Rampage
Date: November 25, 2023
Location: Petersen Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another back to back week this time around as Rampage is basically serving as the Collision Kickoff Show this week. That could make things a bit interesting, though AEW has not exactly announced much for this show. You never know what you’re going to get from Rampage so hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hook vs. Rocky Romero

Non-title and Hook takes him down for a front facelock to start. They fight over wrist control to no avail until Hook gutwrench suplexes him down. A German suplex drops Romero again and they head to the apron where Romero grabs a suplex of his own. We take a break and come back with the Forever Clotheslines until Hook suplexes him into the corner. A northern lights suplex gives Hook two but Romero drapes him over the rope for a middle rope dropkick. The running Sliced Bread gives Romero two but the version out of the corner is countered into Redrum for the clean win at 9:51.

Rating: C+. If AEW wants to make Hook look like a bigger deal, there are far worse ideas that putting him in the ring with Romero. While Romero might not be the next big thing in AEW, he is someone who can make almost anyone else look good. Hook is definitely a work in progress and putting him in there with Romero will make that progress go a good bit faster.

Video on Wheeler Yuta vs. Katsuyori Shibata over the latter’s Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title.

Diamante vs. Kris Statlander

They fight over a test of strength to start with Diamante powering her down until Statlander manages to drive Diamante into the corner. Back up and Diamante snaps off a headscissors but Statlander’s powerslam gets two. Cue Diamante’s partner Mercedes Martinez for a distraction as we take a break. Back with Diamante having to roll out of Saturday Night Fever and grabbing a standing Sliced Bread for two. Statlander is back up with a heck of a discus lariat for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C. This was Statlander’s rebound win after losing the TBS Title at Full Gear. The good thing is she had to work for this one as Diamante was game in defeat. Diamante is someone who has a good bit of charisma and fire in the ring but she’s never really won anything of note. At least she had a nice performance here, but if it doesn’t turn into something, it won’t matter much in the long run.

Post match Martinez jumps Statlander until Willow Nightingale makes the save.

Daniel Garcia is ready for his Continental Classic match. He’s on a losing streak and wishes his confidence was higher.

Here is the Kingdom to say Roderick Strong isn’t here but heroes wear neck braces. Action Andretti tried to KILL HIM last week and to make it clear, MJF is the Devil. They’re coming for the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Kingdom vs. Duke Davis/Danny Jones

The Kingdom jumps them, hits a bunch of stuff, and the Climax into Aurora Borealis finishes Jones at 1:10. Impressive squash.

Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta is challenging and of course this is under Pure Rules. They go with the grappling to start as we talk about Shibata’s injury from a few years ago and how amazing it is for him to be in the ring. Shibata grabs a headlock to grind him down and puts on the bow and arrow to take over. Some leg cranking keeps Yuta in trouble and a leglock sends him to the ropes for his first break. Yuta hits him in the face for his official warning, which has Nigel complaining about Bryan Danielson.

We take a break and come back with Shibata firing up out of the corner. Shibata chops him into the corner and snaps off a suplex for two. The ankle lock goes on until Shibata switches into an STF. That’s good for Yuta’s second rope break before Yuta sends him outside for the suicide dive. Shibata is back up with the running boot against the barricade but the referee gets bumped back inside. A low blow into a DDT into the seat belt gives Yuta the pin and the title at 12:29.

Rating: C+. They had the technically sound match that you would expect, but Yuta regaining what might be the lowest level title AEW/ROH presents isn’t exactly some big milestone. Shibata’s time with the title wasn’t exactly thrilling either so giving it to someone who will be around on a regular basis makes sense. At least Yuta can brag about beating Shibata, but it only means so much all things considered.

Post match Yuta gives him another DDT but Hook makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was fine and the title match does mean a bit, but this couldn’t have felt more like a “we’re having this show because we have to” if they had set out to make it that way. It felt like the lowest stakes show imaginable and that makes for a very tedious hour. Almost nothing of consequence happened here as other than Hook vs. Yuta being furthered, I can’t imagine anything on here having much in the way of long term value. Perfectly fine match as far as wrestling goes, but this felt like a waste of time.

Results
Hook b. Rocky Romero – Redrum
Kris Statlander b. Diamante – Discus lariat
Kingdom b. Duke Davis/Danny Jones – Aurora Borealis to Jones
Wheeler Yuta b. Katsuyori Shibata – Seat belt

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Rampage
Date: October 20, 2023
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are less than a month away from Full Gear and the card is starting to come together. This week is all about CMLL’s Mistico star though, as he will be facing Rocky Romero in a match for the (unofficial) Pound For Pound Title of Mexico. That alone should be enough to carry the show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Rocky Romero vs. Mistico

Neither Romero’s CMLL World Historic Welterweight Title or Mistico’s CMLL World Middleweight Title is on the line and this is 2/3 falls. They fight over a lockup to start as commentary talks about an NFL game. Romero takes him up against the ropes to start and they trade Eddie Guerrero dances. A running shoulder puts Mistico down but he’s back up with a Tajiri handspring elbow out to the floor. The big corkscrew dive takes Romero down again and the fans are rather pleased with Mistico. Back in and Mistico ties him up in something like an Octopus on the mat for the fast tap at 2:42.

The second all starts fast as Romero takes him outside for a ram into the steps as Excalibur lists off previous holders of their titles. Back in and Romero goes after Mistico’s mask and we take a break. We come back with Romero hitting some running clotheslines before grabbing a one armed camel clutch. Mistico is back up and snaps off a headscissors before running the corner for an armdrag to the floor.

They slug it out on the apron until Romero snaps off a suplex to take over. The suicide dive sends Mistico sprawling up the ramp and a superplex brings him back inside for two. The two arm camel clutch goes on but Mistico slips out, earning himself a stomp to the back. Sliced Bread gives Romero the pin to tie it up at 9:52 total.

We take another break and come back again with Mistico kicking him to the floor, setting up a big dive off the top. Back in and a springboard spinning crossbody gives Mistico two. A moonsault hits Romero’s raised boots but Mistico snaps off a powerslam for two. Romero is placed on top but he comes back with a super Sliced Bread for a rather near fall. Romero goes up top again, only to get pulled down with a super Spanish Fly for two more. One heck of a running Canadian Destroyer plants Romero and La Mistica makes Romero tap for the win at 18:35.

Rating: B. It was a good match and it did feel special, as commentary was making Mistico seem like one of the biggest stars around. His high flying did look good and at times he came off like a superhero, which seems like something they’re shooting for. On the other hand you have Romero, who can wrestle a good match with anyone and its into these spots when he’s working in the right spot, which was the case here.

We get a face to face talk between Jay Lethal and Eddie Kingston. Lethal pitches his case for a Ring Of Honor World Title shot but Kingston doesn’t say anything. Jeff Jarrett calls him the Bronx B**** but ROH boss Stokely Hathaway (oh yeah that’s a thing) makes Jarrett vs. Kingston. If Jarrett wins, Lethal gets a title match. Works for Kingston, who gets in Jarrrett’s face and talks about how much he knows about Memphis wrestling. He’ll eat Jarrett alive.

John Silver vs. Kip Sabian vs. Brother Zay

For an International Title shot at Battle Of The Belts and there are a bunch of people at ringside. Silver gets knocked outside to start leaving Sabian to get armdragged by Zay. Some right hands in the corner are broken up by Silver, who gets caught by Zay’s dropkick. Zay dives onto Silver but Sabian breaks up another one with a kick to the head. We take a break and come back with Zay firing off some kicks, setting up an Asai moonsault onto Silver.

A springboard flipping Stunner gives Zay two on Sabian but a Twist of Fate is broken up. Silver German suplexes Sabian for two but misses a charge and falls outside. That lets Sabian hit an Arabian moonsault but the seconds get in a fight, allowing Zay to hit a springboard dive. Back in and Zay hits a Swanton on Sabian, only to have Silver kick Zay in the face for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: B-. Good match here with Silver getting the kind of surprising win. It’s a bit hard to imagine Silver being a serious challenger to a singles title but he’s the best choice of these three. They kept the action going here though and it was another entertaining match, thankfully with the seconds not doing much to screw things up.

Video on Mike Santana vs. Ortiz, which will take place next week.

Wheeler Yuta/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Exodus Prime/Bryan Keith

Keith knocks Yuta into the corner to start and unloads with forearms. Yuta isn’t having that and snaps off a German suplex, meaning it’s Castagnoli coming in to clean house. Prime gets gorilla press dropped before Castagnoli goes outside for a running uppercut to Keith. The Swing into the dropkick sets up the Fastball Special to finish Prime at 1:44. Nearly a squash here, though Keith continues to feel like trying more than most people.

The former Jericho Appreciation Society argues again, with Jake Hager storming off. Anna Jay tells them to get it together because they can win the Trios Titles.

The Young Bucks and Hangman Page say they’re the Ring Of Honor Trios Titles (not Six Man, despite the words that can be seen on the belts) and issue an open challenge for Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including a “dream match” between Andrade El Idolo vs. Bryan Danielson on Collision.

Video on Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho.

Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho

Saraya is here with Soho, who takes her into the corner for some chops. Blue gets annoyed and tells her to keep chopping before firing off her own chops. Soho sweeps the leg to put her down and then hits a standing clothesline. Back up and Blue kicks her into the corner, only to charge into an elbow. They fight to the apron where Blue faceplants her down. A knee to Saraya distracts Blue enough for Soho to hit a kick from the apron though and we take a break.

Back with a double clothesline putting them both down, setting up the exchange of forearms. Blue is back up with some running clotheslines and a running knee against the ropes has Soho in more trouble. A kick to the head and a swinging neckbreaker give Blue two each but Saraya grabs the leg for a distraction. Blue has to deal with Saraya and walks into No Future for two. Another No Future is blocked but Saraya hits her with the spray paint can, allowing Soho to get a rollup pin at 10:03.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much to see as Blue’s matches are only so good in the first place and then it didn’t get much better. The ending here was lame as it was just a can to the head rather than a spray. It’s also hard to imagine Soho actually getting anywhere after another win as she never seems to get to the next level, but at least she didn’t lose here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kris Statlander makes the save but Blue doesn’t want the help to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This started good but then went down in pretty quick fashion. There is only so much you can get out of a bunch of matches that don’t seem to have much to do with major storylines at the moment. Silver getting an International Title shot is the biggest story going here, though the Mistico vs. Romero match was quite good. Check out the first two matches, but then move on to some Munsters or Welcome Back Kotter.

Results
Mistico b. Rocky Romero 2-1
John Silver b. Kip Sabian and Brother Zay – Kick to Zay
Wheeler Yuta/Claudio Castagnoli b. Exodus Prime/Bryan Keith – Fastball Special to Prime
Ruby Soho b. Skye Blue – Rollup

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Ring Of Honor
Date: October 5, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The era of searching for the new champions continues and that could make for quite the different show. In the last six or so weeks, Ring Of Honor has crowned new World, Tag Team and Six Man Tag Team Champions, but none have appeared during their new reigns. It would be nice to have that change, but that might imply this show matters in the grand scheme of things. In other words: Save us again Athena. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a clip from after WrestleDream of Eddie Kingston talking about how much he loves the Japanese style. Now he wants to deal with future challengers and have Snickers pie. This aired on Youtube the night of WrestleDream.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Leyla Hirsch vs. Athena

Athena is defending and has Billie Starkz in her corner. Hirsch sends her into the corner for a slingshot dropkick out to the floor. Athena dives over a charge and hits a dropkick before dropping Hirsch off the steps. Back in and Athena stomps away but Hirsch manages a quick choke. With that broken up, Athena kicks away but stops to dance, allowing Starkz to grab a rollup for two.

Athena isn’t having that and drops her with a single shot, setting up a surfboard. Hirsch manages a quick suplex into a hard clotheslines for two more. That’s broken up with a Regal Roll but the O Face is countered into a triangle choke. Athena breaks out and they slug it with Hirsch getting the better of things.

A cross armbreaker has Athena in more trouble but she slips out and unloads with right hands. Hirsch catches her up top though and cartwheels into a German suplex for the big crash and another near fall. Athena has had it with this though and grabs the Despicable Knee to retain at 12:23.

Rating: B. This was the big match feel that has been missing from Athena’s matches as Hirsch gave her a run for her money. While it still seems likely that Starkz will be the one to take the title from Athena, Starkz at least gave her a sweat here and that’s better than you will get in a lot of Athena’s title matches these days. Good stuff here and it felt like a main event level match.

Post match Athena loads up the post match attack but Starkz convinces her to calm down. Maria Kanellis Bennett comes out to shake her head at Hirsch.

Christopher Daniels and Rocky Romero are ready to fight, though they respect each other.

Josh Woods vs. Tyler Payne

Mark Sterling is here with Woods, who grabs a snapmare but stops before kicking Payne in the back. Payne flips over him out of the corner but now Woods hits the shots to the back. The Tilt-A-Woods finishes Payne fast, as commentary says that this non-Pure Rules match should get Woods closer to a Pure Rules Title shot. Sure.

Rocky Romero vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels works on a headlock to start and then runs Romero over with a shoulder. Back up and Romero snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor, setting up the big dive to drop Daniels again. Daniels is fine enough to drive him into the corner back inside, followed by a suplex for two.

The chinlock doesn’t do much good for Daniels as Romero is back up with a springboard tornado DDT. A middle rope double stomp gives Romero two but Daniels crotches him on top. Angel’s Wings is countered and a kick to the face sets up the running Sliced Bread to finish Daniels at 8:07.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of a match that you knew was going to be good based on who was involved. Daniels and Romero could have a fine match with each other in their sleep and they did more than well enough here. The match might not have meant anything and Daniels continues to lose, but there are far worse ways to use show time.

Dalton Castle is panicking over the pressure from the fans and his heart is beating rather fast. He knows he makes the ratings spike so he wants to give the people what they want. Lexi Nair: “I don’t know what that was.”

Scorpio Sky vs. Fred Rosser

Rosser is better known as Darren Young (though he’s gotten a lot better since then). They fight over wrist control to start until Sky pulls him down into a headlock. Back up and a backbreaker gives Rosser a breather, setting up some hip smashes in the corner. The cravate holds Sky down but he’s right back up with a Sky High. The TKO is blocked though and Rosser drops him back first onto the apron for two. Sky shrugs it off and grabs the TKO for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: B-. Another good match in a series tonight as Rosser is someone who can work well with anyone. I’m not sure why he hasn’t gotten a shot on a bigger stage but he has built up a bit of a reputation in recent years. Sky is the same, as he is able to have a solid match with any opponent and that was the case again here. Go with more of these two, but maybe, with something important perhaps?

