As confirmed by Tony Khan.  There is no cause of death confirmed as far as I’ve seen but there is speculation that it was a car crash.  What can you even say about something like this?  Jay was the most decorated star in Ring Of Honor history and had more classics with his brother Mark than you could count.  Their feud with FTR last year was the Feud of The Year and no team in Ring Of Honor comes close to the Briscoes’ success.  Throw in a pair of World Title reigns and Jay is an all timer in the promotion.  This is the definition of tragic and I have no idea what to say.  Absolutely horrible and all thoughts and prayers to his family.

Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in ROH for over 20 years, from the first show until today.
Jay and his brother Mark dominated ROH, reigning as champions to this day. We'll do whatever we can to support his family.
Rest In Peace Jamin

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 18, 2023

This is what happens when I start going for walks again.  In no order.

• This week on Dynamite, you had two Impact wrestlers, an advertisement for a DDT Pro wrestler, multiple Ring of Honor wrestlers, and a Ring of Honor title match in the main event, plus advertisements for the AEW vs. New Japan show.

  Tony, slow down man.

• If Khan insists on having ROH content on AEW programming, is there any reason he can’t make one of the Darks the ROH show? You have all the time you need/want and it doesn’t take away from Rampage/Dynamite. I know we might need to find another way to build up the midcard challenger of the month’s ten straight wins over Shawn Dean or whoever Dean’s female equivalent is, meaning it might put a dent in the “10 straight wins? Where?” questions, but that might be an acceptable loss.

• Ways to make the House of Black better:

  1. Have them wrestle a match in the last month (last match: March 30).

  2. Don’t have them spend a month talking about taking out Fuego del Sol.

  3. Let it go with the Death Triangle feud. You had your six man against most of them at Revolution. It’s over.

  4. Let it go with the Julia Hart thing, as it made them look like they couldn’t beat a cheerleader.

• I would be willing to buy my first wrestling shirt in over 25 years if AEW could go two weeks without the big forearm exchange. Yes, I know it’s Japanese tradition. Yes, I know it’s required in modern wrestling because the Japanese style is everything these days. Yes, I know I’m absolutely sick of it because it feels like they’re checking a box off of a list by having one.

• I’d still like to know how qualifying matches in the Owen Hart Tournaments are different than first round matches. Bobby Fish vs. Jeff Hardy isn’t good enough to be called a first round match?

• The qualifying matches for the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments began back in March, five weeks ago.  The tournaments themselves are going to run two and a half weeks.  How does that make sense?

How one year changed modern wrestling forever.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-happy-20th-anniversary-wrestling-edition/

It was nice to have that feeling back again.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-anything-can-happen/

Ring of Honor
Date: September 8, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Lenny Leonard 

It’s time to set up the finals of the Women’s Title tournament, which has gone from rather interesting to lacking star power outside of Angelina Love. Ring of Honor is going to need to do something special to make this work and they might be able to pull it off. At the same time, Death Before Dishonor could use some serious building. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Trish Adora is ready to beat Miranda Alize.

Miranda Alize is ready to beat Trish Adora.

Women’s Title Tournament Semifinals: Trish Adora vs. Miranda Alize

Adora shoves her down to start and Alize bails to the floor for a quick breather. Back in and Adora grabs a quick Cattle Mutilation to crank on both arms at once. That doesn’t last long as Alize flips out and kicks her in the ribs to take over. Some rights and lefts have Adora in more trouble and the strikes have Adora rocked in the corner. A Backstabber gives Alize two but Adora kicks her in the face out of the corner. Alize is fine enough to hit a DDT for two but she gets tossed outside in a heap. That’s fine with Alize, who sends Adora into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with the two of them diving in to beat the count and Adora taking her to the mat with a twisting wristlock. The rear naked choke has Alize in trouble until her feet make the ropes. The Miranda Rights (Crossface) have Adora in trouble but she slips out and kicks Alize in the face. Adora’s Samoan drop sets up the Cattle Mutilation but Alize escapes again. The knee to the face sets up Miranda Rights for the tap at 12:16.

