IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: October 24, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The road to Final Battle is on but it’s almost impossible to keep track of everything we have going on at the moment. You know, because there’s so much going on at the moment. In other words, there’s Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal which has yet to be announced as of yet. Also, Jeff Cobb gets a TV Title match tonight against Punishment Martinez. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the TV Title match, as well as Coast to Coast challenging the Briscoe Brothers for the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Coast to Coast

The Briscoes are defending and the announcers seem unsure why this match is taking place now. Coast to Coast comes out to say they’re not waiting on the main event. Mark takes LSG down to start and rubs his face into the mat just to be a jerk. Or a heel. Close enough. LSG isn’t having that and chops him into the corner, only to have Mark deck Ali so Jay can come in for some cheap shots. It’s Ali in trouble in the corner as we take a break. Back with Ali still in trouble as Jay comes in for a headbutt.

Another kick to the face ticks Ali off so Mark pokes him in the eye. We hit the neck crank for a bit until Ali fights up and rolls over for the hot tag to LSG so the comeback can be on. A spinning gutbuster sets up a flip neckbreaker to stagger Mark and Jay misses a hard clothesline. LSG gets sent outside to draw Ali over, allowing Mark to dropkick the heck out of him as the champs are rolling. An elbow off the apron crushes Ali and Jay sends him into the barricade for a bonus.

Back in and LSG is mostly done as well, though even the announcers are wondering why the champs aren’t going after the completely destroyed Ali. Some right hands give Mark an arrogant cover and it’s back to Jay for a kick to the head. We take a second break and come back again with LSG still in trouble and Jay talking a lot of trash, as he is known to do. LSG gets the traditional enziguri and there’s the diving tag to Ali so the pace can pick up…for all of three seconds before Jay kicks him in the face.

The champs take over again and hit a neckbreaker on Ali before kicking away. A fisherman’s buster gets two and Redneck Boogie (Razor’s Edge into a neckbreaker) is good for the same with the kickout shocking Mark. LSG comes in for the save and a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination gets two on the illegal Mark, though the referee doesn’t seem to mind.

Coast to Coast hits Coast to Coast but LSG hits a 450 so Ali can get two. Coleman accurately points out that the sequence took WAY too long and they should have covered while Jay was down a few seconds earlier. Jay saves his brother from a double superplex and it’s the Doomsday Device to pin Ali at 17:23.

Rating: B. You know, Coast to Coast has gone from a one more team to some awesome underdogs. I wouldn’t have guessed the two of them could have become an entertaining team but they’ve worked their way to that point. I could see them finally winning the titles at some point, which would be a very nice come from behind moment. This was much better than I thought it would be as the Briscoes continue to be one of the best teams in the world.

Jay Lethal isn’t cool with Matt Taven holding his own worthless title.

Matt Taven holds up his belt and says he’s the real champion.

The Briscoes say they’re the best in the world and invite anyone to come for the titles.

Video on Jeff Cobb wrecking the Top Prospect Tournament and then laying out Punishment Martinez.

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.

Here’s an injured Tenille Dashwood (jumped at Death Before Dishonor by a mystery attacker) for a chat. She talks about how she’s not as good as she’s been saying because she has an autoimmune disease that is fighting her entire body and now she has a bad shoulder on top of it. She’s kept fighting because she’s stubborn but now she’s ticked off because she’s been attacked.

Now there’s nothing she can do about it because she has to have shoulder surgery. Whoever attacked her is probably happy but now she has all the time to think about what happened. She fought at Death Before Dishonor at less than 50%, so imagine what she can do at 100%.

Adam Page is ready for Scorpio Sky next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Marty Scurll

On his way to the ring, Sabin talks about spirit animals and how much more awesome his is than Scurll’s. Right. They fight over wrist control to start with Sabin being a bit more technically sound. Marty’s shoulder doesn’t move Sabin so it’s off to a posedown. They keep trying the same thing, including both of them trying kicks to the ribs. Neither is willing to let it go so the referee has to put both feet down.

Marty is all fired up but it’s right back to the wrist battle. I guess he’s a wrist enthusiast. Sabin takes him down and hits a running kick to the face for the first two. Some running elbows put Sabin on the floor though and that means the apron superkick. Back from a break with Sabin caught in a crossarm choke until he fights up for a kick to Scurll’s chest. The forearm exchange goes to Sabin and a missile dropkick puts Scurll on the floor.

Back in and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Sabin two, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence. A running kick to the chest keeps Scurll in trouble but he’s fast enough to catch Sabin with a superplex for two. Sabin pops up for a superkick and that means a double knockdown. Even more kicks put them both down but Marty tries the chickenwing. Sabin flips backwards into a rollup so Scurll lets go and powerbombs him again. Graduation (a spinning butterfly slam) finishes Sabin at 10:39.

Rating: B-. Scurll has figured out his role very well and is having some entertaining matches as of late. Sabin is still the same guy he’s been for years now and that’s not the worst place to be. There’s a pretty strong midcard around here and amazingly enough, Scurll is that much better when you don’t have him trading wins with the Hurricane.

Overall Rating: A-. Easily their best show in a very long time, though the TV Title match should have closed the show. You had two very good matches and one very intelligent match, which makes this one of their best put together shows in years. Ring of Honor has a bad tendency to just put stuff out there to fill in time with no apparent purpose but that wasn’t the case this time around. It’s amazing how much better things are when they’re focused, which they were here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer, Caprice Coleman

We’re FINALLY after the previous month’s pay per view and that means it’s time to do something fresh. Of course around here that doesn’t mean much as Glory By Honor, as in the next major show, has already taken place. I really can’t even mock them for this anymore as it’s still such a problem. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the ending of Death Before Dishonor, where Jay Lethal successfully defended the World Title against Will Ospreay but the Kingdom came in and beat him down. Matt Taven, now with a haircut, has his own World Title.

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Kingdom to take over the ring. They’re about to do something that should have been done a long time ago. The Kingdom has been silenced for far too long and the referee has to hold the title while the ring announcer reads off Taven’s resume. The last line says Taven is the ROH World Champion, which requires some coercing to be announced. No one comes out, but at least Lethal has a new challenger.

Video on Jeff Cobb showing up and then wrecking TV Champion Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a fight.

Chase Owens vs. Kenny King

Owens is Bullet Club and King is the hometown boy. They go to the arm holds to start until neither can kick the other in the face. King goes after the arm again but gets sent to the apron and dropkicked to the floor. Back from a break with Owens hitting a running neckbreaker for a delayed two until King slugs his way back into it.

The spinning leg lariat has Owens on the floor for the spinning corkscrew dive. A high crossbody gives King two and we hit a quickly broken chinlock. Owens loads up a swinging neckbreaker but twists it back into a faceplant for two of his own. The package piledriver is broken up and King bounces off the ropes but his knee buckles. Since Owens is dumb enough to fall for this, King small packages him for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: D+. You would think King would start getting better at putting a match together over time but that’s still not the case. It’s just spot after spot and then the finish with nothing connecting the sections together. The match wasn’t horrible or anything but Owens is just kind of there and King needs someone to help him along.

Coast To Coast is ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week.

Back to Death Before Dishonor, where Colt Cabana joined Bully Ray and Silas Young to beat down Colt Cabana and Flip Gordon.

Flip Gordon vs. Shane Taylor

Hang on though as Flip grabs a mic. Gordon will fight him tonight but first, he needs to call out Bully Ray. At Death Before Dishonor, Ray had to cheat before the tag team tables match but Gordon put him through a table anyway. Ray couldn’t handle that though and had to screw him over. So what does Ray want next? TLC? A Las Vegas street fight?

