which is all about Ray being a jerk to the younger Gordon, who he doesn’t think is a man.

Flip Gordon vs. Bully Ray

Gordon is in military gear and comes through the crowd carrying the American flag. He comes over the barricade and springboards in with a Phenomenal forearm as commentary is completely behind Gordon here. They fight to the floor with Ray being sent into the barricade for a running forearm. A trashcan to the head gets Ray out of trouble and it’s time for a table. Ray can’t powerbomb him through it though and Gordon grabs another table as commentary admits that they’re a bit biased here. Just in case you’re kind of dumb you see.

Ray gets in what looked like a chain shot and stops to yell at various executives before shoving ring announcer Bobby Cruise. The referee yells at him too and gets tossed aside, leaving Ray to threaten ROH ambassador Cary Silkin. Daniels runs back in and dives over Silkin to protect him but gets dropped as well. Gordon gets thrown down but won’t quite. Instead Ray grabs Gordon’s girlfriend and threatens to powerbomb her through the table.

The bloody Gordon wants to quit (without actually doing it) to save her but Silkin hits Ray with the kendo stick instead. Gordon gets up and makes the save before giving his girlfriend a very bloody kiss. A top rope flag shot to the head sets up a Crossface with the flag but Silas Young runs in for the save and Misery. It’s time for lighter fluid both on Gordon and a table so here’s Cheeseburger to go after Young.

That earns him Misery (shame they didn’t burn him instead) so Colt Cabana comes in to fight them both until a low blow from Young stops him as well. Silas gets the lighter….and there go the lights because Sandman is here. On the biggest ROH show of the year because THIS NEEDS TO BE ABOUT ECW TOO!!! Beer is consumed and Ray misses a charge, allowing Gordon to hit a good superkick (Sandman didn’t hit Ray). A less good Star Spangled Stunner lets Gordon grab a pair of kendo sticks and unload on Ray for the win at 14:23.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure on this one. They had a bunch of stuff that fit with the story, but at the same time there was too much crammed into less than fifteen minutes. Gordon winning on his own in the end was the right call so they got the finish right, but at the same time there wasn’t enough of a focus on him having to fight back and overcome the adversity. I did like it and it was good, but they needed either more time or less stuff. Like less Sandman for example.

Caprice Coleman joins commentary to replace Cabana.

We recap the World Title match. Cody debuted here two years ago at Final Battle and then lost the World Title to Dalton Castle here last year. He hasn’t gotten a one on one title rematch yet so tonight it’s his second match against Lethal at Final Battle. This hasn’t been a strong build, but that happens a lot with the World Title.

ROH World Title: Cody vs. Jay Lethal

Cody is defending and has Brandi Rhodes with him. He’s also in military gear, which is probably too close to the previous match. Jay has a wish list on his back, ala Cody’s list when he left WWE for a nice touch. Hang on though as Cody grabs the mic and says it sounds like the fans love him. Fans: “WE DON’T LOVE YOU!” Well you can’t say they aren’t being clear about their thoughts.

Cody certainly doesn’t love them, because if he did, he would be working the Madison Square Garden show. That earns him a Stardust chant and Cody is a little panicked. Jay says this is his company and he’s leaving the new gold of the company dull. Feeling out process to start with Cody not being able to take over on the leg. A headlock doesn’t work either and Cody slides between the legs but comes up holding his own knee. Of course he’s faking and slides outside for a kiss from Brandi and a chorus of booing.

Lethal hits another dropkick, stops to glare at the crowd (interesting), and fails at the Lethal Combination. Instead Cody starts in on the arm but pauses for some pushups. The Disaster Kick misses though and Lethal kicks the knee out again. If you’re going with a regular knee attack, why do the fake knee injury earlier? The knee gets wrapped around the post but Lethal hasn’t completed the Ric Flair requirements yet, meaning no Figure Four.