Lady Frost/Renegades vs. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue/Kiera Hogan

Nightingale blocks Frost’s whip to start and hits the basement crossbody. Hogan and Blue come in for a double basement superkick but Blue gets taken into the wrong corner. A double suplex gives Robyn two and it’s back to Frost for a release fisherman’s suplex. Blue gets stomped down but rolls away from a double suplex. The hot tag brings in Hogan to clean house but Charlette cuts her off with a Samoan driver. Everything breaks down and Frost hits Blue with an Air Raid Crash. The Renegades are sent into each other and Nightingale gives Robyn the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and it made for an entertaining match. Nightingale continues to be as charismatic as any woman in AEW/ROH today and the Renegades are still smooth in the ring. Blue is treated like something of a star and Frost is a good hand, with Hogan having the fire to keep the energy up. Fun match here, even if there is no reason to believe any of them are going anywhere.

The Infantry and Trish Adora are ready for their matches tonight.

Ethan Page vs. Invictus Khash

Page grinds away on a headlock to start but gets his hair pulled. That earns Khash a series of right hands but he knocks Page out of the corner. Page gets rocked with a discus forearm, though he’s fine enough to send Khash outside. A shoulder off the apron sets up the slingshot cutter to give Page the pin at 2:59.

Mark Sterling and Tony Nese are ready for Satoshi Kojima, who likes bread. Carbs are the enemy you know.

TMDK vs. The Infantry

Bravo hugs Haste to start and they run around with neither being able to get anywhere. A double hiptoss into a double fist drop gets two on Haste but Nicholls trips Dean from the floor. The villains take over on Dean in the corner but he slips out of a belly to back suplex and kicks his way over to Bravo. House is quickly cleaned and a spinning faceplant gets two. Bravo goes up top but gets caught in a powerbomb/superplex combination for two. Everything breaks down and a diving DDT/Big Ending combination finishes Bravo at 7:36.

Rating: C+. TMDK is a good team who are the week’s guest stars, but it doesn’t help that they’ve already had their Trios Titles match and lost, making them a bit less interesting. Beating the Infantry doesn’t mean much around here, though they did put up a good fight. The main appeal was having a New Japan team here and while talented, they were another match on an already long show.

Ethan Page wants competition and if that happens to be Eddie Kingston, cool.

Tony Nese vs. Satoshi Kojima

Nese, crowd insults, group therapy, opponent interrupts. This time things go a bit further though, as Kojima loves bread, which Nese hates because of the carbs. Nese bounds off of Kojima to start and Kojima pops his pecs a bit. Mark Sterling trips Kojima down though and Nese sends him outside, where Sterling can get in a cheap shot.

Back in and Nese ties him in the Tree of Woe for the crunch kicks to the ribs. The bodyscissors stays on Kojima’s ribs but he fights up and hits the rapid fire chops in the corner. The top rope elbow gives Kojima two but Nese is right back with the neck snap across the top. Nese’s springboard moonsault gets two, only to have Kojima come back with a Koji Cutter. The lariat finishes Nese at 7:21.

Rating: C. This was another match featuring a guest star and while it’s cool to see Kojima here, there is only so much to be gotten out of having him beat up Nese. It’s the same match and series of crowd insults that we’ve seen for months and it’s not exactly fascinating in the first place. At least they had something with the Bread Club stuff but there wasn’t much else here.

Athena is NOT impressed with Billie Starkz’s minioning so more training is needed. Lexi Nair doesn’t like it either. As a result, Starkz has to go to Tony Khan’s office, shout “My name is Willow Nightingale and I’m a big loser!” and leave. As usual, these things are great.

Trish Adora vs. Billie Starkz

Athena is here with Starkz, who is knocked outside and gets some Athena yelling. Back in and Starkz drives her into the buckle over and over but Adora kicks her in the face over and over. Adora hits some hip attacks in the corner, until Starks comes back with a hard forearm. The Swanton hits raised knees but Starkz shrugs it off and grabs a lifting Pedigree. A Bank Statement finishes Adora at 4:05.

Rating: C. This would be your third Starkz segment of the night and while they’re still the best thing on the show, they might want to spread her stuff out a bit. Adora continues her fall down the ladder and I’m not sure how much further she can fall. The match didn’t have time to go very far but it could have been worse.

Lee Johnson vs. Darius Martin

Commentary starts talking about the pandemic shots as the guys go technical to start and trade some legsweeps for two each. Martin slips out of a hiptoss and knocks him down but Johnson manages a shove into the corner. A belly to back suplex gives Johnson two and we hit the chinlock. Martin suplexes his way to freedom and a springboard faceplant gets two on Johnson. Johnson’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same but Martin grabs a suplex. The frog slash finishes Johnson at 6:47.

Rating: C. The action was fine, the wrestlers are both talented and they had a completely watchable match. The problem here is it’s the tenth match an hour and forty minutes into a show and they came in ice cold. It’s kind of hard to get into a match between two people who are going nowhere when the show has already run long as it is and it really hurt things here. Not a bad match at all, but it was stuck in a horrible spot.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Cole Karter/Griff Garrison vs. Iron Savages vs. Workhorsemen

One fall to a finish. Henry and Moriarty start things off and technical to a standoff. Bronson comes in and is taken into the corner so Drake can slingshot in with a hilo. A forearm into a DDT gets two on Garrison as the rapid fire tags continue. It’s off to Taylor to headbutt Henry and a splash gets two. Drake comes back in and beats up Karter as everything breaks down. The Savages clean house and consume some Savage Sauce, which Maria Kanellis-Bennett steals. Taylor uses the distraction to blast Karter with a right hand for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C+. This was one of those matches where there were so many people flying around that it was difficult to keep track of everything that was going on. Taylor getting the pin continues his rise back to the higher levels of Ring Of Honor and that is a good thing for a lot of people. Other than that, Karter and Garrison continue to be a waste of Maria and I do not get why whatsoever.

Komander/Gravity/Metalik vs. Spanish Announce Project/Gringo Loco

Loco and Metalik start things off with Metalik kicking him in the head and snapping off a rope walk hurricanrana. Loco flips out of a headscissors though and it’s off to Komander vs. Angelico. It’s quickly off to Gravity, who gets flapjacked into a splash on Angelico before snapping off a hurricanrana of his own.

Everything breaks down and a triple basement dropkick hits Gravity. Loco hits a powerbomb for two and Komander gets beaten down in the corner. Komander is fine enough to use Loco as a launchpad for a hurricanrana and it’s back to Metalik. Loco super Spanish Flies Komander and hits a dive onto the floor. Back in and Komander hits a springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer to drop Loco, followed by the rope walk shooting star press for the pin at 8:47.

Rating: B-. As has been the case for years, there is something to be said about taking a bunch of luchadors and letting them go nuts for a little while with the flips and the dive. It continues to work here, with everyone getting to do at least a little something. It could have been better served earlier in the show, but this kind of thing is always fun and it worked great here.

Overall Rating: C. Let me get this out of the way first: the wrestling here was absolutely not the problem. Everything was perfectly watchable at worst with some good matches sprinkled throughout. Match wise, nothing on here was even close to bad and all of the action was fine…but there is a lot more to a wrestling show than that.

I didn’t think it was possible, but they have somehow made this show feel even less important. Save for a pre-taped interview which had aired on AEW’s Youtube page four days earlier, there was no appearance from any champion here outside of Athena. That leaves you with a bunch of people fighting for possible title shots down the line, even though title shots tend to go to guest stars or AEW wrestlers with nothing else to do. On top of that though, despite having almost nothing of note to a lot of these matches, the show has somehow gotten EVEN LONGER, clocking in at 2:06 this week.

I’m not sure what the point is for having the show go this long, but it’s like they’re trying to make it feel less important. Throw in a lot of the ROH champions not even having their belts this week on Dynamite and it feels like ROH is getting the spotlight shifted away from the little space that it has. But then the show goes longer while filling it with less important stuff. As usual, this show is a mess, and it has nothing to do with the wrestling.

Results
Athena b. Leyla Hirsch – Despicable Knee
Josh Woods b. Tyler Payne – Tilt-A-Woods
Rocky Romero b. Christopher Daniels – Running Sliced Bread
Scorpio Sky b. Fred Rosser – TKO
Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue/Kiera Hogan b. Lady Frost/Renegades – Babe With The Powerbomb to Robyn
Ethan Page b. Invictus Khash – Slingshot cutter
TMNK b. The Infantry – Middle rope DDT/Big Ending to Bravo
Satoshi Kojima b. Tony Nese – Lariat
Billie Starkz b Trish Adora – Bank Statement
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Iron Savages, Griff Garrison/Cole Karter and Workhorsemen – Right hand to Karter
Komander/Gravity/Metalik b. Gringo Loco/Spanish Announce Project – Rope walk shooting star press to Loco

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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WrestleDream 2023
Date: October 1, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, Jim Ross

We’re back with the third pay per view in six weeks and this has a bit of a theme to it. The idea of this show is paying tribute to Japanese legend Antonio Inoki, who passed away a year ago to the day. As a result, there are some New Japan stars involved in the show, which does have a strong card. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long video tribute to Antonio Inoki, with wrestlers talking about what he meant to wrestling.

Tony Khan is in the ring with some other people, all with the Inoki scarves around their necks. Khan introduces the men as Rocky Romero, Katsuyori Shibata and Hiroto/Naroto Inoki, Antonio’s grandsons. We get Inoki’s signature phrase to wrap it up.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor/Lee Moriarty/Diamante/Mercedes Martinez vs. Keith Lee/Satoshi Kojima/Athena/Billie Starkz

Fans: “WE WANT BREAD!” Excalibur: “Of course Satoshi Kojima the leader of Bread Club.” JR: “You might want to explain that.” Diamante and Starkz start but it’s quickly off to Athena for a suplex. JR wants Athena to go on a tear, apparently not realizing that she’s been on one for the better part of the last year. Taylor comes in to punch Keith in the face and manages to knock him down.

It’s off to Moriarty, who gets dropped rather quickly so Kojima can come in to run Moriarty over. A DDT gets two with Diamante making the save, earning her a beating from Starkz. Everything breaks down and Athena hits an O Face on Moriarty, with JR calling it illegal. The ring is cleared, leaving Kojima to lariat Moriarty for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here as they had eight people with less than six minutes. Kojima is a star from New Japan and still does well despite having been around forever, while Keith is rarely in the ring anymore for whatever reasons. It wasn’t a great match or anything close to one, but it was a way to get a lot of people in the ring.

Zero Hour: Josh Barnett vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Jon Moxley is on commentary and talks about training with Barnett. They grapple to start with Barnett powering him down but Castagnoli manages to take over on the mat. Castagnoli gets in some elbows (Moxley: “ELBOW HIS D*** HEAD OFF CLAUDIO!”) but Barnett reverses into a dragon screw legwhip.

That’s broken up as well but Castagnoli can’t get the Swing. Back up and they slug it out until Barnett gets a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Castagnoli gets in the swing, setting up some kind of leglock. Barnett makes the rope and grabs a suplex before they strike it out. The Neutralizer is blocked so Castagnoli pulls him into an Octopus Hold on the mat. That and a rollup is enough to pin Barnett at 8:20.

Rating: B-. This was a different kind of match as it was more of a grappling exchange between two guys who know what they’re doing in that style. Barnett is someone who is a lot better known in mixed martial arts than in wrestling but he’s good enough to hang with someone like Castagnoli. Good stuff here and probably something different than anything else you’ll see on the show.

Post match Barnett shows respect and says Inoki would be a fan of Castagnoli. Barnett says Castagnoli owes him more time though so keep training. Sounds good to Castagnoli.

Zero Hour: Nick Wayne vs. Luchasaurus

Nigel says this is going to be like Luke Skywalker being dropped into the pin with the Rancor. Wayne fires off a dropkick to start but gets tossed with a nasty release German suplex. Luchasaurus pounds away but Wayne is back up with some kicks. A chokeslam sends Wayne to the floor….where he crawls to his mom in the front row. That earns him a face first swing into the barricade but Wayne scores with some kicks back inside. Wayne’s World is easily blocked and the forearm to the back of the head finishes for Luchasaurs at 4:51.

Rating: C. That went about as it should have, as Luchasaurus is a total monster and Wayne is someone who hasn’t proven himself to be on Luchasaurus’ level. There is something to be said about a smaller guy striking away with everything he has but not being able to overcome. The part with his mom was a nice bonus, making this go according to the logical plan.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: TMDK vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

TMDK (Shane Haste/Mikey Nichols/Bad Dude Tito) is challenging. Tito powers Caster down to start and hands it off to Haste. Caster punches his way out of the corner though and it’s Gunn coming in to quite the reaction. A running shoulder drops Haste and Gunn loads up Scissor Me Timbers, which connects for quite the reaction.

We settle down with Bowens getting caught in the wrong corner and Tito adding a slingshot hilo. Bowens fights out of a chinlock but gets knocked back again to keep up the beating. An attempt to get over to the corner is cut off as Gunn and Caster are knocked to the floor in a smart move. Bowens manages to duck around and get over to Gunn though and house is cleaned. Tito plants Gunn rather quickly and Caster has to make a save. A step up Cannonball hits Caster in the corner but Gunn is back in with the Fameasser. The Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 9:18.

Rating: C. That was your Rampage opener of the show and not much more. They had some time to do a bit more here than usual and that helped, but it’s another group of guest stars getting a title shot. That is only going to get you so far and they hit most of that limit here. Not a bad match by any means, but there wasn’t much in the way of drama.

And now, the show proper.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Righteous

MJF is defending on his own, but before the match, he accuses someone of stealing his devil mask and attacking Jay White. As for the Righteous, MJF promises a BODY SLAM. Dutch starts for the team and MJF asks who wants to see that body slam. Instead we get the handshake of sportsmanship before MJF pokes Dutch in the eye. MJF gets in a hip swivel and pulls Vincent in, only to get clotheslined by Dutch.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as MJF fights up….but realizes he doesn’t have a partner. Dutch powerbombs him down so Vincent can hit a Swanton for two. The Boss Man Slam gets two more and Autumn Sunshine gets the same, leaving the Righteous stunned. Vincent goes for a chair but MJF grabs him low to cut it off.