Here’s Ray to ask if he’s bothering Flip. Ray: “Are you upset that I keep kicking you in the balls?” As Ray talks, Taylor grabs a chair and here’s Silas Young for a low blow. The beatdown is on and no one comes out to help Gordon, despite Ray begging for someone to do so. Ian seems more interested than anyone else.

The Briscoes aren’t worried about Coast to Coast.

Jay Lethal is proud about Ring of Honor selling out Madison Square Garden and he’d love to come in defending the title.

The Kingdom leaves the arena.

We recap the show to fill time.

Next week: Coast to Coast vs. Briscoes, Cobb vs. Martinez for the TV Title and Marty Scurll vs. Chris Sabin.

Addiction vs. Best Friends vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish and it’s Evil and Sanada for LIJ. Since there’s no bell after the break, I’m not sure if this is joined in progress or everyone just being really rude. It’s a huge brawl to start (I mean….duh) with the Bucks taking over (I repeat my duh) until Chuck sends them together. The lawn dart cutter sends Matt to the floor but LIJ breaks up the big hug. It’s Addiction’s turn to clean house with a clothesline to the back of Evil’s head and a double stomp, followed by a pair of moonsaults to Sanada.

We hit the string of dives with Nick hitting the big springboard version. Barretta loads up one of his own but stops for a hug, followed by the stereo flip dives from the Friends. We head back in…..FOR THE OPENING BELL, three and a half minutes after the fighting started. Ian: “WHAT???” Sanada ties Daniels and Kazarian up to start (for the second time) and it’s a double dropkick for two on Daniels. Evil gets two off a side slam and we hit the chinlock to send us to a break.

Back with Daniels faceplanting Evil but the Friends, now in sunglasses, pull Kazarian off the apron. As Ian points out how dumb that was, Daniels fights back and makes the hot tag to Nick for the house cleaning. The Friends come in as well and get flipped around but it’s too early for More Bang For Your Buck. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter hits Trent but Sanada is ready for him with a hanging swinging neckbreaker.

Trent comes back in with a tornado DDT but Evil uses the referee for a Magic Killer. Angel’s Wings drops Matt and the Awful Waffle gets two so Chuckie actually makes a tag. How nice of him. The Dude Buster hits Matt but Nick Swantons in for the save. Nick superkicks almost everyone until Matt turns it into double superkicks to everyone else. A dive onto a bunch of people sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin on Trent at 7:50.

Rating: C+. Well what we got was good and being realistic, you might as well add in the pre-match stuff as part of the match itself. This was all about flying all over the place with very little story involved and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. We got a fun match out of the eight guys and there’s nothing wrong with that. Entertaining match with the fans way into it.

Overall Rating: C. It might not be a great show but it’s so nice to have something that ACTUALLY MATTERS. The Taven stuff is going to depend on your opinion of the guy and while I’m still not a fan, he’s definitely better than he was just a few months ago. The main event was entertaining as well and the show was far easier to sit through than some of the dumb stuff they’ve done in recent weeks. Now just end the Bully Ray As The Super Heel story and we’ll be fine.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 3, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re officially past Death Before Dishonor but you wouldn’t know that for a long time around here. Alas we’re stuck with another series of nothing shows that don’t follow up on the pay per view for a few weeks for reasons that even I’m tired of talking about. Hopefully they have something good for tonight, but you never can guess. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eli Isom vs. Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon vs. Chris Sabin

One fall to a finish. Sabin shoulders Flip down to start and it’s time for a very early slugout. A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and it’s off to Isom vs. Taylor. Eli makes the mistake of going right after him, only to get planted with a spinebuster for two. Sabin and Gordon go after Taylor as well but get choked for their efforts. Some double teaming puts him on the floor though and it’s Flip hitting the big dive onto everyone.

Shane is back up though and hits a Cannonball off the apron to take all three down and take us to a break. Back with Sabin dropkicking Taylor in the corner and flip spearing him through the ropes. One heck of a clothesline drops Gordon so Sabin comes back in with a high crossbody, followed by a missile dropkick. A tornado DDT gets two on Taylor but he slams Sabin out of the corner to get a breather.

Isom comes back in and avoids a charge before getting two off a suplex of all things. Sabin grabs a DDT/Downward Spiral combination for a double knockdown but Taylor is back up to be the monster again. A huge show drops Gordon but Isom rolls Taylor up for the huge upset at 11:31.

Rating: C. There’s nothing wrong with pushing an underdog but I really hope we’re not coming up on Cheeseburger’s replacement with Isom. This is his second big upset win but at least he’s not the smallest guy in the world. Having him pin Taylor is fine, but it doesn’t work as well if they have a singles rematch later. Hopefully they just let Isom get away with it, which is going to do more for him than anything else.

Post match Taylor cleans house until Gordon superkicks him to the floor.

Marty Scurll is ready to face Shane Helms again and wants Shane to be his hero.

TV Title: Aaron Solow vs. Punishment Martinez

Solow won a competition called Dojo Pro to earn this shot and is better known as Bayley’s fiance. A slap to Martinez’s face takes us to the opening bell and Solow has to duck a spinning kick to the head. The chokeslam is escaped twice and a dropkick has Martinez in some trouble. He stomps Solow out of the corner though and it’s time for a trip to the floor for a whip into the barricade.

Back from a break with Solow hitting a kick from the apron and clotheslining Martinez to the floor for the big flip dive. The chokeslam is countered again and the belly to belly (nice touch) into a spinning suplex gets two. Martinez is right back with the running stomp and a South of Heaven chokeslam retains the title at 8:43.

Rating: C+. Not bad at all here with Solow getting to show off a bit. That’s the kind of performance you need to put in when you have an opportunity like this. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt, but Solow looked good and showed off his talents, which is a good sign for his future. Maybe he’ll be back again, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Coast 2 Coast is back next week.

Bully Ray isn’t happy that Silas Young is teaming with the Bouncers because he sees it as a step backwards.

We look at the Kingdom being cheated out of the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Cody/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Bouncers

Cody, with Brandi and Bernard, and the Bucks are defending. Matt tries his luck with the massive Milonas to start and gets knocked into the corner without much effort. Bruiser comes in to overpower Nick so everything breaks down with the champs triple dropkicking Milonas to the floor. More kicks and dropkicks clear the ring and of course the fans love it. Back in and things settle down with Nick rolling over for the hot tag to Cody but a cheap shot takes him down as well.

Silas hammers away at Cody before handing it off to an already tired Bruiser. Cody sidesteps a charge and Bruiser knocks Bernard over, allowing Milonas to crossbody Cody down for two. Back from a break with Cody powerslamming his way out of trouble and diving over for the hot tag to Nick (which is what he’s best at). Everything breaks down (well duh) and the Bucks clean house, including breaking up a variety of near finishers.

The splash/standing moonsault hits Bruiser for two and Cody dives onto Milonas and Young. Bruiser dives onto the other five, leaving Cody to take a big Trash Compactor for two back inside. That doesn’t bother the Bucks though as they start firing off superkicks, which is enough to have Young walk out. Cross Rhodes to Milonas retains the titles at 15:37.