Jay kicks at the leg before getting an O’Connor roll but Brandi distracts the ref. Said ref is sent into the corner for a distraction, allowing Brandi to hit a spear (with her surgically repaired shoulder, her new finisher) to set up Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Back up and the referee won’t let Lethal hit Shattered Dreams so Brandi comes in again, only to spear Cody by mistake. Lethal tries the Lethal Injection but hits Brandi (I use the word hits loosely as it wasn’t even close), mainly due to Cody pulling her in the way.

Another Cross Rhodes gets another two and Cody slaps on the Figure Four….with the bell ringing because Adam Page runs in to ring it. I’m not sure why you would do that, as you already had Jay in trouble and ring the bell in a hurry instead of letting it do more damage. In theory it’s to allow more interference, but it seems a little more complicated than it needs to be. Lethal hits his own Cross Rhodes for two but Hail to the King hits Cody’s knee.

As it turns out that hurts the knee again, allowing Jay to knock him outside for the triple suicide dives. Eh it’s Final Battle though so let’s make it SEVEN, though Cody is fine enough to block the eighth with a spit of water to the face. Din’s Fire (Vertebreaker) gives Cody two and Jay kicks Cody into the referee. That means a belt shot to Cody’s knee, some low superkicks, the Lethal Injection, more low superkicks, and the Figure Four to retain at 23:51.

Rating: B-. There were a few too many shenanigans here with Lethal teasing a heel turn to go with everything else going on. With Cody likely leaving soon, I’m not complaining about Lethal retaining, but he seems to be in the middle of a six month filler reign. This place really does need some better main eventers, and as usual it feels like they take WAY too long to set people up.

Post match Scurll comes out to stare at Lethal, followed by Nick Aldis and the unnamed Kamilla Kaine for the staredown from the ramp. I….eh maybe this could work.

We recap the Ladder War. The Briscoes and Young Bucks had a heck of a match for the titles that ended in a double DQ. SCU won the titles in a triple threat match and have their new contracts, but now we’re having a big ladder match to decide things. To be fair, this is the best done story on the show and it should be the main event. If nothing else, who is supposed to follow them?

SCU says New York is the worst town but they’ll make it a great memory.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Young Bucks vs. SCU

SCU (Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian) are defending here. The Briscoes head outside and start throwing chairs inside, leaving the Bucks to slug it out with the champs. The Bucks get the better of it and start superkicking until Kazarian slingshots out into a hurricanrana on Mark, sending him into a spear on Jay. Everyone heads outside with Sky being put on a table but the Briscoes chair Matt down.

Jay hits a double stomp to put Sky through the table and the Briscoes take over with various metal shots. Kazarian is busted open and Mark puts the ladder around his neck to slam into people’s faces. Some superkicks break that up and Coleman thinks we might see some more later. Jay gets kicked to the floor and a wheelbarrow faceplant drops Sky. The Bucks hit a double dropkick on Sky before stopping for a Too Sweet.

The first ladder is set up but the champs take over on the Bucks, complete with some loud swearing from Sky. It’s too early for the titles though and the fight over getting to climb is on. Nick and Kazarian shove the ladder back and forth at each other until stereo superkicks put the champs down. The Briscoes come back in with some chairs to clean house though until Kazarian hits a chair shot to Jay’s back. Another shot takes out Kazarian’s ankle though and the Briscoes take over again.

Mark gets kicked out to the floor for a flip dive from Sky and it’s time to unleash the series of dives until Matt is suplexed through a table. The bloody Jay finds a staple gun but Kazarian breaks it up with a slingshot cutter through the table at ringside. And now, a sledgehammer from Matt has Jay begging him to swing. Since that’s a bad idea, we get another ladder instead.

After catapulting it into Sky’s face, Matt goes up but gets pulled back down into a backbreaker onto the open chair because the back injury is his thing. Nick hits the slingshot X Factor to send Jay into a chair but the also bloody Mark brings in another ladder. A springboard spear knocks Sky off the ladder so it’s time for the Meltzer Driver, with Mark diving off the ladder with a cutter for the save.