Back up and Vincent kicks him in the face but misses a second Swanton. Everything breaks down and Dutch is rammed into the corner over and over. The body slam connects and the fans are thrilled. With Dutch sent into the corner, MJF sends Vincent face first into the back of Dutch’s tights. The Kangaroo Kick sends the Righteous outside and the Heatseeker finishes Dutch (with feet on the ropes) at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Watching MJF do his goofy, almost parody of wrestling is hilarious and it’s great to see him having fun like this. At the same time, the Righteous being out of the title picture for the time being is nice to see. It still feels like the Kingdom will be the ones to win the titles, but at least we’re having a good time on the way there.

We recap Katsuyori Shibata vs. Eddie Kingston, with Kingston defending his two titles but Shibata not defending his.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Only Shibata is challenging and he goes to the mat to start. With that not working, they trade strikes until Shibata pulls him down into an ankle lock. The rope is reached so Shibata grabs a Figure Four to stay on the leg. That’s broken up as well so Shibata puts on a bow and arrow. Kingston fights up and fires off the chops in the corner but Shibata kicks him in the face. The running basement dropkick in the corner and the fans are behind Shibata.

Kingston is back with a t-bone suplex but Shibata grabs an STO, with Taz being at his best by explaining the leverage and science. The Octopus Hold on the mat has Kingston in trouble but he makes it over to the rope. Kingston knocks him away again but Shibata comes back with the running kick to the chest. They strike it out until Kingston’s spinning backfist gets one. The northern lights bomb gets the same, followed by another backfist and the powerbomb to retain the titles at 10:58.

Rating: B-. This was Kingston striking away and gritting through someone more polished and skilled. It made for a nice story to the match and served as Kingston’s latest fantasy match come to life. Kingston needs some wins to establish himself as a star and wins like this one are going to get him a long way.

Post match Shibata gets the big show of respect.

We recap Julia Hart challenging Kris Statlander for the TBS Title. Hart is on a roll but Statlander was the last person to beat her. Now the title is on the line.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Julia Hart

Hart, with Brody King, is challenging. Statlander powers her into the corner to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs. The running knee misses but she runs Hart over again without much trouble. Hart manages a hurricanrana but Statlander muscles her over with a suplex for two. They go outside, where Statlander grabs her in a fireman’s carry and carries her back up the steps. It’s right back to the floor, with Hart sending her into the barricade this time.

A backsplash gives Hart two back inside and we hit the quickly broken abdominal stretch. Now Statlander’s running knee in the corner sets up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Statlander trips so King yells at her, allowing Hart to load up the mist. That takes too long though and Statlander grabs a fisherman’s driver for two more. Hart pulls her off the top and goes up, meaning it’s the moonsault for a rather close two. Hartless goes on but Statlander muscles her up into a Tombstone, followed by Sunday Night Fever to retain at 8:54.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised by the result as it stops Hart’s run cold, but Statlander has been on a roll since getting the title. Having her get another pay per view win is not a bad thing whatsoever, but she needs to start fighting some of the bigger names. The division has the depth to have some stronger challengers come after her, though Hart did rather well here in her biggest match ever.

We recap the four way tag match for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Titles. There are four teams and they’re fighting for a title shot, end of story.

The Gunns vs. Hook/Orange Cassidy vs. Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish for a future AEW Tag Team Title shot. Fenix and Nick strike away at each other before popping up for a staredown. Cassidy tags himself in but the Gunns pull Fenix outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Austin dropkicks Cassidy into the corner before trying to cover Colten. The referee isn’t having that and it’s the Bucks’ turn to clean house.

Hook comes in and gets to clear the ring as well, leaving Cassidy to hit a dive onto both Bucks. Apparently Fenix is down so Penta comes in to kick at the Bucks. We settle down to Colten punching Hook down for two but Penta is back in. Made In Japan gets two on Austin as everything breaks down again. Matt hits a superkick and Nick adds the slingshot X Factor to Austin.

Penta’s big running flip dive connects though Hook tags himself in. Redrum is blocked so Cassidy Orange Punches Austin into Redrum to put him in trouble. Nick tags himself in though and hits a 450 for two with Cassidy making a save. The Bucks double superkick Hook but Penta superkicks the Bucks. Not that it matters as the BTE Trigger finishes Penta at 12:10 to give the Bucks the title shot.

Rating: B-. The Bucks are 2/3 of the Six Man Tag Team Champions, #1 contender to the Tag Team Titles and Nick is getting an International Title shot this week. I know it’s All ELITE Wrestling but this might be taking things a bit too literally. Anyway, this was your usual insane display of people jumping and flipping all over the place, though Fenix being down isn’t a good sign. I’m not sure if they’re going to run FTR vs. the Bucks again, but it would certainly be a big deal if they did. I’m just not sure how big.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland. Page can’t break through to be a star and Swerve wants to prove what he really is. Then Page stabbed him in the hand with a pen.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

The Mogul Embassy, complete with dancing Prince Nana, is here with Strickland (the home area boy). Feeling out process to start until Page knocks him into the corner for a loud chop. The fans are WAY behind Swerve here, even as Page knocks him down into the corner. Swerve is right back with a kick to the face and the middle rope elbow to the back lets him dance a bit.

Page manages a quick suplex and they’re both down again. With Swerve on the floor, Page hits a big moonsault to take him down on the floor. The dive drops Swerve again but they go back inside where he grabs a rolling Downward Spiral. The Brainbuster gives Swerve two but Page catches him on top. That’s fine with Swerve, who knocks him backwards for the Swerve Stomp (the fans approve again).

Swerve’s House Call gets two more and they head to the apron. The Deadeye on the apron is blocked so Page hits it on the steps instead. Page doesn’t cover, instead sending him inside and kicking away, only to get caught in the ropes. They slap it out until the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a rather nasty arm crank. We pause for the doctor to check on Page but Swerve hits a Swerve Stomp onto the apron.

A 450 onto the arm gives Swerve two and he grabs the armbar. Page makes the rope and scores with a left arm lariat. Swerve’s armbar is broken up and Page hammers on the bad hand. Swerve gets in a suplex but misses another Stomp. The Buckshot Lariat connects for a rather delayed two, as Prince Nana puts the foot on the rope. Page chases Nana off, allowing Swerve to hit him in the face with Nana’s crown for two. Back to back House Calls set up the JML Driver for the pin on Page at 20:06.

Rating: B+. That’s the Swerve match that the fans have been waiting to see and it worked very well throughout. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it felt like a big slugout. If Swerve becomes a breakout star around here, there is a good chance that this is what starts it off for him. Awesome match here and the best thing on the card so far.

We recap Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta. Starks wasn’t happy with losing to Bryan Danielson back to back so he’ll fight Danielson’s teammate instead.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Ricky Starks

Jon Moxley is back on commentary. They go with the grappling to start before opting to punch each other in the face instead. Starks gets the better of things and knocks Yuta up against the ropes, allowing him to stare at the crowd a bit. Yuta slips out of a fireman’s carry and rolls him up for two, only to have Starks get in another shot. Moxley thinks Starks is talented but runs his mouth too much, meaning he isn’t sure if he should fight Starks or take him on a date. Yuta is back with something like a Samoan drop and an armbar goes on.

Cue Big Bill as Starks makes the rope and spikes Yuta for two. Starks hits his own hammer and anvil elbows, which just make Yuta mad. That’s fine with Starks, who takes Yuta’s head off but gets shoved off the rope for a crash onto Bill. Yuta posts Bill to get rid of him and fires off the real hammer and anvil elbows. The Seatbelt gives Yuta two but Starks is back up with the spear. The Roshambo finishes Yuta at 9:54.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure if it needed to be on the pay per view. This felt like a Rampage main event or a big match on Collision rather than needing to be on here. What matters here though is that Starks got his big win and regains some momentum so things should be getting a bit better for him going forward. Odds are it sets up Moxley vs. Starks as well and that’s not a bad thing.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and….yeah I think that’s all you need to know here.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre’s New Japan TV Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start as they both seem nervous about going too far. Danielson suplexes him down and Sabre pauses for a standoff. Sabre pulls him into the abdominal stretch but Danielson pulls him into a leglock. That’s broken up and they stay on the mat with neither being able to get control. Instead Danielson pulls him into the surfboard but Sabre slips out again.

Sabre starts going after the arm and gives it a shoulder before adding a nasty stomp. The arm gets twisted around and Sabre is starting to get cocky. Sabre stays on the arm but he takes too long going up, allowing Danielson to cut him off. The arm is snapped over Sabre’s shoulder though and the armbar goes on up top. Danielson headbutts his way out of trouble and a top rope butterfly superplex lets him…not get the LeBell Lock.

Instead Danielson goes with a half crab but Sabre is right over to the ropes. The YES Kicks rock Sabre and Danielson stomps him in the head. The running knee is countered and Sabre pulls him into the European Clutch for two. Moxley (on commentary) is on his feet as they both need a breather. Cattle Mutilation goes on but Sabre rolls out, only to get caught with the elbows to the face.

Danielson gets a leglock but Sabre reverses into one of his own. That earns him a spit in the face and they strike it out, with Danielson getting the better of things. Back up and Sabre goes for the arm while Danielson kicks at the leg. Sabre gets the better of things this time and pulls Danielson into the double arm crank. Nigel: “THINK ABOUT YOUR KIDS! THINK ABOUT YOUR WIFE! RETIRE NOW!”

Danielson makes the rope (Nigel: “You coward!”) so they trade kicks, with Danielson nailing a big one to the head. The stomp to the head misses so Sabre pulls him into the cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into a leg trap belly to back suplex into the running knee for the very near fall. Another running knee finishes Sabre at 23:13.

Rating: A-. Like I said before the match, this was going to work because of the talent involved and then they were allowed to have all the time they needed to tear the house down. You could see two masters in there trying to take the other apart and it worked about as well as expected. Awesome stuff here and as usual, it felt like a clinic from two of the best ever with this style.

Post match respect is offered but Sabre turns it down. Naturally Nigel says that wasn’t technical wrestling so Danielson is NOT the best in the world.

We recap Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. the Don Callis Family. All three hate Callis so they’re fighting his team.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. Don Callis Family

Omega and Will Ospreay start things off but it’s quickly off to Sammy Guevara, who lounges on the top rope. They start running the ropes until Sammy flips over him and scores with a dropkick. Ospreay comes back in to get suplexed by Jericho as Sammy shouts at commentary. Jericho punches Ospreay and we get the big standoff. The good guys clear the house, pay tribute to Inoki (oh yeah that’s a thing with this show) and hit stereo dives.

Back in and Omega slugs away at Takeshita, who rakes the eyes to cut him off. Takeshita hits a clothesline but Ibushi comes in for a save. Ospreay puts on an abdominal stretch, with the rest of the Family adding leverage like villains should. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Omega but he gets over for the tag back to Omega. That means an abdominal stretch to Sammy, with the rest of Omega’s partners pulling as well.

Ibushi comes in with a double back elbow and we get an Ibushi/Jericho Sex Gods pose. Omega and Jericho hit stereo moonsaults to the floor, leaving Jericho to hit the Lionsault for two on Sammy. Takeshita breaks up the Walls and drops Omega on his head with a release German suplex. Jericho has to fight Ospreay and Takeshita at the same time but Takeshita knees Ospreay by mistake.

Omega is back up with the big running flip dive to take out Takeshita and Ospreay. Back in and Sammy Spanish Flies Jericho for two, followed by the shooting star to the floor. Omega and Ospreay slug it out back inside but Takeshita is back in with a running knee to put Omega down.

Sammy Codebreakers Jericho for one so Jericho fights up, only to get beaten down again. Ibushi is back up to strike away but Ospreay saves Takeshita from the big boot. The Golden Trigger is cut off by Sammy’s high crossbody. Jericho is back up with the Judas Effect to Ospreay but Sammy superkicks Jericho in the face. Jericho tries to pull him into the Walls but Callis comes in with a baseball bat shot to give Sammy the pin at 22:17.

Rating: B+. This was the match I was expecting to be the best on the card and it came pretty close. The match started with the regular wrestling but then broke down into the wild fight that it was destined to be. The Callis Family stuff isn’t exactly thrilling but the matches have worked so well and that’s what matters most.

We recap Aussie Open challenging FTR for the Tag Team Titles. FTR beat them for the New Japan Tag Team Titles a year ago and now the Aussies want to even things up.

AEW Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. FTR

FTR is defending. Harwood and Fletcher lock up to start with neither being able to get very far. Wheeler comes in and this time Fletcher bails to the floor. Harwood sends him back in, where Wheeler hits a backdrop to take over. It’s off to Davis for a chop off with Harwood, who gets slammed down. Davis hits a backsplash so it’s back to Fletcher, who gets caught with a snap suplex.

Everything breaks down and FTR is rammed into each other on the floor. Back in and Fletcher forearms away at Wheeler before Davis grabs a chinlock. Wheeler fights up and catches Fletcher on top, meaning it’s a belly to back superplex for a big crash. Fletcher is able to grab a brainbuster but Wheeler is up again, this time getting over to Harwood. Rolling German suplexes drop Fletcher as Wheeler and Davis fight on the floor.

Harwood gets two off a Liger Bomb but Davis is back in to break up the PowerPlex. A Doomsday kick to the face gets two on Wheeler but Harwood is back in for the save. Now the PowerPlex can connect, leaving Fletcher to high crossbody Harwood into the cover to break it up.

Wheeler rolls Davis (who appears to have hurt his wrist) up for two, only to walk into a Shatter Machine from the Aussies. The Coriolis gets two with Harwood making the save this time. They head outside again and it’s a spike piledriver on the floor to drop Davis. Back in and a super Shatter Machine finishes Fletcher to retain the titles at 20:23.

Rating: B. It was a good match but this might have been better if they had cut out about four minutes. The problem here came down to the fact that this went long in the semi-main event spot on a show that is going to run over four and a half hours. The Aussies winning felt like a long shot in the first place and while the match was good, it wasn’t able to completely overcome those circumstances.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage for the latter’s TBS Title. Allin wants to prove he belongs in the main event in his hometown and the title is on the line.