Rating: B. This got a lot better near the end and I was wondering who was going to win. That’s exactly the point, which is quite impressive as neither of them have exactly made a huge impression so far. Adora is someone who will likely be around in the future as she showcased herself well, but Alize seemed like a better prospect.

Respect is shown post match.

Angelina Love thinks Maria Kanellis set her up for failure in the tournament but here she is anyway. She has been wrestling longer than Rok-C has been alive and it is time to win her eighth World Title.

Rok-C, who sounds even younger than she is, can’t believe she has made it this far and now it is time to face Angelina Love. Did you know Love has been wrestling longer than she has been alive? Rok-C has to win though.

Women’s Title Tournament Semifinals: Rok-C vs. Angelina Love

Love is banged up from Max the Impaler’s beating last week. No Code of Honor before the match so Love wastes no time in kicking her into the corner. A side slam gives Love one but Rok-C takes her down and hits some flipping knees to the ribs. Love shouts that she is injured and sends Rok-C outside. Some shots to the ribs and trash talk have Rok-C in trouble but she spins around into a Russian legsweep back inside.

We take a break and come back with both of them pulling themselves up for a slugout. Love goes to the eye to cut Rok-C down but misses the Botox Injection. Rok-C is back with a Thesz press and right hands but Love plants her with a DDT for two. A Crossface puts Love in trouble until she reverses into a cradle. That’s reversed right back into a flip over armbar to make Love tap at 6:44.

Rating: C. Rok-C is still looking very young and has a long way to go, but at least she is getting a heck of a push here. I’m not sure what Love is going to do in the future, but she has had a weird tournament. She got a bye, then yelled at Maria Kanellis, then got beaten up in what seemed to be designed to build sympathy, then talked a bunch of trash here. I don’t quite get it, but at least they are pushing someone fresh here, which is probably the best idea.

Post match Miranda Alize comes out for the staredown.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to prove they’re better than Shane Taylor Promotions.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

That would be Kenny King, Rush, Dragon Lee, Bestia del Rey vs. Shane Taylor, the Soldiers of Savagery and O’Shea Edwards under lucha rules. During the entrances, Edwards says he is sick of these La Faccion censoreds. It’s a big brawl on the floor before the bell with security breaking it up as we take a break.

Back with things settled down but another fight nearly breaks out before we get started. Moses and King officially start things off with Moses powering him into the corner without much effort. King strikes away to get himself out of trouble but Moses punches him in the ribs. That’s enough to send King outside, so Lee is allowed to come in to face Khan.

Some shoulders put Lee down and Khan wins a forearm off without much effort. An exchange of kicks to the face goes to Khan but Lee low bridges him to the floor. That nearly sets off another brawl but Edwards comes in to run Lee over for a change. Everyone else has to be held apart on the floor again until Bestia comes in to suplex Edwards for two. That earns him a powerslam from Edwards and it’s off to Shane vs. Rush for the big hoss fight.

Rush manages a German suplex and a running knee to the face sends Taylor outside. Everything breaks down again and Moses….falls off the apron, which I think was supposed to be a dive. Back in and Shane trades knees to the face with Lee until the Marcus Garvey Driver gets two. King comes back in with a low blow to pin Shane at 7:26.

Rating: B-. Pretty insane match at times here and that’s what they were going for with this. They had a bunch of people flying all over the place and doing whatever they could to each other, which made for a rather entertaining match. I’m not sure what kind of lifespan these stable wars have, but this was a fun one.

La Faccion poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more like it, though I’m rather glad that the Women’s Title tournament is wrapping up. Things have been hit or miss at worst, but the tournament has dominated the show for a good long while now. Let things move forward and get us away from this thing already, because this is really long. The show was good, but it is time to get ready for Death Before Dishonor, meaning more than just the tournament stuff.