Rating: C. Cody and the Bucks can only do so much with guys like Milonas and Bruiser, who just aren’t the most versatile people in the world. Young leaving makes perfect sense, especially given him being a bigger star and having more success than the other two put together. It’s fine for a one off main event, but the Bruiser and Milonas need someone smaller to do a big chunk of the matches

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t a great show by any means and it gave a good illustration of how these post-pay per view shows aren’t all that interesting. The matches are all standalone and none of them were anything more than a run of the mill showcase. Solow looked good, but I need a little more than Bayley’s fiance turning in a nice performance over the course of an hour.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 26, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the go home show for Death Before Dishonor and now we actually know a thing or two about the card. Last week saw Will Ospreay answer an open challenge from Jay Lethal for the World Title shot on Friday, which should mean a quality main event. Other than that, it’s time to get the rest of the card ready for the pay per view so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week with Silas Young and Bully Ray attacking Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham to set up this week’s tag team main event.

Opening sequence.

The Boys vs. Best Friends

Chuckie and #1 start things off with the latter cleaning house off a dropkick and stereo hurricanranas sending the Friends to the floor. #2 hits a big flip dive of his own but Barretta chops #1 in the back of the neck, followed by Chuckie nailing a helicopter bomb for two as we take a break.

Back with #1 hitting a tornado DDT on Chuckie but having no one to tag. Everything breaks down for a few seconds and #1 slips out of an Outsider’s Edge, allowing #2 to tag himself in. Barretta turns him inside out with a clothesline though and drops him on his head in a scary crash. Things get even worse though with a Dudebuster and Awful Waffle for the stereo pins on the Boys at 7:27.

Rating: C. This was a good choice for a fast opener as both teams nailed what they were going for. The Boys have no reason to be anything more than a gimmick team but they were a perfectly fine smaller team here. We’ll call this one a pleasant surprise, which is always a nice thing to have.

Video on the Addiction vs. the Briscoe Brothers.

Adam Page vs. Kenny King

For some reason King comes out carrying two flotation devices. Feeling out process to start with Page powering out of a wristlock and giving us a standoff. King poses and dances a bit before slapping on a headlock. A shoulder puts Page on the floor and King even stops for a picture with a fan.

That’s just stupid though as Page gets up and hits a running shooting star off the apron. Page throws the flotation devices inside and suplexes King onto one of them as we take a break. Back with King fighting up with a backbreaker into a clothesline. A spinwheel kick keeps Page in trouble and a spinebuster gets two.

Page flips out of a German suplex though and forearms King in the face. King is right back with a kick to the face but the Buckshot Lariat gives Page two of his own. The Rite of Passage is reversed into a rollup with feet on the ropes but the referee catches King. Instead they go into a series of rollup with King grabbing the trunks for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: C-. I liked this one enough though I’d like to see Page get a few more wins on his own. King is only so good as a heel and it seems that we’ve seen everything he’s going to be able to do. Maybe he gets back in the TV Title picture soon but I can’t imagine him going much higher than that.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Dante Caballero vs. Brian Johnson

Jeff Cobb doesn’t waste time this week and comes in to take out Dante for the DQ at 58 seconds.

Johnson gets wrecked too. Cobb says the tournament is over (WOOT!) because he is the top prospect.

Video on Sumie Sakai vs. Tenille Dashwood.

Silas Young/Bully Ray vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Ray yells at Young before the opponents even come to the ring. Gresham and Ray start but Bully tags out before doing anything. It’s a feeling out process between Young and Gresham with Jonathan taking him to the corner for a clean break. A hurricanrana into a basement dropkick has Young in trouble and Gresham even slaps Ray in the face. That’s enough for Bully who walks up the ramp before coming back in to have Gresham run around him without much effort.

Another slap earns Gresham a heck of a backdrop though and it’s off to Lethal for the first time. They both miss dropkicks (!) and we take a break. Back with Lethal telling Ray to chop him harder and a slap off breaking out. Ray runs him over but Gresham comes back in and stereo suicide dives have the villains in trouble. Back in and Ray crotches Gresham though and Jonathan is in trouble.

Ray takes too long winding up an elbow though and it’s a dropkick to the knee. The Octopus hold goes on but Ray powers out in short order. Gresham tells him to bring it on so Ray chops him down a few times. A clothesline allows the hot tag to Lethal so house can be cleaned, including a double suplex on Ray. Gresham even plays D-Von on What’s Up and it’s Hail to the King into the shooting star on Young with Ray diving in for a save. Misery hits Gresham for the pin at 17:13.

Rating: C+. Giving Young the pin here was nice but I’m not sure if you can go with having either Gresham or Lethal losing here. In other words, it’s a match that probably should have gone to a countout or a DQ as there’s only so much you can get out of these guys with a pay per view on Friday. As in the pay per view Gresham isn’t actually on.

Addiction promises to win the Tag Team Titles.

Punishment Martinez tells Chris Sabin to stick to tag wrestling.

Sabin says he’s winning.

Silas Young thinks Flip Gordon and Colt Cabana are in over their heads.

Kenny King calls Jushin Thunder Liger old.

Lethal says it’s all about the title.

Bullet Club all talks at once to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a good example of why the Ring of Honor pay per view structure doesn’t work. They only started talking about Death Before Dishonor a few weeks ago and now we’re not likely to hear anything about the show until close to Halloween. The wrestling was fine, but there’s only so much you can do in such a short time, especially when the #1 contender isn’t actually on the show. Easy show to watch, but it didn’t make me want to see the pay per view.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Death Before Dishonor and that means it’s time for the standard Ring of Honor crash course booking as they suddenly realize that just saying the show is coming isn’t the same thing as actually setting it up. You get used to that around here but it doesn’t make anything better. A main event would be nice if nothing else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s World Champion Jay Lethal for an opening chat. He’s been asked about the matches that he’s considered his best over the years and now there’s a new one on top of his list after last week’s Iron Man match against Jonathan Gresham. That match proved to him that you don’t need gimmicks or storylines (erg) to have a great match. It also showed him that he wants to have great matches with the rest of the locker room, or any locker room for that matter. The challenge is open to anyone so here’s Will Ospreay on the screen to challenge for the title. Lethal seems game.

So Cal Uncensored is ready for Punishment Martinez and the Briscoes.

The Briscoes and Punishment Martinez are ready for So Cal Uncensored.

Tasha Steelz vs. Sumie Sakai

Non-title, Brandi Rhodes is on commentary and this is a Proving Ground match, meaning Steelz gets a title shot if she wins. Steelz poses at the champ instead of shaking hands so I don’t see this lasting long. Sumie forearms away to start and gets sent outside as Brandi accuses Caprice of hating on the women’s division. Back in and Sumie chops away, followed by a clothesline and a running knee. A missile dropkick gets two but Smash Mouth is countered into Stratusfaction. Not that it matters as Smash Mouth finishes Steelz at 3:13.

Rating: D. Another thrilling Sakai match as she continues to just not be interesting. It’s a good idea to give her a squash every now and then but really, there’s nothing to her that makes me want to watch her matches. This division has been one lackluster moment after another and I don’t see that chanting anytime soon.

The Bullet Club says they’re the top of the pile in Japan and Chaos is at the bottom. Therefore, the ten man tag at Death Before Dishonor is an easy match for the Club.

Sakai is still in the ring and is told that the Women’s Title is now the Ring of Honor Women’s World Title. Sakai says this is her home and challenges Tenille Dashwood for the title. Cue Tenille to say they can do this at Death Before Dishonor.

Kenny King is ready to beat up Adam Page next week.

Here’s Jonathan Gresham to say he wants another shot at Lethal but here’s Bully Ray to scare Riccaboni off. Ray says he sold out Madison Square Garden on his own, which Gresham never could have done. This is like the old Piper’s Pit with Frankie Williams (Ray: “He was the jobber.”) because Gresham is nowhere near as great as he thinks he is. Where was Gresham’s standing ovation when he came out here? Gresham takes the mic and says he knows he can’t win a match with Ray. He can win a match with Ray though because there’s no D-Von here to do the work. Ray says get a referee.