TBS Title: Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage

Allin is challenging (and bleeding before the match for some reason) and this is 2/3 falls. Feeling out process to start with Cage bailing into the corner and spitting into Allin’s face. Allin is calm enough to pull him into an armbar, followed by a headlock to keep him down. Back up and Christian chops him against the ropes, meaning we get the double bicep pose. It’s too early for the Unprettier though as Allin pulls the turtleneck over Christian’s face and rolls him up for the first fall at 4:55.

We pause for a bit as Cage stops to look at Nick Wayne’s mom in the front row before taking Allin down again. Cage pounds away at the back and cranks on his neck to keep things slow. Allin gets back up for some rapid fire rollups but gets sent outside in a crash. Cage whips him into the barricade but goes after Wayne’s mom again, allowing Allin to hit a suicide dive. Back in and the Coffin Drop hits raised knees, allowing Cage to send him into the announcers’ table. Something like a powerslam off the apron hits sends Allin back first into the steps. That’s enough for a countout to tie it up at 15:18 total.

A stretcher is brought out as Cage is doing something with the ring skirt. He peels the entire mat back and exposes the wood….before hitting a frog splash onto Allin on the stretcher. That’s good for two back inside and Cage grabs a Scorpion Deathlock. Allin makes the rope (the fans approve) and it’s a Scorpion Death Drop for two, followed by the Coffin Drop for the same.

Cage loads up a superplex onto the steps on the floor but gets reversed into a sunset bomb. The spear hits the referee though, leaving Cage to hit Allin low. The title is brought in but Nick Wayne runs in to take it away. Then Wayne hits Allin with the title (his mom is NOT happy) and Cage retains at 25:13.

Rating: B+. This was a smartly worked match as Christian didn’t have to go insane but rather set things up for Allin to go nuts instead. It made for some very good drama and action, with Allin getting the first fall to save some face. I liked the match rather well, though having it as the main event (yes they had to with the ring deal) might have been a stretch.

Post match Cage hugs Wayne, who destroys Allin while yelling about family. Sting comes in for the save but Luchasaurus is here to beat him down as well. The Conchairto is loaded up….and the lights go out. A video of someone driving a car to the arena plays and the lights come up. And yeah EDGE debuts (complete with Metalingus theme), with the villains handing him the chair. He cracks Wayne with it instead and spears Luchasaurus to clear out the villains. Edge and Sting shake hands to end the show. That’s the big deal of the show and while we’ll have to see where it goes, the moment was there.

Overall Rating: B+. As tends to be the case with AEW shows, they wind up being good in the end through the hard work and effort put in from the wrestlers. That was the case again here, with a few awesome matches being more than enough to keep me interested. The show got better as it went on and thankfully they didn’t have some of the lesser matches eat up too much time.

That being said, this was they could be that much more enjoyable with some time trimmed off. There is just SO MUCH STUFF on here and some of it could easily be dropped (like the bonus Rampage described as Zero Hour) and probably Starks vs. Yuta. At some point the energy is going to go away and that isn’t good for the main event matches. That being said, the show was still quite the blast to watch and if they can keep it up, they’re not going to change anything.

Results
Satoshi Kojima/Keith Lee/Athena/Billie Starkz b. Shane Taylor/Diamante/Lee Moriarty/Mercedes Martinez – Lariat to Moriarty
Claudio Castagnoli b. Josh Barnett – Rollup
Luchasaurus b. Nick Wayne – Forearm to the back of the head
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. TMDK – Mic Drop to Haste
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. The Righteous – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Dutch
Eddie Kingston b. Katsuyori Shibata – Powerbomb
Kris Statlander b. Julia Hart – Sunday Night Fever
Young Bucks b. Lucha Bros, Gunns and Orange Cassidy/Hook – BTE Trigger to Penta
Swerve Strickland b. Hangman Page – JML Driver
Ricky Starkz b. Wheeler Yuta – Roshambo
Bryan Danielson b. Zack Sabre Jr. – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi – Baseball bat shot to Jericho
FTR b. Aussie Open – Super Shatter Machine to Fletcher
Christian Cage b. Darby Allin 2-1

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Rampage
Date: September 29, 2023
Location: 1stBank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Rampage before WrestleDream and I’m not sure how much of a difference that is going to make. Rampage can be all over the place when it comes to importance, but there is a good chance that the wrestling itself will be pretty high quality. That should make for an easy show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Trios Titles: Billy Gunn/Acclaimed vs. Hardys/Brother Zay

Gunn and the Acclaimed are defending in ANOTHER open challenge. Zay and Bowens stars things off with an exchange of armdrags until Zay grabs a headscissors (and thrusts his hips into the mat). Bowens is right back with a kick to the ribs into the running Fameasser for quite the crash. Zay manages to send Bowens to the floor so it’s off to Jeff to beat up Caster. Matt and Billy come in for a SUCK IT vs. DELETE off until Gunn is sent into the corner over and over.

It’s back to Jeff for the step up splash in the corner but everything breaks down. The champs clear out the Hardys and Scissor Me Timbers gets two on Zay. We take a break and come back with Caster hitting a dropkick on Zay, followed by a bit of a dance. Gunn comes back in to miss a Stinger Splash, leaving both he and Zay down. The double tag brings in Jeff and Bowens, with the former grabbing a rollup.

The Whisper In The Wind hits the Acclaimed and it’s the Twist of Fate into the Swanton to Gunn. A save is made and a bunch of charging shots in the corner put Matt down. The double tag brings in Bowens and Zay with Zay getting to kick people in the face. Zay hits a middle rope spinning Downward Spiral, followed by an Asai moonsault to Gunn. Back in and the assisted Iconoclasm finishes Zay to retain the titles at 10:36.

Rating: B-. These guys got going in the end and it turned into a rather high energy match. Gunn and the Acclaimed can move on to their title defense against a team from New Japan at WrestleDream while the Hardys can find another team to lose against in another title match. Zay stood out here a bit as well, as he got to show off some of his pretty impressive high flying. Good opener, even if it was another thrown out there title match.

Eddie Kingston is ready to defend the New Japan Strong Openweight Title against Rocky Romero tonight but Jeff Jarrett and company come in. Jay Lethal talks about how he can respect a double champ, but not when it means Kingston is the Ring Of Honor World Champion. That title means something and Kingston is unfit to hold the title. Kingston laughs and walks away.

On Saturday, Andrade El Idolo wants to know why Juice Robinson has a problems with him. See you Saturday at Collision.

New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Rocky Romero vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston is defending. Feeling out process to start with Romero’s headlock not getting him very far. Romero’s shoulder doesn’t get him anywhere either but he manages to knock Kingston outside. That’s fine with Kingston, who hits a suplex on the floor as we take a break. Back with Kingston getting caught in the ropes so Romero can hit a middle rope dropkick for two. Kingston is right back with the rapid fire chops in the corner but Romero slugs his way out. That’s fine with Kingston, who hits a pair of spinning backfists into the Stretch Plum to retain at 8:58.

Rating: C+. As usual the match was fine, but it’s another instance of a random wrestler getting a title shot. Between this and the open challenges, there are so many out of nowhere title matches and it takes away some of the impact. As for the match itself, there’s only so much you can do with about nine minutes and a good chunk of it cut out of the middle. Completely fine action though and that’s better than some options they had.

Post match respect is shown but Katsuyori Shibata comes out for the staredown.

Aussie Open is sick of hearing about how great FTR is. They’ve spent the last year working to get here for one more match with them, because it’s time for FTR to feel pain.

Righteous vs. Gunnar/Caleb Crush

Dutch runs them over with a double clothesline to start and adds a swinging Boss Man Slam on Crush. Gunnar gets one of his own and Autumn Sunshine finishes Crush at 1:25.

Video on the history of Santana and Ortiz, who were a great team and then fell apart due to personal issues.

Video on Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin.

Nick Wayne won’t be at ringside for Allin vs. Cage but he wants to face Luchasaurus at Zero Hour. He even has a skateboard for the sake of a receipt.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Zack Sabre Jr. is ready to hurt Bryan Danielson and end his retirement tour a lot earlier than expected. He throws in a little Final Countdown (humming version) for a bonus.

Ruby Soho vs. Hikaru Shida

For a Women’s Title shot. Feeling out process to start with Shida taking her down. The right hands in the corner set up a spinning crossbody, followed by more right hands. There’s a middle rope dropkick to knock Soho down again and we take a break. Back with the exchange of forearms going to Shida before they go outside. The fight goes up the ramp before they both have to run back to the ring to beat the count.

Soho gets two off a Saito suplex and it’s time for the kendo stick. With that taken away, Soho tries the spray paint but the referee gets bumped while taking it away. Destination Unknown connects for no count so Shida sticks her in the head. The Katana connects and another referee runs down for two. Shida misses a top rope Meteora but blocks a top rope backsplash with raised knees. The Falcon Arrow gets two, followed by another Katana to give Shida the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Shida vs. Soho is something that is going to work no matter what they’re doing and thankfully they didn’t do a bunch of nonsense with the referee down. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Shida get the title back as Saraya got her England win last month. At the same time, it would completely surprise me to see Soho win a match that matters, as it certainly hasn’t been her thing yet.

Saraya comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show’s problem continues to be that it is sandwiched between Dynamite and Collision, which doesn’t leave it with much purpose. You had two thrown out there title defenses, both of which will be followed by those same titles being on the line again two days later. That doesn’t make for a thrilling show, which leaves the wrestling to carry everything. As usual, that worked well, as long as you don’t expect a good bit of this show to be anything more than advertisements for later events.

Results
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Hardys/Brother Zay – Assisted Iconoclasm to Zay
Eddie Kingston b. Rocky Romero – Stretch Plum
Righteous b. Gunnar/Caleb Crush – Autumn Sunshine to Crush
Hikaru Shida b. Ruby Soho – Katana

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 14, 2023
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Ring of Honor continues to be in a weird place as the top titles, meaning the World and Tag Team Titles, are being defended in AEW (at least the important title defenses), with the Tag Team Champions not having actually appeared here since winning the titles. I’m not sure if they ever will, but maybe we can get something from Claudio Castagnoli this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Rocky Romero

Castagnoli is defending. They go with the grappling to start with Castagnoli cranking on the arm. Romero slips out of that and snaps off a hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside. The big dive is cut off by an uppercut and a gorilla press snake eyes has Romero in more trouble. We hit the armbar until Romero fights up, earning himself a Swing for two. A suplex is countered and Romero snaps off another hurricanrana to put Castagnoli down.

Romero hits a tornado DDT into a 619 into a standing Sliced Bread ford two. Castagnoli powers him up into a backbreaker for two before firing off forearms in the corner. A hard lariat gives Castagnoli two but Romero backslides him for the same. An enziguri staggers Castagnoli but he nails a hard uppercut to retain the title at 10:36.

Rating: B-. This picked up near the end and it’s nice to have the World Champion in action on the show. At the same time, this was an ice cold match coming in and commentary spent a good chunk of the match hyping up Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston at Grand Slam. This would have been a good choice for a Proving Ground match with Romero lasting the time limit, as they really do need to have one of those go the distance at some point.

Outrunners/Kevin Ku vs. Infantry/Willie Mack

Mack and Ku start things off with Mack shrugging off a chop and grabbing a running hurricanrana. Dean comes in for a bulldog/flapjack combination to Ku so it’s off to Floyd. Everything breaks down and Dean hits the big flip dive onto all three villains. Back in and some double teaming puts Dean down and we hit the double arm crank. Stomping ensues and Dean is sent outside so Floyd can dance a bit. The villains take so long posing that Dean brings Bravo in to clean house. A twisting DDT drops Floyd as everything breaks down. Mack slugs it out with Ku and it’s the Stunner into Boot Camp to finish Ku at 8:00.

Rating: C. Odds are the Infantry and Mack are going to be the next serious challengers for the Trios Titles and I’ll certainly take a team getting some wins to build them up for the shot. The Outrunners and Ku aren’t the highest level challengers, but at least they’re opponents losing to the Infantry and Mack, who certainly need the wins.

Ethan Page is here and wants to regain his competitive edge. He’s here to prove himself to the fans.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Zoey Lynn

Lynn grabs the wristlock to start but Martinez knocks her into the corner for the stomping. A rather delayed brainbuster gets two on Lynn but she avoids a charge in the corner. Lynn scores with some kicks but charges into a spinebuster. Martinez pulls her up at two and hits a running forearm to the back of the head. The Brass City Sleeper finishes Lynn at 5:21.

Rating: C. This was just shy of an extended squash for Martinez, though Lynn did get in a few shots of her own. Martinez continues to be someone who could be moved up the card in a hurry but instead she’s here winning matches like this one. The good thing is she could be moved up at any time, but at some point that elevation has to happen.

Gates Of Agony vs. Cole Radrick/Matt Brannigan

Prince Nana is here with the Gates and it’s Kaun running Brannigan over to start. Radrick gets taken out on the floor and it’s a Backstabber into a Samoan Drop. Open The Gates connects but Radrick tries to make a save. That earns him a drop onto Brannigan and it’s a double pin at 1:46. Total destruction.

Video on the history of Athena and Billie Starkz. This is still probably the most interesting thing on the show.

Starkz is officially served her Minion To Do List, including items like a tongue twister and finding a single banana. Lexi Nair warns her that bad things will happen if the tasks aren’t completed and gives her an MIT (Minion In Training) shirt. Starkz is off to work.

Christopher Daniels vs. Darius Martin

Feeling out process to start with Daniels’ headlock not getting him very far. Martin gets whipped hard into the corner for a running forearm into a Side Effect for two. They fight over a suplex until Daniels drapes him over the top rope for a middle rope shot to the neck. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a clothesline to stay on said neck. Martin fights up with an atomic drop and a kick to the face. A high crossbody gives Martin two but Daniels pulls him into the Koji Clutch. Martin rolls out and escapes the Angel’s Wings as well, setting up a rollup to pin Daniels at 5:59.

Rating: C+. This match had a story with Daniels working on the neck and then trying a neck submission. It might not be an epic story or anything close to one, but I’ll take a basic story being done well enough over a story that is way too complicated and doesn’t work out. Daniels can still go in the ring, but these losses almost have to start going somewhere eventually.

Post match Daniels endorses Martin in a nice moment.

