Final Battle 2020: I Understand

Final Battle 2020
Date: December 18, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is the biggest show of the year and this is one of the more uniquely put together pay per views I’ve seen in a long time. The company has only been back for a short while now and a lot of the top stars have snot been around since the relaunch. The card is still pretty full though and maybe they can pull off a good one. Let’s get to it.

Commentary welcomes us to the pre-show and has some bad news: EC3, Kenny King and Bandido have been Coronavirused off the show so some things have to be changed.

Pre-Show: Tony Deppen vs. LSG vs. Josh Woods vs. Dak Draper

One fall to a finish, lucha rules and the winner gets a TV Title match later tonight. Deppen and LSG are thrown outside before the bell so it’s Woods vs. Draper to start things off. The other two get back on the apron as Woods and Draper go to the grappling to start. An exchange of headlocks doesn’t go anywhere so LSG tags himself in to dropkick Draper.

Deppen comes in as well and it’s time to run the ropes with LSG. A dropkick puts LSG down but he sends Deppen outside for a dropkick through the ropes. That means Woods and Draper can come back in to exchange rollups for two each but Draper knocks Deppen into the corner with a shot to the face. A suplex gives Draper two but the Magnum KO is broken up with some elbows to the jaw.

Deppen gets tossed around and Draper gets in some trash talk to Woods to draw him in. That doesn’t even matter this time as Draper muscles Deppen up for an apron superplex and another near fall. The running knee misses though and Deppen gets out to the floor, allowing LSG to come back in and strike away.

A springboard forearm to the face gets two on Draper but Deppen is back in with a springboard Codebreaker to Woods. Draper and LSG go to the corner, only to have Woods come back in for a Tower of Doom. That means Draper and Woods can slug it out until Draper grabs a Doctor Bomb for two. They’re knocked outside though and it’s Deppen jumping back in to roll LSG up for the pin at 11:43.

Rating: C+. This was all about the action and that’s a good way to get things going on a show like this one. It’s exactly the same idea of the cruiserweights back in WCW and it is always going to work here. Deppen winning is a bit of a surprise, but that’s the kind of thing you can get away with in a four way like this. Nice stuff to get us going.

Pre-Show: Foundation vs. Fred Yehi/Wheeler Yuta

It’s the first ever Pure Rules tag match, you have five seconds to get out of the ring after the tag and a save counts as a rope break. If you make a save when you are out of breaks, it’s a DQ. Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus are here for the Foundation. Yehi and Williams go with the grappling to start with Williams wristlocking him into the corner for the tag off to Titus.

Yehi takes him down into the Koji Clutch but the rope is reached in a hurry for the first break. Yuta comes in and Williams pulls him straight into the Texas Cloverleaf, sending Yuta to the ropes to even things up. We get some miscommunication on a tag so Yehi has the chance to come in and German suplex Williams. Titus comes in and gets caught in a Koji Clutch, with Williams making the save, good for the second rope break.

The rapid fire saves are on and we’re down to just Yehi and Yuta having one left. Titus dropkicks Yuta off the top and out to the floor in a big crash. That means Williams and Yehi come in and strike it out, with Yehi having to counter a piledriver attempt. Yehi Downward Spirals him into the Koji Clutch and the ropes aren’t there for a save. Titus can’t save him either so he sends Yuta into the hold for the break in a smart move.

It’s back to Titus vs. Yuta for an exchange of crucifixes for two each until Yuta snaps off a bridging German suplex for two more. Yehi gets in a shot of his own and Yuta’s top rope splash gets another two. The hot tag brings in Williams for a hard clothesline and a Death Valley Driver. Williams stuffs Yuta with a piledriver and Yehi makes the save for the last break. Yuta gets caught in the Crossface, with Williams using the ropes for extra leverage (perfectly legal) for the tap at 13:51.

Rating: C. The rope breaks were a nice touch but that’s about all there was to this. The Pure Rules are a nice idea but they aren’t exactly the most inspiring alternative to everything else going on. Williams and Yehi continue to be fun to watch every time but the other two were just kind of there, which is kind of a problem when they do it almost every week.

Respect is shown post match.

The opening video talks about how everything stopped this year but some wrestlers are picking up the mantle of honor. Tonight they are willing to do whatever it takes on the biggest night of the year.

Tag Team Titles: Mark Briscoe/PCO vs. Foundation

The Foundation (Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham) are defending and PCO is here because Jay Briscoe was moved into another match due to Coronavirus issues, which wound up being changed anyway. We get the Code of Honor and it’s Lethal vs. Briscoe to start things off, with Lethal saying this is wrestling instead of fighting. Mark isn’t having any of this wristlocking and starts chopping away, sending Lethal out to the floor for a breather.