Bully Ray vs. Jonathan Gresham

Ray kicks him low at 14 seconds.

Post match Ray shakes his hand for being the better wrestler and whips Gresham with the chain. Flip Gordon runs in for the save but gets knocked down as well. Cue Lethal for the real save but Silas Young lays him out with Misery. Silas wants nothing to do with a hug from Ray and leaves.

Post break Lethal and Gresham set up the tag match for next week.

Video on Chris Sabin vs. Punishment Martinez.

Sabin says he’s betting on himself.

Briscoes/Punishment Martinez vs. So Cal Uncensored

Sabin is on commentary and it’s a big brawl to start with Jay getting run over in the corner. Some stomps to the back have Jay in more trouble and Mark has to come in for the save. A cheap shot from the apron lets Jay clothesline Daniels to the floor and it’s Martinez coming in to hammer away as well. All three villains take turns beating Daniels down and we take a break.

Back with Daniels slipping out of a chokeslam and bringing in Scorpio Sky to clean house. A slingshot cutter gets two but Jay hits a head of a Death Valley Driver to cut him off. Everything breaks down and Kazarian DDTs Mark for two. Daniels’ middle rope knee to the chest into a suicide dive gets two but Jay’s chair shot hits the referee by mistake. More chair shots have So Cal Uncensored knocked out but Sabin comes in to take care of Martinez. So Cal Uncensored pops up for the Best Meltzer Ever and the pin on Mark at 11:42.

Rating: C+. I do love it when the booking for multiple matches come together at once. That’s what they pulled off here and it was a good match as well. Having the Briscoes take the fall made sense as Sky doesn’t have anything to do at the pay per view and it wouldn’t have made sense for Martinez to get pinned. Nice way to end the show here as the rapid fire build for the pay per view is underway.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think of this one. It was a good show as far as setting up the pay per view (in rapid fashion of course because throwing in some graphics or promos onto the other shows is out of the question for whatever reason) but you also have Lethal being thrown into the feud with Ray and Young. I’d assume that’s because Ospreay wasn’t available to be at the tapings, but that’s the danger of having a World Title match thrown together like this.

I’ll give Ring of Honor this: given the amount of issues they have with their pay per views (the main one being the schedule, as always), they manage to put together some nice last minute building. There are some flaws, but given how much they’re up against, it’s not terrible a lot of the time. The ending segment here made me want to see both matches they were hyping up and that’s better than I was expecting.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We have to be about done with Atlanta as we’re only two and a half weeks away from Death Before Dishonor, meaning Ring of Honor will only have one more week to waste time before starting its nothing push to the show. Tonight is a thirty minute Iron Man match for the World Title with Jay Lethal defending against Jonathan Gresham. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian

We’re joined in progress with the fight already going hard as Kazarian hits a nice hiptoss neckbreaker. The slingshot Fameasser sets up the slingshot hurricanrana to put Mark down on the floor. Mark is right back with a Blockbuster off the apron but he stops to throw a barricade. Back in and Mark hammers away in the corner, only to get caught in a Backstabber. Kazarian’s slingshot dropkick in the corner has Briscoe in trouble and we take a break. We come back with Jay Briscoe at ringside and distracting Kazarian for a shot to the back. The Froggy Bow misses and Kazarian grabs a quick crucifix for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: D+. Just not enough time here and there’s no way around something like that. The feud has some legs and the Addiction vs. the Briscoes is fine for a pay per view Tag Team Title match. The Briscoes need competition and they’re as good of an option as anyone else. It’s not like there are many other options.

Post match the beatdown is on until Scorpio Sky runs in. Punishment Martinez comes in as well though and So Cal Uncensored is beaten down.

Clips of some recent attacks, which feels quite a bit like filler.

Here are some clips of a brawl between Cheeseburger and the Dawgs after a match, with Ian saying they’re keeping this short to make sure the Iron Man match gets its full time. You mean they don’t have the whole show structured down to the minute? I can’t grasp this. Cheeseburger gets beaten down but spits at Will Ferrara, who palm strikes him down.

Video on Bully Ray and Silas Young’s issues. After Ray turned on him last week, Young yelled at him in the back.

ROH World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham

Lethal is defending and it’s a thirty minute Iron Man match. Feeling out process to start, as you might have expected. Gresham gets taken into the corner but shoves Lethal away as they still haven’t really gotten going yet. Lethal works on a wristlock but gets taken down by the leg, which Gresham rolls into a headlock exchange. That leads to a standoff as they’re certainly taking their time here, as they should.

Gresham gets taken into the corner again and we take a break. Back with things getting a bit more heated with Gresham throwing a punch and getting chopped into the corner. A belly to back suplex gives Jay two and another suplex gets two more. We hit the sleeper for a few moments before another chop exchange goes to Jay. The announcer says fifteen minutes gone by, though I’ve got it closer to eleven. Gresham gets more intense and kicks the arm out, followed by a tilt-a-whirl armbar into a faceplant.

Back from another break with Gresham dropping the arm onto the apron. They get back in and it’s an armtrap headlock as Gresham is certainly focused. Gresham wraps both arms around his leg and cranks back as we hit twenty minutes (not quite seventeen by my clock). Back up and they chop it out again with Lethal getting the better of it, eventually enziguring Gresham as we take another break.

We come back again with Gresham being knocked down but slipping out of the Figure Four. Instead it’s the Lethal Combination for a close two. At twenty five minutes down, Gresham gets two off a bridging German suplex. A cross armbreaker is countered into a countered Figure Four attempt and Gresham slaps on the Octopus Hold for a tap at 22:58, though the clock is still all over the place. Gresham is stunned and Lethal goes right at him with three minutes remaining on the official clock. The Figure Four goes on and Gresham is in big trouble. After over a minute and a half in the hold, Gresham taps out at 25:23 to tie things up.

We’re told there’s a minute left so Gresham tries a bunch of rollups for two each until time expires at 26:41. Hang on though as Gresham wants five more minutes of sudden death and Lethal says start the clock. They strike it out with Gresham’s enziguri rocking Lethal. La majistral gives Gresham two as we’re a minute into overtime.

Lethal is right back with a torture rack and the top rope elbow for two with three minutes left. It takes some time to get back up until a pinfall reversal sequence takes us to two minutes left. Lethal knocks him down again though and the Lethal Injection retains the title at 33:25 (counting the break between regulation and the start of sudden death).

Rating: B-. Bad timing issues aside, this wasn’t all that great of a match and didn’t need to be under Iron Man rules. They did a good job of setting the match up well over the last few weeks but at the end of the day, it didn’t feel epic and was nowhere near as great as they tried to make it out to be. Lethal never felt like he was in danger and the overtime was pretty obvious given how much time was left in the show. It’s good, but really nothing that hasn’t been done better before.

Overall Rating: C+. They tried for something different here and it worked about as well as it was going to. The main event was good and is somewhat worth seeing, but it’s nothing that you can’t see done better elsewhere. Again though: the next pay per view is in less than three weeks and you would barely know it from this show. Why is that so hard to figure out around here?

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 5, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past All In and that isn’t likely to mean anything around here as we’re still a few weeks away from catching up to that point. Instead we might get some build towards Death Before Dishonor, which is still a few weeks away as well. In other words, Ring of Honor’s schedule strikes again. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Six Man Tag Team Title change with the Young Bucks and Cody beating the Kingdom, despite the illegal man being pinned.