Shane Taylor vs. Lee Johnson

Taylor, the hometown boy, gets a heck of a reaction. Johnson scores with a single right hand to start and Taylor just glares at him. A sunset flip doesn’t work either and Taylor punches him into the corner. The tosses out of the corner have Johnson in even more trouble and they head outside.

That goes nowhere so they head back inside with Taylor dropping him again for two. The neck crank goes on as Johnson is in even more trouble. One heck of a chop puts Johnson down again and a release Rock Bottom gets two more. Some running clotheslines stagger Taylor and a running DDT gives Johnson two of his own. Cue Lee Moriarty for a distraction though and a package piledriver finishes Johnson at 8:22.

Rating: C. Johnson got about as much out of a series of right hands and a DDT as you could get here and that wasn’t the most thrilling match. At the end of the day, Taylor has been presented as a monster in recent weeks (save for the match with Samoa Joe) and he wasn’t about to lose here. Not a bad match, but Johnson could have varied up his offense a good bit.

Post match Moriarty shakes Taylor’s hand and Taylor seems to have a new associate.

Lady Frost vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale kicks her in the face and gets two off a slam to start. Another kick misses though and Frost cartwheels over her for a kick to the face of her own. Nightingale gets knocked out of the corner, setting up some running shoulders to the ribs. Frost grabs the chinlock but Nightingale fights up and hits the Pounce. Some clotheslines give Nightingale two but Frost hits a spinning kick to the face. A moonsault gives Frost two, only to have Nightingale come back with the spinebuster. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Frost at 5:16.

Rating: C. Frost is someone with a rather specific gimmick but she has enough skill in the ring to back it up. If nothing else, that moonsault looks good enough to carry her a pretty long way (even if she needs to work on the accuracy). For now though, Nightingale almost has to be on the shows to bring up our spirits that much more as she is the most delightful thing I’ve seen in years.

Shane Taylor confirms that Lee Moriarty is officially on the team.

Josh Woods vs. Dominic Garrini

Woods immediately takes him to the mat for an armbar but Garrini grapples his way into one of his own. A rollup gives Woods two and they’re back up for a standoff. They fight over a gutwrench and then a wristlock until Woods starts snapping off suplexes. The Anarchist suplex finishes Garrini at 2:58.

Griff Garrison vs. Ethan Page

They fight over wrist control to start until Garrison actually runs him over with a shoulder. Page is back with an elbow to the face as Cole Karter and Maria Kanellis-Bennett are here to watch from the stage. Garrison avoids a charge in the corner and drops Page again, setting up a knee drop for two. Back up and Page hits a running clothesline into a running powerslam for two of his own. The Ego’s Edge is broken up and Garrison hits a heck of a forearm for two more. A kick to the face staggers Garrison though and a springboard cutter finishes For Page at 4:22.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Page, the more he’s growing on me, especially with that stupid contract storyline seemingly behind him. There’s a certain charisma to him and it’s making him that much easier to watch. The Maria stuff…my goodness do something with it with someone who matters already. Like Page maybe.

Post match Maria seems to smile at Page. So there we go. Maybe.

Workhorsemen vs. The Boys

The Boys avoid being sent into each other to start and Brandon takes Henry down for an early two. Henry’s missed charge sends him to the floor but Brandon charges into a sneaky right hand from Drake. Back in and the Workhorsemen take Brandon into the corner to take turns with the beating, including Henry’s abdominal stretch. Drake’s assist gets caught though and Brandon’s small package….is missed, allowing Henry to kick out after about five seconds.

Brandon slips out of a suplex but Henry is right there to cut off the tag again. A missed clothesline allows for the hot tag to Brent though and the pace picks way up. Everything breaks down and Brent is sent into a right hand from Henry. A superkick sets up a top rope double stomp to give Henry the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C+. The power (at least of Drake) vs. speed formula continues to be about as basic of a way to go in wrestling as you can find and it also continues to work. The Workhorsemen are still on this show almost every week but them winning is certainly new. It gives them a bit more status and that could be helpful down the line.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett tells Griff Garrison that she told him so and he might need some friends. Cole Karter comes in to make a pearl necklace joke, with Maria saying look it up. Lexi: “Don’t look that up.”

Tony Nese vs. AR Fox

Nese (with Mark Sterling), fat insults, group training, Fox interrupts so we can start. They trade headlocks to start and Nese grabs a rollup with tights (er, pants) for two. Fox kicks him in various places and gets in some jumping jacks for a little insult. Is it an insult when that’s what Nese wanted him to do?

Anyway Fox hits a running clothesline into the corner, followed by a basement dropkick. Back up and Nese hits a running clothesline for two of his own, allowing Sterling to get in a cheap shot from the floor. Fox gets powered into the corner but blocks a superplex attempt. A super sunset flip doesn’t work for Fox as Nese rolls through and kicks him in the head.

Nese grabs a bodyscissors but Fox gets up and sends him outside. A hanging DDT gives Fox two on the way back inside and they forearm it out. Fox’s twisting brainbuster into a Stunner sets up a cutter for two more but Nese snaps off a German suplex. The running Nese misses as well though and Fox hits Lo Mein Pain for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B-. It was a competitive back and forth match and that made it so much more interesting. Neither guy is on fire at the moment but Fox seems to be getting a bit of a build. Granted it only means so much when Nese has lost time after time, but any kind of a win for Fox, especially in a main event, is better than nothing.

Overall Rating: C+. The important part of this show was the fact that it felt as if more things were happening. They were happening at a rather slow pace, but it felt like there were fewer unimportant matches on the show. It’s still a mostly skippable show, but I’ll take some positive adjustments where I can get them. Now just shorten the show and cut some of the matches and it’s that much better. For now though, not a bad show this week.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Rocky Romero – Uppercut
Infantry/Willie Mack b. Outrunners/Kevin Ku – Boot Camp to Ku
Mercedes Martinez b. Zoey Lynn – Brass City Sleeper
Gates Of Agony b. Cole Radrick/Matt Brannigan – Double pin
Darius Martin b. Christopher Daniels – Rollup
Shane Taylor b. Lee Johnson – Package piledriver
Willow Nightingale b. Lady Frost – Babe With The Powerbomb
Josh Woods b. Dominic Garrini – Anarchist suplex
Ethan Page b. Griff Garrison – Springboard cutter
Workhorsemen b. The Boys – Top rope double stomp to Brent

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Multiverse United 2: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Date: August 20, 2023
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan, Veda Scott

This is a special show as it’s a battle between Impact Wrestling and New Japan. The original version was held over Wrestlemania weekend and now we could be in for a cool sequel. This includes a main event of Alex Shelley defending the Impact Wrestling World Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow New Japan incredibly closely so I apologize for missing any characters, plot points etc.

Kickoff Show: Joe Hendry/Heath/Yuya Uemura vs. Master Wato/Rocky Romero/Ryusuke Taguchi

Heath and Romero start things off with Heath hitting an atomic drop into a clothesline. Taguchi comes in for the double stomping in the corner but it’s Heath coming in for some dancing. A hip attack drops Heath though and it’s Hendry coming in to face Wato. This doesn’t work for the Impact guys either, as Wato gets in a double bulldog and sends them outside.

Back in and Hendry chops away at Wato before hitting a delayed suplex for two. Uemura comes in for a slam as things settle down into the standard rotating beatdown. Hendry’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Wato fights up and brings Romero back in to pick up the pace. Hendry fall away slams Romero and Wato at the same time, allowing the double tag to Uemura and Taguchi. Everything breaks down and Uemura hits a high crossbody for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: C+. Nice way to start here with three fun Impact stars getting a win to warm up the crowd. Hendry and Uemura seem to be gearing up for a tag team run and Heath can work well in any midcard spot. The New Japan guys were treated as stars here too, with Wato being a near buzzsaw at times. Entertaining opener and that’s as good as you can expect.

Impact – 1
NJPW – 0

Kickoff Show: Digital Media Title: Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Kenny King

King is defending. Feeling out process to start with Kanemaru cranking on a headlock before hurting himself on a shoulder block. The headlock works a bit better, at least until King breaks it up and stomps away, setting up a camel clutch. Back up and King misses a charge in the corner, allowing Kanemaru to hammer away a bit more. A DDT plants King for two, followed by a moonsault for the same. King spinebusters him for two more before ducking the miss. A kick to the head sets up the Royal Flush to retain the title at 6:51.

Rating: C. They kept this relatively short as it was mainly a way to get a title match on the show. King’s title is about as low down as you can get in Impact and having him defend against a former champion like Kanemaru makes sense. The match itself was fine enough and that’s really all it needed to be for the spot they were in.

Impact – 2
NJPW – 0

The opening video looks at some of the bigger matches. Rather simple here and nothing wrong with that.

Chris Sabin vs. Kevin Knight vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Bushi vs. Yoh vs. Rich Swann vs. Mao vs. El Desperado

Everyone in at once, one fall to a finish. We get a quick eight man lockup before they pair off and go outside. Naturally this means some dives until it’s off to Mao (who dances a lot) vs. Swann, the latter of whom kicks him in the ribs. Yoh comes in to clear the ring without much effort but Knight hits him with a spinning splash for two.

Sabin is in with a missile dropkick to Knight before getting taken down by Kazarian. Desperado and Mao are back in to clean house in a hurry until Mao punches him in the mask, as you probably guessed was coming. We get the eight man submission chain until the referee breaks it up for using the rope (Rehwoldt: “Using the rope was the most ridiculous part of that.”).

Everyone beats down Bushi before they go after Swann with running splashes in the corner. A Tower Of Doom bring Swann down again and Knight comes off the top for two. Kazarian sends Knight to the apron and pulls him back in with a cutter, setting off the parade of knockdowns. Sabin drops Yoh and Knight at the same time before hitting the Cradle Shock to finish Yoh at 8:24.

Rating: B-. I never know what to say in a match like this, as it’s all over the place and complete insanity, with a big parade of spots and dives. That being said, it can be fun to see something like this, as it’s nonstop action until someone gets the win. They also did the right thing in keeping it relatively short, which can be a huge problem in matches like this. Fun opener, as they’re certainly starting fast.

Impact – 3
NJPW – 0

Post match Desperado mists Sabin to blow off some steam. And some mist.

TMDK vs. Team Impact

That would be Zack Sabre Jr./Shane Haste vs. Moose/Eddie Edwards for your wacky Impact team of the night. Eddie and Sabre start things off with Sabre wasting no time in going after the arm. Haste comes in for two off a dropkick and it’s already back to Sabre to work on the arm again. Eddie gets in a shot to Haste and hands it back to Moose, who gets two off Eddie’s backpack Stunner.

The Impact guys take turns chopping at Haste, who gets slammed down to make it worse. Haste kicks his way to freedom though and brings Sabre back in. Moose is low bridged to the floor and an armbar over the rope has Eddie in trouble again. A PK hits Eddie, who pops back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a double knockdown. Haste and Moose come back in, with the former armdragging his way out of a release Rock Bottom.

The second attempt works but Sabre is back up with a tornado DDT to Moose. Eddie drops Sabre and everyone is down again. Back up and Sabre slugs it out with Moose, with Sabre pulling him into a choke. Eddie makes the save and hits the Boston Knee Party to Sabre. Haste rolls Moose up for two but the spear gives Moose the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B. This was another rather solid match and it was cool to see a makeshift team hang with and even beat an established pairing. Haste taking the fall to a former Impact World Champion is hardly some big slap in the face, though this was quite the upset. If nothing else, Sabre didn’t get to snap any limbs!

Impact – 4
NJPW – 0

Video on the four way for the New Japan Strong Women’s Title.

New Japan Strong Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Momo Kohgo vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Giulia

Giulia is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Purrazzo and Giulia grab headlocks to start but get broken up for a staredown just as fast. Everyone goes or a rollup and I’s another four way showdown. Shaw brags a bit too much and gets dropkicked to the floor, leaving Purrazzo to dropkick the other two. Momo is back up with a superkick for two on Giulia, with Shaw making the save.

Shaw takes Momo and Giulia down and covers both of them in a row for rapid fire near falls. Deonna pulls Giulia to the floor so Momo can hit a big dive before Shaw goes after Giulia for a change. Back in and Giulia butterfly superplexes Shaw, leaving to a four way knockdown. They pair off for the stereo forearm exchanges until Shaw’s spear misses Purrazzo and hits Giulia by mistake.

An assisted Backstabber puts Momo down again but Shaw gives Purrazzo a super Spanish Fly. Momo makes the save, leaving Purrazzo to Queen’s Gambit Giulia and Shaw. Purrazzo and Shaw grab stereo submissions but stop o fight each other. Giulia is back up and hits a northern lights bomb on Shaw to retain at 12:25.

Rating: B-. Another title match to make the show feel more special and in this case it went well. The more I see of Giulia in the ring the more obvious it is that she is a star. It’s a good idea to feature someone like that and Shaw has lost enough that another one isn’t going to do much damage. Purrazzo vs. Giulia down the line could be a heck of a showdown and that might be the case eventually. For now though, I’ll take a Giulia showcase.

Impact – 4
NJPW – 1

Sami Callihan vs. Douki

Before the match, Sami says we’re missing the extreme around here so let’s make this a street fight. Douki agrees and wastes no time in knocking him outside before putting Sami in a chair. The kick from the apron takes too long though and as a result, Sami throws in a bunch of weapons.

Back in and Sami whips out an 8×10 of himself and paper cuts Douki’s fingers, followed by the arm pit. A t-bone suplex sends Douki onto a chair, which Sami loads into the corner. That takes too long and Douki sends him into it instead, meaning it’s time for a kendo stick. Some shots to Sami let Douki stack the chairs on him, setting up a top rope double stomp.

Sami is back up with a neckbreaker onto the chair for two before it’s time for a ladder. Douki manages to send him into said ladder though and a slingshot X Factor gets two. The Douki Driver is countered and the Cactus Driver 97 gives Sami two. Sami loads up four chairs and they climb onto them, with a Cactus Driver 97 sending Douki into them for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C. Pretty basic hardcore match here and since they’re in Philadelphia, it would almost have been insane to not include something similar. Sami is the right choice for a match like this too, as he might not be the most polished in the ring, but he knows how to do this kind of thing. Douki more than held up his end, but it was just a bunch of the same stuff we’ve seen far too many times over the years.