There’s a Jay Driller to Matt and everyone is down for a few seconds. Jay loads up yet another ladder and then bridges a second between the standing version and the corner. Kazarian is back in with a Styles Clash to drive Jay crotch first into a chair. That’s enough to get a hand on a belt with Nick going up for the save but being tossed WAY down and through a table on the floor. Jay climbs up as well and Mark pelts a chair up at Kazarian to knock him through another table, leaving Jay to pull down the titles for the win at 22:40.

Rating: A. Well that was great. This was the exact same idea that worked for the original TLC matches: take six guys and let them go completely insane with one spot after another until one team finally puts the others away after a big move. It was entertaining and nothing was going to follow it so this was the right call for the main event. Great stuff with the blood making it seem more intense, which is exactly what it should have been.

Overall Rating: B+. The extra hour didn’t really need to exist here, especially with an added match of Eli Isom vs. Kenny King. I think we’ve established that ROH isn’t going to do the sane thing of just trimming some of the longer matches down, so this is pretty much all we can do in the future.

Speaking of the future, it’s clear that things are changing around here and that could be scary. Cody and the Young Bucks and company have dominated ROH for a long time now and with the strong chance that they’re gone (assuming there aren’t shenanigans afoot), ROH needs to change a lot going forward. I’m not sure where things are going to go, but it could be a heck of a bad time if they’re not handled the right way. Or it’ll be an improvement because so many people have to step up to fill in the gap. Anyway, very strong show here and a great way to close out the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: December 26, 2018
Host: Ian Riccaboni

It’s time for a Best of 2018 show, which is something that I can live with for a change instead of the filler episodes before the next regular TV show. There’s been good stuff over the year and that means we should be getting some good matches and moments on the card. Just don’t focus on the stuff that only ROH seems to find important and we should be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

As usual, I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches, even if they’re clipped on the broadcast.

Opening sequence.

We open with a look at some of the bigger shows and moments of the year with Ian narrating in a nice start.

From Supercard of Honor XII.

Cody vs. Kenny Omega

Cody comes in with Bernard the Business Bear (there better be a good reveal), Brandi Rhodes, and a bunch of cops. The fans lose their minds at the opening bell but hang on because Cody needs a kiss from Brandi. It takes over a minute to lock up….and they immediately cut to the crowd. Cody’s headlock goes nowhere as Kenny kicks him to the floor and runs the ropes until Bernard trips him up.

Omega dives onto Bernard and takes off the head revealing….just a guy, or at least someone not important enough to show. Cody uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot as the bear is ejected. Oh come on now. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Cody loads up Shattered Dreams but stops and flips off the crowd instead. So to clarify: the WWE Hall of Famer who works here is a heel move but Goldust is a face. Got it. I think? The fans sing for Omega and are rewarded by Cody powerbombing him to cut off a comeback attempt.

The American Deathlock goes on but Kenny makes the rope, only to be slapped by Brandi. In a blatant bit of cheating, Cody has a foreign object thrown in but uses the referee distraction to kick Omega low. All Cody so far. The beating continues on the floor with Cody shifting his focus to the back. Omega gets sent face first into a chair but hang on because Cody has to steal a beer and spit it at fans. Of course that gets Cody a chant and it’s time to slap it out.

Omega gets the better of the chopping but his moonsault hits knees. Cody heads outside and takes one heck of a suicide dive, followed by a sitout bulldog for two back inside. Something like Adam Cole’s old Last Shot plants Cody again and there’s the V Trigger for a big reaction. A pair of Snapdragons makes things even worse but Cody breaks up a third attempt and scores with a Disaster Kick for two.

Another V Trigger in the corner looks to set up the One Winged Angel but Cody reverses into a Figure Four instead. Omega is in trouble and rolls around to little avail. A few slaps to the face wake him up enough for the turnover though and the hold is broken. Cody grabs a dragon screw legwhip to send Omega to the apron and it’s table time (Kevin: “Did we have a banquet earlier today?”).

Cross Rhodes through the table is broken up and a piledriver is blocked as well with Omega trying the Snapdragon on the apron. It knocks Cody down, though it would be a little more effective if Cody’s head actually touched the apron. Amazingly enough that’s not enough to finish Cody, who picks Omega up and drops him ribs first on the side of the table for a good looking crash. Instead of, you know, using the table again, Cody throws Omega back in for two off the Alabama Slam (almost no reaction from the crowd) and they’re both down again.