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: July 21, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the post Best In The World stretch and for once I’m actually caught up on the show. I’m not sure if we are going to be in the actual fallout period just yet, but it is nice to have the pay per view out of the way. This show could go in a lot of directions and that is not a bad thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle doesn’t have time for an interview and leaves. After he is gone, the Foundation is ready for tonight’s eight man tag. Actually hold on a second though, as Jonathan Gresham has a banged up knee. Joe Keys, who is helping look at Gresham’s knee, gets the spot instead. Not quite thinking, Keys slaps the bad knee on the way out.

Brian Johnson is our host this week because Quinn McKay is in action. He begrudgingly runs down the card (while mocking the Foundation and Gresham as much as possible). Johnson doesn’t like Quinn McKay either, though he does think something of Mandy Leon.

Rey Horus vs. Fred Yehi

Horus goes for the hammerlock to start but Yehi pulls the leg to take him down into a standoff. Back up and Horus misses a dropkick, allowing Yehi to try the Koji Clutch, sending Horus bailing. Horus: “It’s too early for that.” We take a break and come back with Yehi missing a charge into the corner, allowing Horus to grab a middle rope armdrag to send Yehi outside. The big dive drops Yehi again in a spot that needed fans. Back in and Horus hits a high crossbody for two, followed by a spinning clothesline.

Yehi small packages him for two, with Horus’ shoulder WAY off the mat at around one. Horus sends him into the corner though and a twisting splash (Yehi: “Oh shoot!”) gets two. Yehi’s boot to the ribs is cut off so he twists Horus’ head for a pretty unique counter. A spinning backfist into a shot to the back of the head sets up the Koji Clutch to make Horus….get over to a rope. Yehi t-bone suplexes him into the corner but Horus runs the corner into a super victory roll for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: B-. These two had some good chemistry and I was having a good time with what they did. Horus can move as well as anyone and Yehi is right there with the technical stuff to balance it out. This is one of the areas where Ring of Honor shines: putting two people in a match and letting them have a bit of time to showcase themselves. Nice stuff here and I liked it more than I would have bet on.

Mandy Leon gets off the phone for an interview. She can’t believe that she has to talk about Quinn McKay, because Mandy is a grown woman who doesn’t need friendships or validation. That makes her different than McKay, who is always trying to prove that she is a good person. McKay talked about the Allure for year and then lost her chance to beat Angelina Love. That’s enough on McKay, and here is Love to agree.

Quinn McKay blames her loss to Angelina Love on inexperience and Mandy Leon. This is her last chance to make it into the Women’s Title tournament and she is tired of being told she will never be a wrestler. Yeah she has been an interviewer for two years, but she and Mandy Leon both started in the Ring of Honor Dojo. They were both backstage interviewers and they both lost their first match, just like McKay. But Leon won’t mention that, because she would rather be Love’s lapdog.

That’s the narrative Leon wants to spin but McKay knows what is under the hair and malice. Leon has a fighting spirit and they have both fought hard to be respected. McKay sees her as a glimmer of what she could be, and this is about who Leon is now vs. who she could be. Come back to the good side and give McKay a fair shot. This was a pretty emotional promo and McKay made it work far better than I would have expected. Not bad.

Mandy Leon vs. Quinn McKay

Angelina Love is with Leon, McKay is in the title tournament if she wins and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is on commentary. McKay actually offers a handshake, using the Genius left hand version. Leon punches her in the face though and knocks her down, allowing Leon to grab a mic and talk down to her a bit. A clothesline gives McKay a breather though and Leon is knocked out to the apron. That earns McKay another shot to the face though and choking on the ropes ensues.

McKay sweeps the legs though and hammers away, setting up a bodyscissors of all things. That’s reversed in a bit of an awkward sequence until Leon counters a neckbreaker. Some hair takedowns send us to a break with McKay in trouble again. Back with McKay being sent to the apron, with Love pulling her out to the floor. Mandy snaps off a running knee to the floor before elbowing her in the face back inside. McKay manages a powerslam but can’t cover so Love gives Leon a quick back rub.