Impact – 5
NJPW – 1

Kosei Fujita/Robbie Eagles vs. TJP/Francisco Akira

Akira and Fujita go to the mat to start and neither can get very far. Back up and Fujita chops Akira up against the ropes but TJP comes in off a blind tag for a double dropkick. Eagles comes in with a dropkick of his own for two on Akira before Fujita grabs a quickly broken leglock.

It’s back to TJP for a facewash in the corner, followed by a dropkick to put Fujita down again. That doesn’t last long a the hot tag brings in Eagles for the rapid fire house cleaning. The running knees in the corner get two on Akira and the Ron Miller Special (leglock) makes it worse.

TJP makes the save before being sent outside but Akira is back up with a poisonrana. A top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination puts Fujita down for two and the Mamba splash gets the same. Eagles superkicks Fujita by mistake though and something like a 3D puts Fujita down again. Stereo running knees finish for TJP at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This was the showcase match for New Japan and that isn’t a bad idea. There was enough good action here to make the match interesting, with TJP and Akira coming off more like a successful team than Fujita and Eagles. Solid fast paced match here though and I could go or more of TJP and Akira.

Mike Bailey is ready to challenge Hiromu Takahashi for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title but tonight, they’re teaming together.

Bullet Club vs. The World

Bullet Club: David Finlay, Chris Bey, Ace Austin, Alex Coughlin, Kenta, Clark Connors
The World: Josh Alexander, PCO, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, DKC, El Phantasmo

Finlay spits at Tama to start and quickly send him outside for the big beatdown. Back in and PCO chops it out with Coughlin with the latter somehow managing a gutwrench suplex. Coughlin is sent outside for the big beatdown from the World as everything breaks down. Back in and DKC runs Connors over until a powerslam takes him down.

Finlay comes in for some rapid fire shoulders in the corner but DKC kicks his way to freedom. The big tag brings Alexander in (first time in five months) to clean house but Austin/Bey kick him down. It’s off to Kenta for some kicks to the back and Austin drops a leg for two. Alexander suplexes Austin and Bey, allowing the tag off to Phantasmo.

Everything breaks down and Finlay is surrounded so the beatdown can be on. DKC’s frog splash gets two but the Club makes the save. Kenta’s GTS to Alexander is countered into an ankle lock, which is broken up as well. PCO dives onto them and then hits a big dive onto the pile. Back in and Finlay hits a quick powerbomb to finish DKC at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the opener with all of the chaos and everyone doing their thing at various times. The good thing is that they managed to have more of a structure this time around, with the Club getting the big win, as they should have earned. What mattered here was getting a bunch of people onto the show at once and it was one step away from being total chaos, which makes it pretty engaging stuff.

Impact – 5
NJPW – 2

Mike Bailey/Hiromu Takahashi vs. Lio Rush/Trey Miguel

Takahashi and Miguel start things off with Miguel telling the crowd to be quiet so he can stomp away in the corner in silence. Bailey comes in to trade dodges with Rush and hit a dropkick on Miguel. We settle down to Miguel missing a charge in the corner and getting dragon screw legwhipped by Rush.

Bailey’s running shooting star press gets two but Miguel suplexes his way to freedom. Everything breaks down and Bailey moonsaults onto Rush on the floor. Back in and Rush avoids the Ultimate Weapon, meaning Miguel and Takahashi get to chop it out. Takahashi gets double kicked down until Bailey makes the save.

The Lightning Spiral is countered into Takahashi’s pop up powerbomb and Miguel is rocked. The Ultimate Weapon into a Regal Roll gets two with Rush making the save. Rush hits Rush Hour for two on Takahashi, leaving Miguel to Meteora Bailey on the floor. Back in and Rush counters the Time Bomb and hits Takahashi low, allowing a rollup to give Rush the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B. This has been the night of letting people go nuts throughout their match and that is where these people shine. The ending could set up a champion vs. champion (X-Division vs. Junior Heavyweight) and that could be a big showdown at some point. Letting talented people fly around and showcase themselves is always a good idea and that’s what they did here at a pretty high level.

Impact – 6
NJPW – 2

Post match Rush says he wants the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title shot but Bailey brings up asking for the shot, which Takahashi granted.

Quick video on the main event, which is both for the title and teacher vs. student.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Alex Shelley

Shelley, Tanahashi’s former student, is defending. Tanahashi takes him into the corner to start and we get an early standoff. A headlock takeover frustrates Shelley a bit, though the air guitar might soothe him a bit. Shelley has to fight his way out of the headlock and gets to the middle rope for a knee to the arm.

The cranking on the arm ensues until Shelley gets taken down, with his knee being sent into the post. Tanahashi starts working on the knee but a slingshot stomp to the arm cuts him right back off. Shelley works on the arm outside and then again on the apron as he certainly has a target. Tanahashi gets in another shot to the knee but Shelley slugs away and hits a running forearm.

The standing Sliced Bread sets up the Border City Stretch to keep Tanahashi down for a change, but the foot in the rope makes the save. That means a dragon screw legwhip over the rope can put Shelley down again. The Texas Cloverleaf goes on but Shelley escapes and knocks him down again.

They slug it out with Tanahashi getting the better of things until three straight Twist and Shouts take Shelley down. The Sling Blade gets two but Shelley avoids the High Fly Flow. A running knee and ripcord clothesline give Shelley two so Tanahashi German suplexes him for the same. They head up top with Shelley Air Raid Crashing him back down before Shell Shock retains the title at 18:53.

Rating: B. This felt like a title match, as it came off like two stars fighting over a prize. While Tanahashi is definitely a few steps slower than he used to be, there is enough talent there to let him wrestle a good match with the right opponent. Shelley might not be setting the world on fire as champion, but you’re going to get a well wrestled match against any opponent. In other words, he is a perfectly acceptable placeholder and that’s not the worst place to be. Good main event.

Impact – 7
NJPW – 2

Overall Rating: B-. This felt like a rather cool DVD extra, as it doesn’t change storylines in any meaningful way. Instead, it was a nice showcase of the Impact stars against some midcard names from another company. You don’t need to watch it to keep up with what was going on, but you’ll have a good time with the whole thing, even if it’s about three and a half hours counting Kickoff Show. Pretty easy watch though, with a rather surprising final score too.

Results
Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura/Heath b. Master Wato/Ryusuke Taguchi/Rocky Romero – High crossbody to Taguchi
Kenny King b. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Royal Flush
Chris Sabin b. Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, Bushi, Yoh, Rich Swann, Mao and El Desperado – Cradle Shock to Yoh
Moose/Eddie Edwards b. TMDK – Spear to Haste
Giulia b. Deonna Purrazzo, Momo Kohgo and Gisele Shaw – Northern lights bomb to Shaw
Sami Callihan b. Douki – Cactus Driver 97 onto a pile of chairs
TJP/Francisco Akira b. Kosei Fujita/Robbie Eagles – Double knees to Fujita
Bullet Club b. The World – Powerbomb to DKC
Lio Rush/Trey Miguel b. Mike Bailey/Hiromu Takahashi – Rollup to Takahashi
Alex Shelley b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Shell Shock

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 22, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re onto the new reality of this show, as there were three matches taped before Collision and then about ten more after. I’m not sure why there needs to be that much done in one night but we do have a big main event this week. Women’s Champion Athena is defending against Kiera Hogan in a Chicago street fight which could be nice and violent. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tony Khan and the Board present Samoa Joe with a new TV Title belt. Jerry Lynn manages to talk here, saying “Tony it is my pleasure to” before the belt is ripped from his hands.

Serpentico/Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade vs. Lucha Bros/El Hijo del Vikingo/Komander

Bunny and Luther are here with the villains. Serpentico and Vikingo start things off, with Vikingo being monkey flipped into the corner. A powerbomb plants Vikingo but he’s right back with a spinning kick to the face. Butcher comes in to send Komander to the floor and Sabian adds a springboard moonsault. The reverse Cannonball connects back inside and a fisherman’s suplex gives Sabian two.

Komander tornado DDTs his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in Penta to clean house. Fenix’s springboard high crossbody helps clear out some villains and a quadruple superkick puts all of them down. The spike Fear Factor is broken up though and Sabian’s double stomp gets two on Penta. Another quadruple superkick sets up a big row your boat spot. The dives take out Butcher/Blade/Sabian, leaving Penta to Fear Factor Serpentico for the pin at 7:17.

Rating: B-. Komander and Vikingo didn’t get to do much here but it was a fun opener with the lowest level villain taking the pin. This is a good way to get the crowd into a show as they will always react to a match like this one. I’m not sure who is going to come after the Tag Team Titles, as the Bros have held them for almost three months and haven’t defended them on a Ring Of Honor show yet. I’m sure that will change at Death Before Dishonor, but that’s a long reign without many defenses.

Gringo Loco vs. Willie Mack

Loco is the hometown boy and works on the wrist to start. Some flips get Loco out of the corner but Mack snaps off a handspring to block a headscissors. A DDT out of the corner plants Loco and Mack kicks him in the face for a bonus. Mack grabs the chinlock with a knee in the back, followed by the Samoan drop and standing moonsault for two.

Loco knocks him off the ropes though and there’s the springboard moonsault to hit Mack. Another dive to the floor sets up a missed moonsault back inside. Mack’s Sky High gets two and they trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown. They go up top at the same time, allowing Loco to snap off a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. Another back and forth match here with Loco getting the win in a nice moment. Loco is someone who catches your eye no matter what he is doing and that might be worth a closer look in the future. Then you have Mack, who feels like he should already be a star but almost never wins anything. I get having a good hand, but Mack being something higher on the card should have been a given a good while ago.

Respect is shown post match.

Trish Adora vs. Allysin Kay

They fight over a lockup to start and Kay bails into the corner. Adora grabs a headscissors n a standing Kay but can’t stay up, allowing Kay to fire off some right hands. Kay gets two off a swinging neckbreaker and sends her hard into the corner. Back up and Adora suplexes her way to freedom, setting up some hip attacks in the corner. The Lariat Tubman is cut off with a kick to the face but the second attempt finishes Kay at 4:51.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it’s nice to see Adora getting a win for a change. Adora is unique enough to stand out in the division and Kay has some name recognition to be valuable. I could go for having both of these two around more often, and at least Adora got a bit of a boost.

Silas Young vs. Kyle Fletcher

They fight over wrist control to start until Young cuts off a charge with a kick to the ribs. Fletcher knees him to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Young takes him into the corner for a running shot and of course that means some trash talking. Fletcher is back with a suplex and a belly to back version gets two. A brainbuster gets two more but Young sends him to the apron and hits a springboard clothesline. Back up and Fletcher hits a superkick, setting up a lifting arm trap reverse DDT to finish Young at 6:24.

Rating: C+. Fletcher has been all over the AEW/ROH shows in recent weeks and it’s almost strange to see him morphing into a fan favorite. That certainly was the situation here, though that might have something to do with Young being a rather unpleasant sort. I’m not sure what Fletcher’s ceiling around here is but he’s certainly off to a nice start.

The Embassy vs. Trenton Storm/AJZ/Luke Kurtis

Non-title and Prince Nana is here with the Embassy. Toa runs Kurtis over and shoulders him in the corner to start. Kurtis sunset flip doesn’t work and a DDT does even less as we’re back in the 80s. Storm comes in to dropkick Cage, who clotheslines him down. Cage hits a release German suplex and it’s AJZ coming in to clean some house. A Stunner over the ropes cuts that off fast though and everything breaks down. Toa plants AJZ with Jimmy Rave’s Greetings From Ghana for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C. This was mostly a squash as the Embassy continues to dominate the most worthless division in wrestling. I’m sure they’ll defend the titles at Death Before Dishonor and I’m sure it will be a most important match, as the division might be back up to three teams by that point. More of the same here from the Embassy and that’s all it should have been.

Dalton Castle vs. Josh Woods

The Boys and the Varsity Athletes are here too. Castle looks into the camera and says take a look at the greatest thing on your television or mobile device. They go with the grappling to start with Woods grabbing a front facelock. Woods sends him to the apron and pulls him face first into the rope to really take over. Hold on though as Castle and the Boys have a quick run around the ring to wake them up. Back in and Castle grabs a waistlock before a running boot to the face knocks Woods outside.

A Sterling distraction lets Woods grab a backbreaker into a German suplex for two as the villain takes over. Woods grabs his own waistlock but Castle suplexes his way to freedom. The Bang A Rang is blocked and Sterling breaks up another attempt. Woods powerbombs him into a hard knee to the face for two but Castle clotheslines him to the floor. Castle DEMANDS A BOY and a few of them are thrown at the Athletes. Back in and the Bang A Rang finishes Woods at 9:32.

Rating: B. There are certain matches that you know are going to be good based on the talent involved. That was certainly on display here, as both of them are solid amateur wrestlers and know their way around an ROH match as well. Castle still has value despite being years removed from the main event scene so it’s cool to see him pick up a hard fought win like this one.

Last week, the Kingdom buttered Stokely Hathaway up about getting a future Tag Team Title match. Apparently the Infantry has been talking trash about them, which doesn’t sit well with Hathaway.

We cut to the Infantry telling Hathaway the Kingdom are the ones who don’t believe in him. The match is made, but the sunglasses still look ridiculous.

The Infantry vs. The Kingdom

The Infantry are hometown boys also. Dean dropkicks Bennett to start and Bravo comes in for two off a splash. A slingshot cutter drops Taven for two with Maria having to make a save. Taven comes back in and beats on Bravo in the corner, setting up a brainbuster for two. Taven’s DDT gets the same as some early frustration sets in. Bravo manages to send Taven into the corner though and a diving tag brings Dean back in to pick up the pace. Back up and Taven hits a springboard kick to the face and it’s already back to Bravo, with commentary saying he might not be ready.

Bennett gets knocked down for a frog splash from Bravo with Taven having to make a rather last second save. A pump kick/Russian legsweep combination drops Taven but Bennett runs the Infantry over. Maria gets on the apron for a distraction, allowing Bennett to chair Bravo. Cue Trish Adora to take out Maria though, leaving Dean to roll Bennett up for the upset pin at 7:22.

Rating: B-. They kept the action going here and that near fall close to the end was very good. The Infantry winning was a surprise and it’s nice to see a new team getting moved higher up the ladder. I’m a bit surprised by the Kingdom losing, but they only have so much equity loaded up in recent months that the loss isn’t too devastating.