Opening sequence.

Women of Honor Title: Madison Rayne vs. Sumie Sakai

Sakai is defending and Mandy Leon is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Madison taking her down into a quick cradle, only to get backslidden for two. A fight over a small package lets them roll all over the ring before Sumie finally gets something, followed by a standoff. Some chops to the neck have almost no effect on Madison, who takes her down with a front face DDT for two more. They seem to botch something up against the ropes before a double clothesline puts them both down as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of forearms going to Sakai and a fisherman’s neckbreaker getting another two. A missile dropkick and tornado DDT give Madison her own near fall. Sakai grabs a fisherman’s buster but Madison rolls into a cutter to drop the champ again. Back up and a quick Smash Mouth retains Sakai’s title at 9:07.

Rating: C-. The same problems as the women’s division always has here, with not much of a story (at least Madison won a match to get the shot), a forgettable match and more of Sakai as champion. There’s no spark or interest here and it’s showing more and more every single week.

They hug post match, because of course they do.

Video on Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods. Taylor knocked him cold with a right hand and Woods thinks it’s loaded.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Woods goes straight at him to start but the much bigger Shane pushes him away. A single leg is broken up as well so Woods tries to fight from his back, eventually pulling Taylor into a kneebar. That’s broken up as well and Shane takes him outside for a drop onto the barricade. A big apron legdrop crushes Woods again as the announcers recap this longer than you might expect feud.

Back in and a rather large splash gives Taylor two but Woods kicks him in the head for a breather. Woods strikes away even more to send us to a break. We come back with Woods forearming away until a knee to the face cuts him off. A cross armbreaker goes on with Woods getting the glove off. It turns out that it is loaded, which makes Woods let the hold go. Woods knew Taylor couldn’t beat him but he doesn’t want the DQ win. As expected, the distraction lets Taylor hit Greetings From The 216 for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: C+. Better than I was expecting here and they advanced the story with Woods finding the object in the glove. That allows them to have another match and actually that’s not the worst idea in the world. These guys beat each other up and had some chemistry, which is always a nice surprise.

So Cal Uncensored says the war with the Briscoes has just begun. Next week, Kazarian will take care of Mark.

Video on Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham before next week’s Iron Man match.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Charles Zanders vs. Marcus Kross

Caprice Coleman is on commentary. Zanders is from Alabama and has the accent to prove it. Kross on the other hand is dressed like Goku. The fans chant about Dragon Ball Z as we wait on the no contest. Feeling out process to start with Zanders hitting a dropkick, only to eat some superkicks. Kross takes him down….and here’s Jeff Cobb to nail Kross for the DQ at 1:25. As it should be.

Cobb wrecks both guys with ease. Eli Isom comes in for some forearms but Cobb gives him a look that says he has to do something about this. A Tour of the Islands (reverse powerslam) plants Isom and Cobb stands tall.

Silas Young/Bully Ray vs. Best Friends

Ray has no music as Cabana calls Ray and Young Get Off My Lawn wrestlers. Before the Friends come out, Ray goes to yell at Cabana, telling him to sit there and do his job. Ray and Trent start things off but Ray tags out without saying anything. Silas throws Trent a shirt, which he smells before tossing it away. An armdrag puts Silas down and now Ray demands that he come back in.

Ray does come in and yells a lot before slamming Trent down. A hurricanrana sends Ray into the corner and Trent hits a running clothesline and it’s off to Chuck for the first time. That doesn’t go well for Chuck, who is taken down for a middle rope splash and it’s already back to Young. Chuck drops him as well and it’s back to Trent for the slingshot boot rake, followed by Chuck’s slow motion hilo to complete Two Dog Night. The big hug is broken up though and Young crotches Trent against the post.

Back from a break with Yong working no Trent’s recently repaired arm. A hair pull from the apron keeps Trent down as the heel beatdown continues. Trent dropkicks Ray in the knee but gets backdropped before anything else can happen. Young hammers away but walks into a tornado DDT, allowing the hot tag to Chuck. Everything breaks down with Soul Food and a Falcon Arrow connecting for two.

Chuck has to bail out of the moonsault but is fine enough to hit a Samoan driver to drop Silas again. Trent tags himself back in and enziguris Silas, setting up the lawn dart cutter. NOW the hug connects and Ray clotheslines them both to upset the fans again. That’s enough for Ray though, who walks away from the tag and leaves. The Dudebuster finishes Young at 11:37.

Rating: C. This was much more storyline and shenanigans than wrestling, but that’s the case with almost every Best Friends match. I’m really not a fan of the team and this didn’t change things that much. I do like the idea of having Ray turn on everyone and be the jerk that only he can be, and the lack of Cheeseburger makes it even better.

Overall Rating: C. Nice show for the most part here with some watchable wrestling and storyline development. The problem though is having the lack of a big show to build towards to pay these stories off. Yeah you have Death Before Dishonor, but that might as well be months away in Ring of Honor time. Pretty nice show, but nothing that you need to see.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: August 29, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re getting close to coming up on Death Before Dishonor and that means we might start putting a few things together. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we might be getting this week. That being said, the success rate around here isn’t half bad and there’s always a chance of seeing something great. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe is on commentary to give us the four man booth. Fallout from Best in the World, which is just two months ago to the date of this show’s air date. Or “a couple of weeks” according to Ian. Jay drives him into the corner to start but Daniels shoves him away. A shot to the face knocks Jay to the floor and there’s the Arabian moonsault. Daniels stomps away in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Jay in control and grabbing a chinlock, which feels like a rarity around here. Daniels fights up in short order and gets two off the Blue Thunder Bomb. Angel’s Wings is driven back into the corner but the Jay Driller is broken up as well. That’s enough for Mark, who comes in and blasts Daniels in the back with a chair for the DQ at 7:36.

Rating: C-. Not enough time to go anywhere and I get why you wouldn’t want either of them to take a clean loss here. They were looking equal, which should be the case with two former World Champions. I’m still not sold on So Cal Uncensored as faces and it feels like it could be a big time ruse, which is how things should be going given their history.

Post match the beatdown is on but Scorpio Sky and Kazarian run in for the save.

Video on Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal in two weeks.

Video on Madison Rayne earning a title shot next week.

Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

Flip’s ability to moonsault into the ring and take his pants off at the same time is most impressive. Gordon armdrags him a few times but an early suicide dive attempt is blocked right a right hand. A slingshot double stomp hits Flip in the ribs and now Young is ready to take the shirt off (sans moonsault). One heck of a whip into the corner gets two and it’s off to a chinlock (maybe they’re not so uncommon).

Back up and Gordon springboards in with a missile dropkick, drawing a loud FLIP chant. No flipping ensues, but he does hit a running dropkick in the corner. Now it’s the running flip dive to the floor and we take a break with Silas in trouble. Back with Gordon getting two off a high crossbody and a springboard spear is good for the same. Silas catches a charge with the swinging backbreaker into the low clothesline and it’s time for the big slugout.

Gordon gets the better of it with a Falcon Arrow but let’s go back to the slugout. This time Gordon enziguris him down, only to get booted in the face. A Pele drops Silas again but let’s go to the third slugout. With hitting Young in the head not working, Gordon O’Connor rolls him and bridges back for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C. The slugouts got a little tiring but Gordon needs some more wins over credible names. Young doesn’t seem to be going anywhere now that he’s lost the TV Title but really, it’s not like there is a huge upside to him. He’s been better than I thought when I first saw him, but I think he’s reached his ceiling.

Post match Bully Ray comes in and low blows Gordon. Ray and Young stare at each other, seemingly out of respect.