A running seated Blockbuster sets up a trio of neckbreakers for two on Leon as McKay certainly has a target. With that not working, McKay grabs the Tangerine Dream (cobra clutch), drawing Love up for a distraction. That means the referee doesn’t see the tap, which means McKay lets go to yell at said referee. Love slips in the brass knuckles and McKay lifts Leon up for a belly to back suplex, only to get knocked cold for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C-. The women’s division still isn’t all that great but McKay is someone you could see as a plucky underdog face for a good while. She might not be the future, but at least can be a star for a little while. I don’t believe for a second that this is the end of her chances at being in the tournament, as Ring of Honor seems to be a lot smarter than that.

Maria thinks she should do something about this.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Foundation/Joe Keys

This would be Shane Taylor/Soldiers of Savagery/O’Shay Edwards vs. Jay Lethal/Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus/Joe Keys. Before the match, Shane Taylor Promotions says the baddest just got better with Edwards joining up. On the other hand, Keys says he’s ready to step up and show the Foundation what he can do. Edwards takes Keys into the ropes to start and adds a running splash in the corner. Another charge misses though and Keys gets in a few shots to the leg.

A backdrop sends Keys to the apron but he manages a high crossbody for a fast two. Taylor comes in for a high crossbody and tells the Foundation to get their rookie out of here. We take a break and come back with Taylor shoving Lethal, who says he is so sick of Taylor’s mouth. A knee sends Lethal into the corner and Taylor’s eyes are rather scary. Williams comes in to slug it out with Moses, who wants some more.

That’s fine with Williams, who can’t get very far by charging at the monster. A cross armbreaker over the ropes works a bit better, with Williams letting go at four. Titus comes in for an atomic drop/running clothesline combination and it’s off to Lethal. Khan makes a save and gets shoved by Lethal, which has Coleman’s attention. Another Khan distraction lets Moses run Lethal over and it’s time for elbows in the corner.

It’s back to Taylor to hammer on Lethal, who comes back with some forearms. One HARD shot sends Lethal outside though and this time Coleman is singing about how bad that was. We take another break and come back again with Khan having to cut off a hot tag attempt. The Lethal Combination allows the hot tag to Titus, meaning house can be cleaned. Edwards gets belly to belly suplexed into the corner and a top rope knee drop gets two on Moses.

Keys comes back in and manages a heck of a German suplex to plant Moses for two more. Everything breaks down with the Foundation being sent outside, leaving Keys on his own. Keys manages to send Moses outside and tries to fight the other three, only to be taken down by a headbutt. Titus and Williams make the save and clothesline Taylor to the floor. Khan takes a double butterfly suplex (that’s a new one) and Lethal dives onto Moses. Keys dropkicks Taylor down but gets caught in Edwards’ Sky High for the pin at 16:54.

Rating: B. This was another one that was better than I was expecting as both sides worked out well. Keys was a nice surprise and held up well in a cameo role. At the same time, this was a great mini showcase for Edwards, who I’m very glad is finally getting a chance like this. Rather fun main event here and I’m glad to see Shane and pals get a big win.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure when it happened, but Ring of Honor might have become the best weekly wrestling show, at least for in-ring action. They still don’t have much in the way of storyline advancement most weeks, but the matches themselves are mostly good. They’re coming off a strong pay per view as well and the fans are going to make it even better. Nice job here, again.

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.

There have been some good things this year, believe it or not.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/review-sweet-2020-goodness/

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 17, 2020

The trip down the roster continues with Silas Young, who serves well enough as a midcard heel but I’m not sure that’s enough to build a full show around. Then again I tend to say that most weeks these days and they have proven me wrong before. I’m not sure how many more weeks they can do this without dipping way back into history though and that could get more interesting. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Silas Young video.

Young is at his home and talks about finding a balance during his quarantine. It includes time by the pool, home improvement, and steaks. We cut to Josh Woods not being able to get Young on the phone because Young is busy.

We recap Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young, with Young and the Beer City Bruiser injuring Lethal to set up a Last Man Standing match at Death Before Dishonor 2017.