Blake Christian/Matt Sydal vs. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill

Moriarty headlocks Sydal over to start but Sydal is back with a dropkick. The exchange of front facelocks sets up Sydal’s running hurricanrana. A standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Moriarty and Christian comes in to pick the pace up rather quickly. Sydal hits a running boot in the corner and now it’s Bill coming in to glare at Sydal for a change. A hurricanrana is blocked and Bill even throws in a little dance.

Moriarty comes back in and stomps away in the corner so much that Bill has to break it up. Bill misses a charge in the corner and Sydal dives over for the tag to bring Christian in. The Fosbury Flop hits Moriarty and a 450 gets two, with Bill making a save. Bill’s swinging Boss Man Slam gets two on Christian, with Sydal having to make a save. With Sydal on the floor, Bill chokeslams Christian onto the apron. The East River Crossing finishes Christian at 9:56.

Rating: C+. Another nice tag match here as Bill gets to pin someone for a change. He’s starting to find himself as the big monster and that is something that could serve him well going forward. There is always something to be said about someone who can run people over with straight power and that is what he does rather well. Sydal falls pretty fast after his title shot last week, but he very well could bounce back up.

The Kingdom is livid and promise revenge. They knew Stokely Hathaway and remember going to Cracker Barrel with him, where he would apparently order a kid’s meal. Well now Mike Bennett is going to Jerry Lynn and tell him how much he loved ECW. He didn’t of course, but that’s what he’s going to say!

Dark Order vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews

Silver wrestles Bang down without much trouble and then drops him with a clothesline. Reynolds comes in with a tiger driver for two and it’s Matthews coming in to get forearmed in the face. Everything breaks down and Bang is sent into the barricade, leaving Matthews to get caught with the finishing sequence. The jackknife rollup finishes for Reynolds at 2:27. Rather to the point here, though the Dark Order was doing more violent tendencies for a likely rematch with the Righteous/Stu Grayson.

Post match Grayson and the Righteous pop up on screen and say they want to see more of that Dark Order aggression next week. The Dark Order beats them up some more.

Mark Sterling interrupts Diamante and offers to split the winners purse (51/49 to Sterling of course) rather than have her fight Leila Grey. No.

Diamante vs. Leila Grey

Mark Sterling is here with Grey. Diamante offers to lay down before running Grey over with a clothesline. Grey bails to the floor and there’s a baseball slide to take her down again. Back in and Diamante chops away but gets taken down by a running hair pull. The backsplash misses though and Diamante loads up a reverse DDT. Sterling offers a distraction to break it up though and Grey grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and it’s quite the choice to have Grey beat Diamante, who was getting a bit of a build up in recent weeks. Then again Sterling isn’t on the show nearly enough and needs another act to feature with more often. The match didn’t have time to go anywhere and featured a lot of forearms in four minutes, so it was only going to be so good.

AR Fox/Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen

Fox has to dodge some Taylor swings to start before it’s quickly off to Martin. Drake pulls him to the floor to start the beating though, setting up a Cannonball in the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Andretti gets to clean house, including a springboard spinning kick to Taylor’s head. A handspring elbow/German suplex combination drops Drake but Taylor is back up with the Marcus Garvey Driver for two. With everyone else on the floor, Henry misses a top rope stomp and gets rolled up by Fox for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, but it didn’t last that long. This is a good example of a match that really didn’t need to be on the show. The Workhorsemen feel like they’re on the show every week and the winners really didn’t need a rehab win the day after their Dynamite loss. It’s ok to leave this until next week and shave some time off the show, especially when we’ve already had multiple six man tags (plus an eight man) this week.

Mark Sterling and Leila Grey declare her as the #1 baddie when Diamante comes in. A rematch seems imminent.

Rocky Romero vs. Daniel Garcia

Pure Rules and Romero takes him to the mat without much trouble to start, leaving Garcia frustrated. A lockup of all things sends Romero to the ropes for his first break, followed by a cross armbreaker to send Garcia to the ropes to even things up. The Forever Lariats are broken up and Garcia grabs a suplex for two. Romero tries a leglock and Garcia has to burn off another rope break.

Garcia is fine enough to come back with an STF, sending Romero straight to the ropes as well. A kick to the face lets Garcia stop to dance a bit (fans: “YOU CAN’T DANCE!”). They go up top, where Romero snaps off a hurricanrana, with Garcia using his third rope break at two. Garcia is right back with a Boston crab but Romero grabs the rope to get rid of all breaks. A penalty kick is blocked and Romero is back with a tornado DDT. Romero gets the cross armbreaker but Garcia kicks off the ropes into the Dragonslayer in the ropes for the tap at 11:15.

Rating: C+. This was “I can use a rope break too!” as a match and that is only going to get you so far. The Pure Rules stuff can work, but this felt like they were only trying to burn off rope breaks instead of going for a win. Other than that, Garcia and Romero are still only so interesting and they didn’t quite hit their best levels here.

Post match Garcia stays on him but Orange Cassidy comes in for the save.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Kiera Hogan

Athena is defending in a street fight and they have well over twenty minutes here. Athena takes her down to start and grabs a ladder, which is dropkicked right back into her. Hogan’s hurricanrana off the apron sends Athena into another ladder, meaning it’s time to send some weapons inside. As usual, that takes too long and Athena gets in a kendo stick shot to take over.

Hogan is sent into a trashcan in the corner but the referee yelling at Athena lets Hogan fight up. A fisherman’s neckbreaker onto the trashcan drops Athena again but Hogan spends WAY too much time setting up a ladder bridge on the floor. That lets Athena avoid a middle rope splash and she stomps on a Chicago street sign.

A bunch of chairs are stacked up but Hogan sends Athena through a table. Hogan’s splash onto Athena onto a table doesn’t break anything, so Hogan goes to the middle rope to drive her through it instead. Another table is set up inside and Athena cuts her off again, only to get caught on top.

Athena superbombs her through another table so let’s bring in the thumbtacks. Hogan grabs a belly to back suplex to send Athena into the tacks for two. With the brawling not working, Hogan uses her braids to choke Athena, who superplexes her onto the pile of chairs on the floor for the retaining pin at 19:23.

Rating: C+. Yeah there was a bunch of violence and ladders and tables. All of that added up to nowhere near enough to make me believe that Kiera Hogan was going to take the title off of Athena, leaving this as nearly twenty minutes of taking too long to set up spots and waiting for Athena to crush her. Athena is outstanding right now and maybe the best thing about Ring Of Honor. She needs a strong challenger though, and Hogan never came close.

We get a quick Forbidden Door rundown.

Athena is livid about not being respected after the win and wants a new challenger. And that’s it.

Overall Rating: B-. This show started of well and then it just kept going. Then after that, it just kept going even longer, because that’s what Ring Of Honor does. I’m not sure why, as a fan in the arena, I would want two hours of Collision plus two and a half hours of Ring Of Honor on the same night, but it’s hard to imagine that the masses stuck around. As for the show itself, it was the usual situation: good action, but it goes on for so long that the positives lose so much impact because there is so much here. As is the case almost every week: cut this WAY down and it’s a much better show, but it’s not likely to happen.

Results
Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo/Lucha Bros b. Serpentico/Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade – Fear Factor to Serpentico
Gringo Loco b. Willie Mack – Super Spanish Fly
Trish Adora b. Allysin Kay – Lariat Tubman
Kyle Fletcher b. Silas Young – Lifting arm trap reverse DDT
The Embassy b. Trenton Storm/AJZ/Luke Kurtis – Greetings From Ghana to AJZ
Dalton Castle b. Josh Woods – Bang A Rang
The Infantry b. The Kingdom – Rollup to Bennett
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Blake Christian/Matt Sydal – East River Crossing to Christian
Dark Order b. August Matthews/Danny Bang – Jackknife rollup to Matthews
Leila Grey b. Diamante – Rollup with feet on the ropes
AR Fox/Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen – Rollup to Henry
Daniel Garcia b. Rocky Romero – Dragonslayer
Athena b. Kiera Hogan – Superplex onto a pile of chairs

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 1, 2023
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to what is considered a normal length show this week at just under two hours after last week’s almost three hour Super Sized show. Following last week, Athena is defending the Women’s Title against Kiera Hogan and the New Japan TV Title will be on the line as well. Just like it will be tomorrow night on Rampage. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Infantry vs. The Kingdom

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with the Kingdom. The Infantry blocks the early double kicks to the ribs and it’s Taven getting caught in the wrong corner to start. Taven is right back with a springboard kick to the face to send Bravo outside and the Kingdom takes over. A brainbuster into Aurora Borealis gets two on Bravo and he’s able to get over for the tag to Dean. Maria offers a distraction though and it’s a quick Proton Pack to finish Dean at 3:45.

Rating: C. The Kingdom continues to be a team ready to move into the title scene but when you’re losing to Action Andretti/Darius Martin, a win over the Infantry isn’t going to mean much. They didn’t do badly here or anything, but beating the Infantry is hardly some big deal. I’m not sure why the Kingdom isn’t harder pushed, if nothing else to let Maria do the promos that have made her into such a great manager.

Trish Adora vs. Skye Blue

Adora goes with the power to start and runs Blue over, setting up a running kick to the face for two. Blue is right back with a spinning kick to the head but Adora backbreakers her out of the corner. The northern lights suplex gets two on Blue and Adora seems to load up an Air Raid Crash, only to stretch Blue instead. With that broken up, Blue hits a running knee and a running kick to the face for two of her own. Adora gets in a suplex and punches her down for two more. Lariat Tubman is loaded up but Blue reverses into Skyfall for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: C+. These two were working hard here and Blue gets another win. Commentary talked about how Adora was recently admitted to the New Japan USA Dojo, where she was taken down to the very basics. I would hope that doesn’t shine through in her television appearances, as Adora has so much charisma and a unique look/style that taking her down to pure basics would be quite the setback. For now though, things worked out well and these two had a nice match.

Dark Order vs. The Righteous/Stu Grayson

Uno punches Vincent down so it’s Grayson coming in….to punch Uno in the face. With Uno all upset, Silver comes in to take over on the again legal Vincent. Everything breaks down and Reynolds is shoved off the apron and into Dutch’s swinging Boss Man Slam on the floor. Back in and the Righteous/Grayson start taking turns on Reynolds, including a heck of a backdrop.

Reynolds armdrags his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in Uno to clean house. It’s off to Silver, but Vincent sends Uno into him to take over. Silver is fine enough to suplex the rather large Dutch and it’s the Grayson vs. Uno showdown. Vincent breaks it up again and grabs a Russian legsweep. Dutch hits a big running flip dive onto Silver and Reynolds, leaving Uno to unload on Grayson. Uno fires off forearms in the corner, with Grayson telling him to finish it. Vincent makes the save though and it’s Knightfall to drop Uno, with Vincent stealing the pin on Uno at 9:16.

Rating: C+. The most important thing here is it was part of a story between the two sides. The Righteous have been after Grayson for a long time now and seem to have most of him, with the Knightfall being a big step away from the Dark Order. Now granted there are some big question marks still, such as WHY any of this is happening or why Uno wants to fight Grayson, but I’ll take this over one mostly random match after another.

Post match Uno crawls towards Grayson, who walks away but doesn’t seem happy about it.

Samoa Joe and Zack Sabre Jr. have a slightly tense discussion where they praise each other after last week’s match, but don’t seem to agree on which TV Champion is better. Maybe they’ll have to find out.

Promise Braxton vs. Diamante

Diamante backs her into the corner for an elbow to the face and a knee makes it worse. The shotgun dropkick gives Diamante two and she drives some shoulders into the ribs in the corner. Braxton gets in a few shots of her own and some running knees to the back of the head (basically a Meteora from behind) gets two. That’s enough for Diamante, who grabs an arm trap choke for the tap at 3:57.

Rating: C. I’ve heard worse ideas than pushing Diamante, who has some charisma in the ring and can back it up well enough. That choke was a nice finisher and if they give her a few more wins, she could start going somewhere. Braxton has been fine in her two appearances but they haven’t been anything noteworthy.

Brian Cage vs. Willie Mack

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who starts fast by pulling Mack away from the ropes for a crash. A Saito suplex drops Mack for two but he grabs a t-bone suplex for a breather. Mack sends him into the corner for the cannonball and it’s a Samoan drop to make it worse. The standing moonsault gets two and they trade strikes to the head. An exchange of German suplexes leave both of them down but it’s Mack up first. The Stunner into the frog splash gives Mack two but Cage blasts him with a discus lariat for the fast pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a pair of big, strong guys hitting each other really hard until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That’s all you need on occasion and as luck would have it, that’s about as perfect of a use for Cage as you’re going to find. It was a nice showdown, though I could still go for Mack winning a bigger match every so often.

New Japan TV Title: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Rocky Romero

Sabre is defending. Feeling out process to start with Romero’s leg cranking not exactly working. Instead Romero grabs a running hurricanrana and snaps the arm across the top. The back to back dives connect but the back to back to back dive is caught in a cravate to put Romero in trouble. Back in and Sabre starts working on the arm but twists on the foot at the same time for a bonus.

With that broken up, Sabre switches to an ankle lock but Romero escapes that as well. The chops in the corner set up a springboard tornado DDT for two on the champ and Romero grabs an armbar over the ropes. Sabre reverses into a choke before slowly kicking Romero in the face. Romero’s jumping knee to the face but Sabre pulls him into a choke. They fight over various bars until Sabre switches to a cobra stretch for the tap to retain at 11:23.

Rating: B. This was the good Romero who was working the submissions and throwing in some strikes to keep Sabre on his toes. At the same time, Sabre was feeling it here with the submissions, and when he is rolling along with those, there is very little better to see in wrestling. Sabre is a machine when he is at his best and they had a rather awesome back and forth match here.

Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Workhorsemen

Martin takes Henry down to start until Henry scores with a kick to the face. Drake comes in to easily run Martin over but Martin is back with a dropkick. Andretti walks the corner with a wristdrag to Henry as the pace picks up. Drake comes back in and easily wins a chop off but Andretti slips over and gets the tag. Everything breaks down and a Downward Spiral/dropkick combination gets two on Andretti with Martin making the save. A missed charge in the corner sends Drake outside and a double fireman’s carry slam finishes Henry at 5:38.