Marty Scurll congratulates Kenny King on finding his inner villain. Revenge is coming.

King doesn’t have much to say about putting his feet on the ropes to beat Scurll. A year ago he was on a roll and it got him the TV Title. Now things have changed though and he lost to Austin Aries at Best in the World. King had the chance to win but wouldn’t use the Royal Flush on the floor. Ric Flair cheated and won sixteen World Titles so how much does King have to do to win once? King has options now, and that’s good. Nice explanation here, which is more than I was expecting.

Nick Aldis is on commentary for the main event as the fans want Cody.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Cody/Young Bucks

Cody and the Bucks, with Bernard the Business Bear and Brandi Rhodes, are challenging, plus getting very loudly cheered. Well Cody is from Marietta (about twenty miles from Atlanta) so it’s not that shocking. They waste no time in starting the brawl with the Kingdom getting the early advantage.

Cody gets left alone but the Bucks run back in to save him from a double suplex. The threat of a double superkick puts the kingdom on the floor and it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant into a cutter to put Taven down. O’Ryan comes in and gets kicked right back to the floor, followed by the slingshot dropkick to Marseglia as the Club is in full control to start. Cody dives to the floor to take out O’Ryan again and stares Aldis down.

Back in and it’s Marseglia chop blocking Matt to cut off a superkick attempt. Matt gets taken into the corner and the leg work continues, including Marseglia dropping some elbows on the knee. Taven comes in for a leglock of his own and we take a break. Back with Matt hitting a middle rope dropkick but banging up the knee again as Colt points out the lack of superkicks so far. Matt kicks O’Ryan down again and the hot tag brings in Nick for a series of non-super kicks.

Marseglia pops the balloon next to Nick’s head to mess with his balance though and Taven is on him with the right hands to the head. The real hot tag brings in Cody who grabs the Sharpshooter on Taven. O’Ryan and Marseglia get caught n the same hold for three at a time. All three are broken up and the first superkick drops Marseglia but Matt bangs up the bad knee again. Cody cleans house but takes WAY too long posing, allowing Marseglia to grab another balloon.

That gets superkicked next to his ear though and a triple superkick gets two on Taven. Cross Rhodes gets two on Taven with Marseglia making the save. The double dives are broken up and Marseglia dives onto Cody. Nick hits his own flip dive though, followed by Taven’s always great looking no hands dive. Brandi, in a dress, hits a big dive of her own and Taven isn’t sure what just happened.

Bernard gets on the apron so Taven kicks him in the head (it’s kind of an easy target) and there’s the Climax to Cody. Redrum (Swanton) gets two and everyone is down as Aldis wonders when the DQ is coming. Dude….actually it makes sense for the NWA World Champion to be that stuck in the past. Rockstar Supernova to Cody is broken up with stereo superkicks and Cross Rhodes to Marseglia is good for the pin and the titles at 14:33.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here with all of the dives and flips, though it might have needed to cut a minute or two to really make this work. They were flying around at the end, but it helped a lot to do the leg work and build up to that. Maybe it’s the traditionalist in me but I appreciate the work being put in to get to the insanity, and this match had that.

Post match Taven rants that Marseglia wasn’t legal (he wasn’t) and Aldis doesn’t like the ROH officiating to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helps as usual, but there’s often this strange feeling to Ring of Honor’s TV. It feels like they don’t really have a long term goal in mind and just make things up as they go. There were stories to everything here but it doesn’t exactly feel like they know where they’re going. Some of these stories feel like they keep going because it’s not clear how to wrap things up. It’s still a watchable show on its own, but long term it’s not the best stuff in the world.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: August 22, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Where are we again? I know it’s the start of a new taping cycle but when these shows run together as badly as Ring of Honor’s do, it’s rather hard to remember what happened last week. My guess is a big tag match with Cheeseburger being annoying and something about the TV Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scorpio Sky vs. Chris Sabin

They actually shake hands to start with the fans starting some dueling chants. Sky armdrags him down so Sabin shouts DETROIT CITY. A pinfall reversal sequence doesn’t get anyone anywhere so Sky hits a double stomp to the back. Sabin gets sent outside for the big dive and there’s a legdrop on the apron for two. Back in and a double clothesline doesn’t go anywhere so Sabin enziguris him for a longer double knockdown. Sabin kicks him in the chest twice in a row and we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a missile dropkick and spinning Sky into a DDT for two more. Sky snaps off a super hurricanrana though and a kick to the head rocks Sabin again. A slingshot cutter gets the same and Sky is getting frustrated at the kickouts. Sabin grabs the arm and spins him around into a cradle for two, followed by a knee to the head and Cradle Shock for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here as I’ve always liked Sabin a little more than Shelley in the ring. Sky has a different look than a lot of the people around here with some muscles to his frame and that makes a win for a technical guy like Sabin. I could see Sabin getting a nice singles push around here and having another hand with some success like Sabin is always a good thing.

Post match Alex Shelley says their careers have gone on for a long time now. He’s realized that there isn’t much left for either him or the Motor City Machine Guns in wrestling. A few weeks ago he was in a dentist’s chair having his broken teeth fixed for the third time. There isn’t a reason for him to be around anymore, so maybe this isn’t a retirement because that’s not what wrestlers do.

Maybe this is just a see you later, but Sabin needs to validate everything they’ve done over the years. He can do that by winning some gold around here, starting with the TV Title. We get a loud THANK YOU chant but here’s Punishment Martinez to jump them from behind. Before he can smash Shelley’s face into a chair, Sky makes the save with a chair of his own. That could be interesting.

Kenny King is ready to do whatever he needs to do to make Marty Scurll take a knee tonight.

Kelly Klein is on commentary for the next match.

Karen Q vs. Jenny Rose

Karen’s pre-match promo talks about wanting to end her losing streak which Rose talks about wanting to be Women of Honor Champion, which starts with Karen Q. Rose starts with a rollup for two and reverses a suplex into a small package. A running clothesline gets yet another near fall as Klein really isn’t impressed. Karen avoids a charge and chokes in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Karen cutting her down with a clothesline and choking on the ropes. Some running elbows in the corner mix things up a bit and an exploder suplex gets two on Rose. Jenny is right back with a fisherman’s suplex for two of her own and a spear is good for a nearer fall. That’s enough to get Kelly off the apron to throw her mouth piece at Jenny. That’s enough of a distraction for Karen to hit a full nelson slam for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: D. This was another lifeless women’s match with two people I know nothing about. I’m not sure when these matches to set up the feuds take place but I’d assume on the Honor Club exclusive shows. If those are the best they can do, I’m really not sure why the division exists at the moment. It’s not the worst, but it’s something that comes and goes every week without actually getting anywhere.

Post match Klein jumps Rose as Karen looks on.

Jonathan Gresham has come a long way in Ring of Honor but hasn’t been able to beat Jay Lethal. Jay admits that he underestimated Gresham but that won’t happen again. They meet again in three weeks in an Iron Man Match for the title.

Chris Sabin finds Alex Shelley down in the back, holding his mouth with a chair next to his head. Always interesting.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: FR Josie vs. Eli Isom

Erg is this still a thing? Josie calls himself the resident body guy and has to look at his hand to remember that he’s supposed to win. Isom blocks an armdrag and throws Josie with a suplex. A springboard misses though and Josie kicks him in the face, only to dive into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Cue JEFF COBB (Matanza from Lucha Underground) to take out Isom for the DQ at 52 seconds.

Cobb beats both of them up and suplexes them at the same time to a big reaction. Fair enough as the guy is awesome.