We see some very short clips of Young vs. Lethal with Young winning after they both fell off a ladder and through a table.

Young doesn’t like Lethal but does respect him. He finally answers Woods’ call and wants nothing to do with him today. With that out of the way, let’s go to another Last Man Standing match, from Supercard of Honor XII.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Kenny King

King is defending and it’s Last Man Standing. Silas loads up a table before King comes out as Aries complains about not having a place to put all of his belts. King punches him into the corner to start but gets his head taken off by a running clothesline. A swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker puts Young down as the announcers want to know how Aries is allowed to be here. King goes with a Boston crab to slow Young down before switching to the Last Chancery (Aries: “WHOA WHOA WHOA!”). It’s cool as Aries has given his permission, but King is botching the execution.

Young fights up and tosses King over the top and through the table for an eight count. Some whips into the barricade and right hands have King in more trouble but Young stops to yell at the fans. Back in and King manages a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle, followed by an apron Blockbuster to the floor. Aries isn’t sure if that’s worth the risk to your own body and as usual, he’s got a good point. Young is up at eight and they head back inside, only to walk into a spinebuster to stay on the back.

They head to the apron and Young’s back is fine enough to hit Misery, sending King face first onto said apron for an eight. It’s trashcan time with King taking a shot to the back, causing Ian to bust out a Bangin on a Trashcan reference, making him the greatest commentator of all time. King dropkicks the can lid into Young’s face and the Royal Flush onto the can for nine with Young rolling underneath the ropes to land on his feet in a smart save.

A quick suplex onto a ladder has Young in trouble again and a shooting star from the top to the floor drives him through a table in the big spot of the match. They’re both down with Young pulling himself up on the barricade but King’s feet have been tied up by Bruiser, who was hiding underneath the ring, for the win at 15:52. Oh come on with that stupid ending.

Rating: C+. This was good for the most part but that ending was ridiculous. So King hits the big finishing spot but HAHA screwy finish to end the feud! They were trying to make King look good but put the title back on Young too and that’s not a good idea. You have to pick one or the other and trying to go in the middle just makes me roll my eyes as the backdoor they’re trying to go through hit them in the head on the way out. The rest of the match was fun stuff and the usual good brawling, but it could have moved at a somewhat faster pace.

Post match the double beatdown is on but Aries runs in for the save.

Young wants some gold but gets another call from Woods. The call makes him think their team is worth a look, so here we go from ROH TV, January 22, 2020.

2 Guys 1 Tag vs. Briscoes

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

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

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

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

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

Silas recaps the show and heads for the pool, while getting one more call from Woods.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this one mainly because of Young, who might not be the best in the ring, but he was selling himself so well here and stayed in character perfectly. I’m always a fan of characters where what you see is what you get and they don’t try to do anything else. Here, you had a guy who believes he is tougher than anyone else and acted like it, with the Woods phone gag tying it together. Nice show here and better than I would have hoped.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: March 11, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Host: Quinn McKay

We’re still in Baltimore and that means we should be getting close to the main event sooner or later. The show was built around the NWA invasion, meaning NWA World Champion Nick Aldis should be around. That could make for something interesting and that’s what this company is needing. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at the NWA invasion as we move towards Aldis vs. Marty Scurll for the World Title. This ties into Rush vs. PCO for the World Title.

Opening sequence.

Rey Horus vs. Brody King

Horus starts fast with the strikes but can’t get very far. Instead, King goes with the power to shove him down. They go outside and we take a rather early break. Back with Horus trying his own strikes, setting up a slingshot hurricanrana to the floor. King gets back in and blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the hard piledriver for two. Horus is right back up with a tornado DDT for two, but King blasts him with a clothesline. The Ganso Bomb finishes Horus at 8:51.

Rating: C. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and that’s exactly what we had here. King is a great big man and can beat people up with reckless abandon. We had a good enough match here as every member of the Mexisquad continues to look good no matter what they’re doing.