Rating: C+. Another nice match here as Andretti and Martin continue to do well, though it is hard to imagine they are anything long term. Whether it is getting a title shot and likely losing or Dante coming back from his injury, the time window does not seem to be very wide. At the same time, the Workhorsemen are fine midcard heels, though them winning something would help them have some longer term value.

Post match the Workhorsemen won’t shake hands.

Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade vs. Shogun/Bryce Saturn/Jakob Austin Young

Penelope Ford is here with Sabin and company. It’s a brawl to start with the non-stars being thrown outside. The powerbomb/neckbreaker finishes Young at 44 seconds.

Angelico/Serpentico/Jack Cartwheel vs. Komander/Bandido/El Hijo del Vikingo

Luther is here with Angelico and company. Angelico elbows Komander down to start and is quickly headscissored out to the floor. Bandido comes in to forearm it out with Serpentico, setting up some legsweeps into a standoff. Vikingo and Cartwheel come in with Cartwheel being pulled out of the air, only to flip back to his feet.

Cartwheel takes him down and hits a slingshot spinning dive for two and everything breaks down. A big flip dive from Cartwheel takes Komander down and we settle down to Komander getting caught in the wrong corner back inside. Komander fights out though and fires off some elbows, setting up a not so smooth Code Red to Cartwheel.

The diving tag brings in Bandido to clean house and everything breaks down. Bandido and company hit a stereo triple dive, setting up a pop up dropkick for two on Cartwheel back inside. Bandido tosses Serpentico onto Luther and Komander gets to do the big rope walk dive. Vikingo’s 630 finishes Cartwheel at 9:14.

Rating: B-. This was the display of flips and dives that you knew was coming and it was certainly entertaining. Komander’s big running flip dive continues to lose its luster due to how long he spends setting it up, but Vikingo is hard to ignore with all of the insane things he can do. Then you have the rather well rounded Bandido and it made for an entertaining trio, especially with a good punching bag like Serpentico.

Pure Rules Title: Alex Coughlin vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is defending. They go to the mat for some grappling to start but the threat of a cross armbreaker sends Coughlin to the ropes. A triangle choke sends Coughlin over for his second break so Shibata cranks on both arms at once. Coughlin uses his final rope break in less than four minutes so Shibata starts working on the leg for a change.

Somehow Coughlin, sitting on the mat, manages to grab a suplex and stand up to put Shibata down. A bridging fall away slam gives Coughlin two but Shibata triangle chokes him down again. Back up and Coughlin wins a slugout but Shibata grabs a choke. The PK retains the title at 8:54.

Rating: B-. So that’s a match that happened. Shibata did his usual stuff and looked good doing so while Coughlin’s power game was insane, with that suplex being on another level. They had the teacher vs. student story here but it never felt like they had any animosity. Coughlin going with raw power and intensity vs. Shibata’s skill and experience was a more interesting way to go, but it was only so interesting.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan is challenging and feels a bit more serious here. Athena hits her in the face to start and sends Hogan hard into the corner. A hard kick drops Hogan but she’s back up with a kick of her own. Athena twists her down by the arm to take over, meaning the bad arm can be sent into the barricade.

Back in and a hammerlock suplex keeps Hogan in trouble, setting up an armbar. A swinging backbreaker into double knees to the arm has Hogan in even more trouble and Athena grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Hogan rolls out so Athena puts her on top, only to shove Athena back down. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a tornado DDT for two on Athena but the arm gives out. Athena rolls her up and grabs the trunks for the retaining pin at 7:56.

Rating: C. Hogan got in a bit at the beginning and end but Athena mainly picked her apart without much trouble. Commentary may go overboard with a lot of stuff, but they’re absolutely right about Athena being on another level as of late. It’s not the deepest field, but Athena has long since been the best women’s wrestler in Ring Of Honor history. As commentary also said, get her some stronger competition already.

Post match Hogan goes after Athena again and grabs a chair, only to get dropkicked away. The big brawl is on as commentary says Hogan wasn’t dominated here. Were we watching the same match? Other than a few flurries at the start and finish, this was ALL Athena, with Hogan’s arm giving out after Athena worked it over. I’m sure we’ll get a rematch, but I’m not sure why we need one.

Overall Rating: C+. The show being shorter certainly helped as about two hours is a heck of a lot easier than about three hours. There wasn’t anything bad on here and the Sabre vs. Romero match was a lot of fun. I’m still not sure why we need a lot of these same people on the show so often (the Kingdom, Blue, Diamante, Cage, Martin/Andretti) as their matches aren’t exactly classics and they could be removed to let the show breathe, but why have a reasonable length show when you can have a long one I guess. Either way, nice enough show this week, but they need to have something to build towards and soon.

Results
The Kingdom b. The Infantry – Proton Pack to Dean
Skye Blue b. Trish Adora – Skyfall
Righteous/Stu Grayson b. Dark Order – Knightfall to Evil Uno
Diamante b. Promise Braxton – Arm trap choke
Brian Cage b. Willie Mack – Discus lariat
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Rocky Romero – Cobra stretch
Darius Martin/Action Andretti b. Workhorsemen – Double fireman’s carry slam to Henry
Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade b. Shotgun/Bryce Saturn/Jakob Austin Young – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Young
El Hijo del Vikingo/Komander/Bandido b. Serpentico/Jack Cartwheel/Angelico – 630 to Cartwheel
Katsuyori Shibata b. Alex Coughlin – PK
Athena b. Kiera Hogan – Rollup with trunks

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 4, 2023
Location: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

The shakeup of this show continues as there was no Dark or Dark: Elevation this week, meaning those shows’ futures might be in question. That could certainly change the way this show is presented and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. For now though, we should be in for something interesting as the show tends to be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lee Moriarty vs. Rocky Romero

Pure Rules and Big Bill is here with Moriarty. Romero goes straight for an armbar and Moriarty has to use his first rope break. A hammerlock doesn’t work for Romero so he grabs a flying mare to stagger Moriarty instead. Romero goes right back to the arm so Moriarty goes for the second rope break. This time though he ties Romero’s arm in the ropes and elbows him in the head to take over.

Back up and Romero punches him in the face, which is enough for the official warning. Romero kicks the legs out to take over and a springboard tornado DDT plants Moriarty again. The cross armbreaker has Moriarty using his final rope break so it’s the standing Sliced Bread to give Romero two more. Romero tries it again gets countered into a suplex DDT for two. The cross armbreaker goes on again and since the rope won’t save him, Moriarty taps at 9:28.

Rating: C+. The Pure Rules only played so much of a role here, as Romero kept getting the same hold until Moriarty tapped. One thing that does help is that Big Bill was little more than a distraction for the most part. Romero isn’t likely to become a big star around here, but he should be able to beat Moriarty, who is talented but means little in AEW.

Athena vs. Angelica Risk

Proving Ground, meaning Risk gets a title shot for winning or going to a time limit draw. Athena kicks her down and dances to start, followed by a wheelbarrow faceplant. Risk gets in a few forearms but only earns herself a chinlock with a knee in the back. Athena stops to yell at the referee and gets enziguried for her efforts. A 619 looks to set up a high crossbody but Athena pulls her out of the air. Some rolling Wastelands set up a Gory Bomb spun onto the knees. Athena grabs a crossface for the tap at 5:09.

Rating: C+. Athena is getting a lot better at this destruction stuff and it’s fun to see her slaughtering people. The problem with having her be around this often while being this good though is the risk of turning her face, as the fans are going to get more impressed with her. Skye Blue seems to be the next big challenger and that could go rather well.

Post match Athena hits Skye Blue’s Skyfall onto the title.

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels

Joe is defending in a rematch from a few weeks back. Daniels grabs a headlock and gets absolutely nowhere. Joe hammers him down with right hands in the corner and we hit the nerve hold. Back up and Daniels fires off some forearms, only to get run over again. Daniels manages a middle rope swinging Downward Spiral for two but Joe isn’t having anything of the Angel’s Wings. Instead he sends Daniels into the corner and hits the MuscleBuster to retain at 5:51.

Rating: C+. It was fine enough while it lasted, but there wasn’t much drama in Daniels as the challenger. Not only is he not someone who is going to be a threat to the title, but Joe has been pretty much a wrecking ball in ROH. The problem is that he has kind of floated around though, as aside from Mark Briscoe, it feels like it has been months since he had a serious challenger for the title.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Robbie Eagles

Castagnoli is defending. Eagles snaps off a running hurricanrana to start and then wins a strike off. That’s fine with Castagnoli, who goes to the eyes and stomps away in the corner. The armbar goes on but Eagles fights up and starts in on the knee. A springboard missile dropkick staggers Castagnoli and a 619 to the knee drops him in the corner.

Some running knees in the corner give Eagles two and the Eagle Lock (something like a reverse Figure our) sends Castagnoli to the floor. The standing shooting star press gives Eagles two but he charges into a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline and pulls him up into the Riccola Bomb to retain at 8:21.

Rating: B. Now this was a nice showcase for Eagles, as he had Castagnoli staggered more than once and had the unique offense to make it interesting. While there was no threat of a title win, it was cool to see Eagles getting so show off out there. He’s a talented guy and if AEW/ROH can keep him around, it would be a nice addition to either roster.

Skye Blue wants to face Athena for the Women’s Title. That was pretty much a formality of a challenge so nice job of not wasting time.

The Kingdom/Varsity Athletes vs. Stu Grayson/Action Andretti/Darius Martin/Best Friends

Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Mark Sterling are here too. Taven and Andretti start things off with Andretti hitting a pop up dropkick before handing it off to Martin. Everything breaks down fast and the good guys clear the ring, setting up a series of running corner clotheslines to Taven. Nese comes in and whips Trent hard into the corner to take over, only to have Trent knee his way out of trouble.

Grayson comes in and we hit the parade of shots to the face. Grayson goes up but Woods runs the corner to superplex him back down. Trent superplexes Taven down onto the pile at ringside (egads), leaving Grayson to kick Daivari down back inside. Andretti goes up top…and here is the Righteous again for a distraction. Andretti hits his torture rack neckbreaker to finish Daivari at 6:24.

Rating: B-. This was the “just go nuts” match with ten people getting a few minutes to go out there and squeeze in whatever they could. They didn’t bother trying to make this into a back and forth match and it would have been nuts to see them try. This was the kind of entertaining chaos that you need sometimes on a show and they didn’t make the mistake of trying to stay out there too long. Nice job with a rather fun match.

Post match everyone is mad at the Righteous but the winners have the big hug.

Athena is in for the title match with Skye Blue.

Preston Vance vs. Rich Adonis

Vance sends him outside to start and the whips into the barricade ensue. Adonis gets in a few shots but charges into a slingshot wheelbarrow suplex. Vance hits a discus lariat for the pin at 2:19.

Action Andretti and Darius Martin are happy with their win but the Kingdom jumps them from behind. The Code of Honor is forcibly enforced.

Skye Blue vs. Robyn Renegade

Blue starts fast with a sunset flip for two and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Renegade heads outside and pulls Blue off the apron for a crash to the floor. Back in and Blue forearms away before snapping off a hurricanrana. It’s too early for Skyfall so Renegade knocks her down for two. Blue is back up and hits a superkick, setting up Skyfall for the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much drama here as Blue is already set for the title shot but Renegade got in some offense of her own. Renegade continues to look fairly polished in the ring and I could see her becoming something around here. Blue is getting the push right now though and the title match against Athena should be a nice showdown.

Brian Cage vs. Brock Anderson

Cage runs him over to start but Brock avoids a charge and hammers away. A powerslam puts Cage down for all of two seconds before he’s back with the Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up via the rope but Cage Drill Claws him for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. It still feels like AEW wants to push Cage as something and it is easy to see why, but squashing people on ROH and carrying the Gates of Agony isn’t enough. He continues to be able to do all kinds of things in the ring and looks solid doing it, but you can only get so far on potential. They need to figure out a story for him already, because his age and body aren’t going to hold out forever.

Willow Nightingale vs. Steph de Lander

They trade shoulders to start, with Nightingale getting the better of things and stopping to pose a bit. Back up and de Lander sends her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Nightingale avoids a charge into the corner though and hits the Cannonball. The spinebuster gives Nightingale the pin at 3:40.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have time to do anything here but it was the usual Nightingale win over a lesser name before she probably loses her next big match. That has been her pattern for a long time now and there is little reason to believe that she is going to break the cycle. Not an awful match, but it was short and nothing new from Nightingale.

Kommander vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Angelico. Kommander sends him to the floor to start but Angelico is right back in to cut off the dive. Angelico’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he misses a running knee in the corner instead. With Angelico down on the floor, Kommander hits a big dive, followed by another dive, complete with a springboard.

A top rope sunset flip gives Kommander two back inside but Angelico grabs a suplex for the same. The Fall of the Angels is broken up and Kommander’s sunset bomb gets two. A hurricanrana gives Kommander two and there’s the big rope run flip dive to drop Angelico on the floor. Back in and a rope walk shooting star press finishes Angelico at 6:02.

Rating: B-. The flips and the dives are all impressive but there is something missing from Kommander that makes it hard to stay interested. His dives feel so much more focused on the setup/running the ropes than anything else and that doesn’t have quite the impact. It was still a nice spectacle, but when you have El Hijo del Vikingo around here as well, Kommander just doesn’t feel nearly as special.

Post match Serpentico comes in for the beatdown but Orange Cassidy and Bandido make the save.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show here with the Castagnoli/Eagles match being the highlight. It was another mostly all action show as they set up the Women’s title match, plus probably a six man given the ending. Other than that, they might have wanted to cut one or two of the short matches to not have it be stretched out so much, but it was still another completely watchable hour and a half.

Results
Rocky Romero b. Lee Moriarty – Cross armbreaker
Athena b. Angelica Risk – Crossface
Samoa Joe b. Christopher Daniels – MuscleBuster
Claudio Castagnoli b. Robbie Eagles – Riccola Bomb
Stu Grayson/Action Andretti/Darius Martin/Best Friends b. The Kingdom/Varsity Athletes – Torture rack neckbreaker to Daivari
Preston Vance b. Rich Adonis – Discus lariat
Skye Blue b. Robyn Renegade – Skyfall
Brian Cage b. Brock Anderson – Drill Claw
Willow Nightingale b. Steph de Lander – Spinebuster
Kommander b. Angelico – Rope walk shooting star press

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.