The Kingdom is ready for the Bullet Club next week.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

Marty spins behind him to start and let’s hit that bird pose. They go to the mat for a slow paced mat sequence (not a bad thing), including an exchange of headlock takeovers and that’s a standoff. Marty takes him down with a drop toehold and there’s the surfboard double stomp to the legs. Back up and King goes with the faster pace, including a legsweep into some….I think dancing?

They head to the floor with King sliding underneath the ropes and forearming Marty in the jaw before taking the umbrella away from him. The distraction lets Marty take him down by the wrist and kick King in the face. Back from a break with Marty getting two off a superplex but not being able to get the chickenwing. A spinning enziguri gets King out of trouble and a spinebuster gets two.

King blocks a low superkick and slaps on a Last Chancery as a nod to Austin Aries. The rope is grabbed so Scurll snaps off the brainbuster for two. He takes too long loading up the fingers though, allowing King to try a Royal Flush, which is countered into a DDT for two, even with trunks. Marty grabs the umbrella again but King rolls him up instead and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 13:42.

Rating: C+. So King is a heel again? Sure why not. I’m not sure what the point is in turning him when he seems to be feuding with Aries, but it’s not like King is doing anything at the moment. I’m surprised to see Scurll take a loss, even a dirty one, as the Bullet Club doesn’t lose very often. Not bad, but just a match really.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the midcard edition of the show and that’s not the most thrilling week in the world. The wrestling wasn’t too bad but at the same time it was a bunch of stuff that didn’t feel all that important. At least the Cobb debut went very well and he could be a star around here in short order. Oh and Lethal vs. Gresham in a few weeks should be fun. Pretty skippable show, save for Cobb.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Best in the World 2018
Date: June 29, 2018
Location: UMBC Event Center, Cantonsville, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s pay per view time and even though I’ve already seen the next TV show, none of that matters as we have a few weeks to spare because of Ring of Honor’s wacky TV schedule. The main event here is a triple threat between World Champion Dalton Castle, Cody and Marty Scurll but the real highlight should be the Young Bucks challenging the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

It’s a pretty simple opening video with a look at the matches and a discussion of people wanting to be the best in the world. It works fine and it’s not like Best in the World is something that can give you a lot of directions.

The announcers run down the card in case you came in a few minutes late.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Kingdom

The Kingdom (Matt Taven/Vinny Marseglia/TK O’Ryan) is defending. O’Ryan and Evil start things off and a hard shoulder to TK means it’s already time for Sanada vs. Taven. That doesn’t last long either as it’s quickly off to Marseglia and Bushi but everything breaks down before that can go too far. The ring is cleared and Taven does the Tetsuya Naito pose. That’s a pretty high level call out, even for a rising star like Taven.

Things settle back down with Evil (somehow a face in this match) getting beaten into the champs’ corner. The fans are behind Evil as he hands O’Ryan’s boot to the referee so he can get in a kick to the thigh. Sanada comes in off the tag and ties Taven up but O’Ryan can’t do the same. Fans to O’Ryan: “YOU ARE STUPID!” That means O’Ryan gets tied up as well for a double kick to the back. Marseglia comes back in but Rockstar Supernova is broken up.

Everything breaks down again and Sanada dropkicks Taven’s knee out. Bushi hurricanranas Taven and O’Ryan at the same time but Marseglia makes the save. A German suplex/springboard elbow drop combination gets two on Bushi but he manages to mist Marseglia. That’s about it though as Rockstar Supernova retains the titles at 11:09.

Rating: C-. It was a little too chaotic at times for my taste but that’s how almost every indy style tag match is going to go. This was a good choice for an opener as the Six Man Titles can often be. You get a fast paced matched with some big spots and a title match always feels at least somewhat important. It’s also nice that the Kingdom is getting some traction as champions, which the belts need given how weak the “division” has been since its inception.

We recap Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon. Ray doesn’t like smaller guys who haven’t earned their spot, turning himself into a real bully. He even attacked Gordon after offering him a handshake for being in the military. Gordon is standing up for himself and his generation tonight.

Gordon is ready to be the young boy that beats up the old man.

Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon comes out draped in the American flag. Ray tries to jump him during the entrances but gets superkicked and speared. A big slingshot dive drops Ray again as the announcers are treating Gordon like the biggest underdog ever. Gordon follows up with a springboard forearm to the floor and Ray is rocked in the early going.

They get back in with Gordon’s running shooting star into the middle rope moonsault connecting for two. Ray runs him over for a breather and you can feel the confidence rise. The Vader Bomb (with a Vader pose in a nice touch) misses but the Star Spangled Stunner is blocked with a low blow to give Gordon the win at 5:23.

Rating: D. Gordon was showing fire here but this felt like another angle disguised as a match in this long story. I don’t know if it’s because Ray can’t work a full match anymore or if it’s just playing to his brawling style but these short matches that keep leading to something else are rather weird choices for pay per views. At least it’s going somewhere and isn’t Cheeseburger though.

Post match the beatdown continues until Eli Isom and Cheeseburger come out for failed save attempts. Ray beats all three down with a chair until Colt Cabana makes a save with his own chair.

Riccaboni wants someone to destroy Ray.

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.

We recap Austin Aries vs. Kenny King. Aries had the TV Title won but King’s interference turned the win into a DQ. That sent Aries over the edge so he beat King down, setting off a feud. King is tired of being seen as Aries’ lackey and wants to prove that he’s an equal, plus more.

Austin Aries vs. Kenny King

None of Aries’ multiple titles are on the line. Feeling out process to start with a lockup not giving either of them an advantage. Aries’ headlock works a bit better and they shove each other around until King gets backdropped to the floor. Back in and the brainbuster doesn’t work as King slips out and slaps him in the shoulders, which hurts more than you would expect. King sweeps the leg a few times (with no Karate Kid reference) and they head outside again with King knocking him down for a third time.

They go inside again with Aries dropkicking King down to break up a springboard, setting up a top rope ax handle. The slingshot hilo gets two and Aries adds his middle rope elbow to the back for the same. Aries’ chinlock doesn’t last very long as King is right back up with a springboard Blockbuster.

A reverse exploder cuts King off in short order though and it’s the Last Chancery to put King in real trouble. King is in the ropes pretty quickly and is fine enough to slip out of a Death Valley Driver on the apron. He can’t slip out of a neckbreaker across the middle rope though as Aries keeps building towards the brainbuster. The suicide dive is cut off by a kick to the head and King loads up a Royal Flush on the floor…but he lets it go and hits it inside instead.

Aries grabs the rope too (he must have been watching King) and then grabs his titles to leave but King dives onto him in a big crash. King picks up one of the titles and gets brainbustered (suplexed but fair enough) on the floor. Fans: “YOU KILLED KENNY!” Ok that was funny. Another brainbuster back inside is good for the pin at 15:33.

Rating: C. Aries’ time in Ring of Honor hasn’t been the best in the world (hey….) but maybe it’s been his time with King. I liked the setup for their feud but it wasn’t the most thrilling match. To be fair though, King has never exactly been one to have a great match on the big stage. Aries is good for an upper midcard role, but I don’t know how much further he’s going to get around here.

We recap Jay Lethal vs. Kushida. Lethal is trying to get back towards the World Title picture and to do so, he’s facing everyone who has beaten him in recent years. Kushida has traded wins with Lethal and tonight it’s the rubber match.