At this point we get the first of several ads for Past vs. Present, which wouldn’t be taking place due to the Coronavirus. Shame too as that looks like a decent show.

Brian Zane’s Top Five looks at the best oddball tag teams with Cheeseburger and Jushin Thunder Liger.

La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to work with Nick Aldis, even though he’s not even the most famous wrestler in his house. Rush is the best in the world anyway.

Nick Aldis/Rush vs. Marty Scurll/PCO

Rush jumps PCO from behind to start and hits a basement dropkick to the back. Marty comes in with a backbreaker to put Rush down and the fans are rather pleased to see him. It’s off to Aldis to work on Marty’s arm, only to get armdragged into an armbar. Aldis gets sent outside for a baseball slide but PCO misses the way too early Swanton to the apron. PCO sits up on the floor though and the brawl is on with Aldis, only to have Rush make the save.

Camera cord choking ensues until we settle down to Rush chopping PCO in the corner. Rush kicks him in the face and strikes the pose as we take a break. Back with Aldis dropping an elbow for two but a clothesline gets PCO out of trouble. Marty comes in and starts cleaning house but the CHICKEN WING is broken up with a shot to the head. A tornado DDT allows the tag back to PCO as everything freaks out.

PCO takes out Rush and Aldis with the big flip dive, but Aldis is right back with a Tombstone to Aldis back inside. PCO crotches him on top though and Scurll hits a big superplex. The Quebec Cannonball gets two with Rush having to break it up at two. Aldis drops a top rope elbow on PCO and now it’s time to stare it down with Rush. That’s enough for Rush though, as he walks up the ramp, leaving Aldis to get his fingers snapped. The PCOsault finishes Aldis at 15:35.

Rating: B. This was a solid main event style tag match and that’s what it should have been. The big deal here was setting things up for the future as you could have Scurll or PCO vs. Aldis, with Rush waiting in the wings for either of them. It’s the kind of thing that the company has been needing: a story that feels big instead of just going from one match to another.

We wrap it up with some rapid fire promos for the 18^th Anniversary Show, which was scheduled for TWO DAYS after this show. Unless I missed it, this is the first mention of the show so far. Mark Haskins gives a very passionate speech about wanting to become the World Champion to give his family a better life after all these years of hard work.

Overall Rating: B-. The key to this show is very simple: it feels like something happened. Maybe it’s because it came from a big show or the boss was involved in the main event, but this was a big difference than what you usually get around here. I could go for Ring of Honor being a lot better, but I’m not sure how much I should believe that this is going to continue. I’ll take it for now though.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 26, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Host: Quinn McKay

It’s time to keep moving on as we are in Baltimore for Free Enterprise. This was Ring of Honor’s idea to get people back into things by having a free show. That’s not the worst idea in the world and if it gets people talking, so be it. Ring of Honor needs any kind of positive news it can get so maybe this helps things. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a Slex vignette, as he has recently signed with the company.

Alex Shelley vs. Mark Haskins

They go technical to start (duh) as neither can get very far off arm control. Haskins’ rollup might get one as Shelley backs away for a standoff. A headlock takeover works a bit better but Shelley reverses into his very spinning rollup for two. Shelley grabs la majistral into an armbar but Haskins is out in a hurry as well. Haskins kicks him in the chest and we take a break. Back with a fight over an abdominal stretch but Shelley gets flipped into a Crossface.

With that broken up, Haskins starts kicking at the chest, which just seem to annoy Shelley. A slugout gives us a double knockdown with Haskins getting up first. Shelley gets in a snap suplex for a breather and sends Haskins hard into the corner. Haskins is right back with a suplex and a Samoan driver for two as the shock is real. Back up and Shelley hits Sliced Bread into a swinging Downward Spiral. The Border City Stretch (Gargano Escape) goes on but Haskins rolls into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 11:49.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? These two can do some great technical stuff and it was on full display here, as it should have been. Haskins is gearing up for either a Pure Title run or a World Title chase so putting him over here was the only option they had. Shelley is great as the veteran who is putting people over and that’s what they’re mainly using him for these days.