Another V Trigger rocks Cody and the reverse hurricanrana gets almost no rotation and Cody nearly lands on his back. Again, the fans aren’t reacting to most of this stuff and it’s not a good sign when they’re only about twenty minutes in to what’s likely going to be a crazy long match. Brandi sets up a table on the floor and gets on the apron, meaning it’s a missed V Trigger to put her through the table. Kenny is distracted so Cross Rhodes gets a close two, again with VERY little reaction.

Cody doesn’t know that Brandi is down so here’s Flip Gordon to help her out, following up on a Being the Elite angle. I know that’s the case because commentary tells us about it, which is all I need. A superplex brings Omega back down and it’s time for a whipping with the weightlifting belt as we move into the Hollywood Hogan period. Cody misses the moonsault though and one heck of a knee to the face has him in even more trouble.

Two more running knees get two (Remember: when Omega spams moves, he’s awesome. When someone in WWE does it, they’re not real wrestlers.) but the One Winged Angel is reversed into a Vertebreaker for two more. We get the required ref bump (How else are you going to get the Bucks in there?) and a double crossbody puts both guys down. Cue the Bucks (with a Being the Elite camera) to decide whom to superkick. They aim for Cody but hit Omega instead with reality setting in very quickly. Cross Rhodes gives Cody the pin at 36:35.

Rating: B-. Well, it was good and long (you could have cut 10-15 minutes) and it advanced the story. The problem is this felt like a big chapter but not a chapter important enough for 36 minutes of nothing mind blowing. Cody can’t get to that level and it’s showing more and more every time he’s in a major match. They did a very good job of explaining things that set up the match and feud, which was a major issue coming in so well done there. Overall though, this was lacking and nothing that I’m going to remember as really, the big spot was Brandi’s table bump and that was nothing great. Good, but not what they were hyping.

Omega glares at the Bucks as he’s helped to the back.

Video on Punishment Martinez winning the TV Title.

From October 24.

TV Title: Jeff Cobb vs. Punishment Martinez

Martinez is defending. They slug it out at the bell and Cobb shoves him around. The stomp out of the corner is easily blocked and Cobb hits the spinning belly to back suplex instead. A knee to the face has no effect and Martinez isn’t sure what to do. Martinez kicks him in the face to put Cobb down on one knee. The Silencer is shrugged off and Cobb clotheslines him down with ease. The Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title at 1:28 as Martinez is off to WWE. This was EXACTLY how this should have gone as Martinez has been a monster but now the bigger monster has devoured him. Very smart booking.

Quick look at the Briscoes vs. the Young Bucks from Best in the World.

Clip of the Kingdom winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles at Survival of the Fittest.

From July 25.

ROH World Title: Cody vs. Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal vs. Dalton Castle

Castle is defending and it’s one fall to a finish, even though the match is called a Survival Match. I get what they’re going for and it’s not terrible by any means but I’ve never liked that name for a one fall match. Castle is also very banged up but has the Boys with him to counter Cody’s seconds in Brandi and Bernard. Taven and Castle go straight to the floor so Lethal can dropkick Cody back inside.

Back in and Taven misses a missile dropkick but backdrops Letha to the apron for a springboard kick to the head. The Disaster Kick puts Taven on the floor as Castle gets back in for a running clothesline to put Cody on the floor. There’s the Peacock strut but Lethal comes back in to clear things out. Two suicide dives per opponent has Lethal in full control and we actually don’t take a break. Bernard even takes one of his own so Castle gets back inside where Brandi tosses him something.

That’s just a ruse though so a low blow can take Taven down, meaning it’s a showdown with Cody vs. Castle. The American Deathlock works on Castle’s bad knee so Lethal goes up for the save. Taven breaks it up and does the frog splash for a save instead, which fits him perfectly. Back from a break with Lethal hitting a DDT on Cody and a Downward Spiral for two on Castle. The Figure Four goes on Castle with Cody making a save, only to get kicked in the face for his efforts. Lethal goes crazy with chops on Taven, who collapses against the ropes in a heap.