Kushida vs. Jay Lethal

This should be fun. Kushida won’t shake hands so Lethal cranks on the wrist, only to be wrestled down to the ground for an early standoff. The fans are split here (well duh) as the grappling continues with Lethal’s headlock working a bit better this time around. Lethal misses a basement dropkick but Kushida shows him how to do it properly. Three straight running flip dives have Lethal (who likes to use three straight regular dives) in more trouble.

Back in, a top rope ax handle, complete with the Randy Savage finger wag, gets two on Lethal and we hit the chinlock. They’re certainly moving fast so far. Back up and neither guy can hit a suplex so Lethal kicks him in the back and then the leg. Said leg is taken down with a shinbreaker as Lethal has shifted into Flair mode, though he does add a handshake to make up for earlier.

Something like a Texas Cloverleaf (without Lethal reaching through the legs) keeps Kushida in trouble until a rope is grabbed. The Figure Four doesn’t work so Lethal dropkicks him to the floor and NOW the three dives connect, only to have the third countered into a Fujiwara armbar. The arm is fine enough for the Lethal Combination and Lethal counters the handspring into a torture rack (Ian: “He’ll be your hero.”).

Since no one keeps a torture rack on that long, he goes up for the elbow, which is countered into a cross armbreaker. Lethal spins out and gets the Figure Four, which is broken with another rope break. They kick it out with Kushida rocking Lethal and shaking his hand for a nice callback.

Lethal enziguris him down but the Lethal Injection is countered into the Hoverboard Lock. It doesn’t last long so Kushida tries Back to the Future, which is reversed into a rollup into the Figure Four, which is reversed into a small package to give Kushida two and a nice ovation from the crowd. Lethal kicks him in the knee again and now the Lethal Injection is good for the pin at 17:34.

Rating: B+. Shocking that two of my favorites around here have easily the best match of the night so far. Lethal wanted to win no matter what and the announcers were right there to talk about how much more aggressive he was being compared to the other matches. The leg vs. the arm work was a good story and they were both working hard to have a great match. Lethal is on fire right now and Kushida is always good for a strong performance. Very good match.

We recap Punishment Martinez vs. Adam Page for the TV Title. Martinez, being the slightly psychotic guy that he is, attacked Page a few weeks back for reasons for general evil. Page then cost him the IWGP United States Title so Martinez cost him the TV Title. Martinez went on to win the title himself and is defending it tonight.

Page doesn’t care about Martinez injuring his head because he’s ready for tonight.

TV Title: Punishment Martinez vs. Adam Page

Martinez, who walks out of a casket and has some….I guess ghouls with him, is defending and Silas Young is on commentary. This is also a street fight so Page jumps him at the bell to start things in a hurry. They’re on the floor in a hurry and fighting through the streamers because Ring of Honor fans love their traditions. A suicide dive sends Martinez into the barricade and Page whips him into it a few more times.

Martinez gets in a shot to the back so Page pelts a chair at his head. Well that’s kind of upping the violence in a hurry. The chair is wedged into the corner and for once, the person who sets it up doesn’t go into it as Martinez goes back first into the chair. A table is set up against the post but Martinez is fine enough to hit a Last Ride onto the apron. Back in and Martinez hits a rather good chair shot before throwing Page into the barricade.

Martinez sets up four chairs next to each other (two by two) and then has another one folded on top of it, which can’t possibly end well. Page avoids the chokeslam and whips him onto the barricade before using it for a superplex. Back in and Page forearms him in the sore back and the package Tombstone onto a chair…gets two. Egads man come on already. Martinez is fine enough to hit the stomp onto the apron and it’s time to zip tie Page’s wrists together.

A table is set up but Page breaks the zip ties and knocks Martinez outside. Martinez gets speared through the table and a moonsault drops him again. Page takes too much time posing though and gets kicked onto the pile of chairs (which the camera misses). Back in and Martinez pours out the thumb tacks but gets backdropped onto them. Again though he’s fine and a chokeslam through the table ends Page at 15:07, though all four shoulders seemed to be down.

Rating: B. Heck of a fight here, even with Martinez’s questionable at best selling. Page has become one of my favorites around here as what you see is what you get, though in a good way. These guys beat each other up and it felt like they wanted to hurt each other. I had a good time with this and the ending leaves the door open for a rematch. Good stuff.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. the Briscoe Brothers in a battle of two of the three best teams ever around here. The Briscoes are the heels vs. the face Bucks for a change and this is about as much of a guaranteed great match as you’re going to get around here. A few weeks ago, the Briscoes beat the heck out of the Bucks and Cody during a title match to set this up.

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.

Post match the Briscoes continue the beating until…..So Cal Uncensored makes the save? That’s very out of character for them and the Bucks look confused. They stare each other down but there’s no violence.

We recap the World Title match…with Ian narrating over a graphic instead of a video package. Basically Marty Scurll and Cody have both pinned Dalton Castle and have title shots tonight, though they’re having some issues of their own over who should win the title.

Ring of Honor World Title: Marty Scurll vs. Cody vs. Dalton Castle

Castle is defending and Brandi, Bernard and the Boys are all at ringside. On top of that, Castle has pretty much every injury you can imagine coming into this. Actually Cody ejects Bernard and we’re ready to go. The champ is knocked to the floor with a Disaster kick but he pulls Cody outside for a whip into the barricade. Marty gets hurricanranaed down and Castle hammers away as well as he can with one good arm.

Cody comes back in with a Downward Spiral but Castle pulls him outside, only to get superkicked by Marty. Back in and Cody begs off from Marty but pulls him into a release suplex. All three are in again and it’s Castle throwing Marty into Cody. Marty gets knocked to the floor and Castle hits a kind of super judo throw (started as a superplex) but Marty is back in with a chickenwing on the champ.

Cody gets back up and adds a Figure Four at the same time, but Marty and Cody get in a fight that breaks up both holds. That’s the only way you could have Castle survive that so it makes sense. Castle rolls to the floor and Brandi has to save Cody from Shattered Dreams (nice touch). The distraction lets Cody get in the low blow instead and it’s time to put on the Ring of Honor. This is of course REALLY STUPID as you don’t let Marty that close to your fingers.

The snapping ensues and Marty takes the ring, only to walk into the Bang A Rang for two as NWA World Champion Nick Aldis pulls the referee. Cody dives out onto him, allowing Marty to hit a belt shot for two as Brandi saves. The referee throws out all of the seconds, leaving us with a three way slugout.

A right hand puts Cody on the floor so he pulls out some powder, which of course is knocked back into his hands. It doesn’t seem to matter as he hits Cross Rhodes on Marty with Castle stealing the two. The chickenwing goes on but Cody is back in for the save, only to take Cross Rhodes from Marty. A quick Bang A Rang to Scurll gives Castle the surprise pin at 13:16.

Rating: B-. The ending actually didn’t surprise me as it was almost too obvious that Castle was losing. It wound up being fine enough as he would lose the title at the TV tapings the next day but still, nice moment there when it was almost a guarantee that he would lose. Marty is likely dropping back down the card after this, which is probably the best idea as I’m not sure how strong of an option he is near the top.

Cody on the other hand will be fine as he’s going to be pushed to the moon almost anywhere he goes and is winning the NWA World Title in September anyway. Good main event, but nothing compared to the other matches, which has been a calling card of Castle’s title reign.

We’re off the air less than 45 seconds after the fall.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t remember the last time I saw a show that went from so lame and middle of the road to awesome in such a short amount of time. Everything after Aries vs. King was anywhere from good to great but everything before then felt like a lifeless house show with a budget. As luck would have it, they split things right down the middle and the really good stuff easily outweighs the weaker parts. Rather strong show, even if it took me this long to get through it.

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