Video on Vincent destroying Matt Taven and the Kingdom.

Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry are ready to fight, because Castle once stared down a spider in all eight eyes, even though he only has two. Castle rubs Hendry’s face because they do what people don’t expect.

Mark Haskins is ready for his World Title triple threat match, though Tracy Williams doesn’t seem thrilled.

Vincent/Bateman vs. Dalton Castle/Joe Hendry

Chuckles and Vita are in Vincent/Bateman’s corner. Bateman and Castle stare at each other to start until Castle takes him into the corner so Hendry can work on the arm. A fireman’s carry into a running shoulder has Bateman in trouble and a jumping knee gives Hendry two. Castle drops a middle rope knee and we hit the waistlock. Vincent holds out Matt Taven’s crutch for a distraction though, which just lets Hendry clothesline Bateman to the floor. Vincent finally comes in and posts Castle as we take a break.

Back with Hendry in trouble as Bateman and Vincent take turns kicking him in the ribs. Vincent gets two off a Side Effect and grabs a guillotine choke for a bonus. That’s broken up with a suplex and the hot tag brings in Castle. House is cleaned with suplexes until Vincent puts Castle on the top.

That goes nowhere as Castle slips down and catches him in a release German suplex. Vincent knocks him outside, only to have Castle get over to Hendry. That means a double fall away slam so Hendry can show off quite a bit as everything breaks down. A reverse Sling Blade puts Bateman down and there’s the facebuster to Vincent, only to have Chuckles pull Castle to the floor. Vincent hits a Dudley Dog for the pin on Hendry at 12:38.

Rating: C+. They were working hard here with Vincent and Bateman continuing to be more interesting than the Kingdom ever was. Castle and Hendry’s oddball stuff isn’t exactly thrilling and the two of them have been doing the same stuff for months now. At least we got a good match out of it though and that’s more than some people can say.

Slex is ready to beat Flip Gordon and it doesn’t matter if it takes twenty minutes or twenty seconds.

Vincent says their future is righteous, if you dig what he is saying.

Video on Slex.

Slex vs. Flip Gordon

Slex is from Australia and calls himself The Business. Gordon goes with a headlock to start and shoulders him down. They miss each other a few times and we take an early break. Back with Back with Slex chopping away at the ropes and hitting a slingshot backbreaker to send Gordon outside. That of course means the suicide dive and a release suplex onto the apron keeps Gordon’s back in trouble. A very delayed vertical suplex drops Gordon for two in a good power display. Slex powerbombs him out of the corner for two more and we the chinlock.

Gordon’s comeback is cut off with a wheelbarrow suplex but it’s a double clothesline to put both of them down again. Gordon heads to the apron for an enziguri and a spinning kick to the head. The twisting Falcon Arrow gets two and we take another break. Back again with Slex hitting a hard clothesline, followed by a torture rack bomb for two more. Gordon hits a superkick and the Kinder Surprise to the floor, followed by the big moonsault. The springboard spear connects for two on Slex, followed by a Curb Stomp to put him away at 11:38.

Rating: B-. Slex looked rather good here and definitely has a future, but why have him lose here? You don’t have to have him beat Gordon (though you could) but having him lose here is one of those questionable things that happens too often in wrestling. It’s ok to let someone debut and win a big match but instead Gordon, who doesn’t need it, gets the win. Slex will be fine, but I don’t get this one.

Post match Gordon shows respect and leaves, but here are the Soldiers of Savagery to distract Slex so Shane Taylor can run in and package piledrive him. Taylor says that since his demands have been met so he’s officially back in ROH.

Overall Rating: B+. Maybe it was just the wrestling they had this time around but this was one of the best ROH shows I’ve seen in a very long time. That’s a nice thing to hear on its own, but the big picture is that it’s one of the first major shows from Marty Scurll. Hopefully that means a good sign for the future, because ROH has been so nothing for such a long time now.

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

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