Castle can’t hit the Bang a Rang on Taven, who rolls him up for a VERY delayed two (there’s your conspiracy). With Taven panicking, Cody comes in and hits Cross Rhodes for two and it’s a three way strike off between everyone but Taven. Cody powerslams Lethal and there’s the Disaster Kick to Castle. Taven is back in with a Climax for two on Castle as Cody saves. A double Lethal Injection drops Cody and Taven to the floor and the single version drops Castle. Taven pulls the referee out at two though and we take a break.

Back again with Lethal diving into a chair and Taven hitting his great looking dive onto Cody. It’s table time (completely unnecessary) and a Tower of Doom sends Taven and Cody through the wood with Lethal sliding in to get two. Lethal and Castle slug it out but the Lethal Injection is countered into the Bang a Rang. That’s countered as well and the Lethal Injection ends Castle to give Lethal the title back at 17:44.

Rating: B+. The more I think about this, the more I like it. Castle retaining at Best in the World was just a swerve so they could do something like this and there’s nothing wrong with that. Lethal feels a bit like a transitional champion and the safe choice to take the title off of the injured Castle but there are far worse choices. You’ll get solid to great matches and the fans respect him so it’s as good of an option as there was available. Now ROH can figure out where they want to go and Lethal is a fine placeholder. It came in an entertaining match as well, with everyone working hard and feeling like they could pull it off.

From Best in the World.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are challenging and it’s Nick vs. Mark to start. It’s an early standoff until Nick gets in Mark’s face and knocks Jay off the apron. A low bridge sends Nick outside but he’s fine enough to kick Jay in the head. Everything breaks down and the superkicks are blocked (the Briscoes must be psychics), setting up double face to face staredowns. The Briscoes hit the ropes though and NOW the superkicks connect.

Nick dropkicks them both and a double basement dropkick has Jay in trouble. A Razor’s Edge/neckbreaker combination gets two on Matt and we settle down to a more standard formula. The fans are split here (again, well duh) as Mark stomps away and Jay gets in a choke behind the referee’s back. Matt tries to slide to the floor and run around but has to stop for a superkick, allowing Mark to stomp him down again.

Another superkick is enough for the hot tag off to Nick, who wastes no time with the springboard flip dive. Nick knees Jay in the face but Mark pulls him off the ropes into a rear naked choke of all things. Matt gets Blockbustered and it’s the neckbreaker into the Froggy Bow for two on Nick. The super crucifix bomb is broken up by Matt and a double clothesline takes the champs down. An exchange of superkicks actually goes to the Briscoes and the Jay Driller plants Matt with Nick having to make a save.

The Doomsday Device is broken up by a springboard cutter and a victory roll gets a rather close two. With Mark knocked to the floor, the Bucks hit a springboard Doomsday Device for another near fall on Jay but Mark takes out the referee. Mark brings in a chair, which is promptly superkicked right back into his face. The Meltzer Driver gets two on Jay as Mark makes another save.

Another Driver is loaded up but Mark pelts a chair at Nick’s head (that looked BAD, in a painful way) and the Jay Driller on a chair gets two on Matt. An elevated piledriver on a chair can’t get a pin? Now the super Razor’s Edge/neckbreaker combination is enough to put Matt away at 17:00. That last move looked great but they didn’t need to do that and the Jay Driller.

Rating: A-. Yep this was awesome and that’s really not a surprise. The Briscoes are an awesome team and can put on a great match with just about anyone. When you have the Bucks with their heads on straight and they’re being serious, they can carry their end of an excellent match too. This was the best thing on the show so far and that tends to be the case with the tag matches.

Next week: the Women of Honor. Must we?

Overall Rating: A-. Well that was easy. This was a bunch of good matches that I’ve seen before (or at least clips of them with the last match shown in full) so it’s really hard to complain about much on here. They do know how to put together a good show like this and that’s what we got with this one. There isn’t much to say on something like this but it was still rather entertaining, which was the idea.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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