Back in and it’s PCO coming in to say he wants to break Lethal’s arm (again). That’s enough to make Lethal stay so PCO takes him down into a cross armbreaker. A rope break lets Lethal bail out to the floor as the champs can’t get anything going so far. Gresham comes in and tries to go after PCO’s leg, which goes as well as you would expect. PCO tosses him back to the floor and the challengers start cleaning house, including Briscoe’s running cannonball off the apron to drop Lethal.

The champs are rammed into each other and Mark uses a chair as a launchpad for a flip dive over the corner onto everyone else. PCO’s top rope flip dive completely misses Lethal so it’s Mark suplexing Gresham for two. Lethal comes back in for a dropkick/German suplex combination to drop Briscoe and it’s time to stomp him down into the corner. Briscoe pops back up and brings in PCO to clean house.

What looked like a low blow puts Gresham down again and the champs are in trouble. The Froggy Bow hits Lethal’s raised knees as the PCOsault hits clean, allowing Lethal to make the save. PCO and Lethal slug it out until Gresham launches Lethal over for a cutter to hit PCO for two. The champs manage a Doomsday Device on PCO and Gresham’s shooting star press gets a near fall. PCO monsters up but Lethal offers a distraction, allowing Gresham to roll PCO up and retain at 12:50.

Rating: B-. This was a good choice for an opener as PCO and Briscoe are always fun for a watch and the Foundation do feel like one of the best teams around. The Foundation vs. the Briscoes would have been better but there is only so much you can do when the pandemic is changing everything on such a short notice. Good match here though and the right result given the situation.

Commentary explains some of the card changes due to the Coronavirus.

Rey Horus vs. Dalton Castle

Horus was supposed to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles but a change had to be made, with Castle, again with the Boys, stepped in. Castle goes with a fast rollup to start but gets kicked away to give us a standoff. Horus avoids a charge in the corner to put Castle on the floor as frustration sets in early. Back in and Castle takes him down for a quick splash, setting up some forearms to the ribs.

They head outside with Horus managing a kick to the chest, followed by a kick to the chest. Now the big flip dive connects and Castle is in even more trouble. Castle gets sent hard over the barricade and it’s a running kick to the face to give Horus two. A tornado DDT gives Horus two more but Castle catches him on top. Something like a reverse Neutralizer gets two on Horus and there’s a release German suplex for the same. Castle goes up but Horus runs the corner for a super victory roll and the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. Castle’s near downward spiral continues around here as now he’s losing to the lesser known luchadors. The ending certainly took me by surprise, which is a nice thing in this case, as Horus gets a nice rub out of the whole thing. There was some good enough action, but it’s one of those matches that is likely just going to come and go without making much impact.

We recap Matt Taven/Mike Bennett (OGK) vs. the Righteous. Taven and Vincent had been in the Kingdom but Vincent turned on him to strike out on his own. Then Taven went out of action for the better part of a year due to a knee injury. Now they’re both back and it’s time for the two of them to kill each other. Bennett and Bateman are here to make it a tag match.

OGK vs. Righteous

The Righteous has Vita VonStarr in their corner. The brawl is on in a hurry with Bennett saving Taven from a suplex and driving Vincent into the corner. Bateman gets in a cheap shot from behind and we settle down with Bateman driving Taven into the corner. That just earns him an enziguri and it’s a hot tag to Bennett to clean house. Vita tries to come in for a distraction though and Bateman plans Bennett with a Side Effect to take over.

Vincent’s running forearms in the corner have Bennett in more trouble and a spinning Russian legsweep gets two. Bateman comes back in with some shots to the face but it’s too early for Vincent to try Redrum. Instead he slaps on the guillotine choke but Bennett powers out with a suplex. The double tag brings in Taven to clean house on Bateman, including a Russian legsweep into a flipping neckbreaker.

That’s enough of that though as Taven heads outside and unloads on Vincent. A springboard shot to the face puts Bateman down again and Just The Tip connects. The Climax is broken up though and Vincent slingshots in, only to get caught in a backbreaker. Bateman runs Taven over again though and it’s Redrum (Swanton) connecting for two. Bennett makes the save and everyone is down again. Taven and Vincent get into the big brawl that they have been needing to have but they kick each other down.

That’s good for a double tag so Bennett can spear Bateman down. The spike piledriver connects but Taven’s knee gives out again, meaning no cover. Instead Bennett punches Bateman off the top for a crash to the apron. A Death Valley Driver onto the apron drops Bateman again as Taven is back up with a knee to Vincent. The Aurora Borealis (frog splash) hits knees but Taven pulls Vincent into a choke, sending Vincent over to the rope. Bennett is back up though and Vincent is held over the apron for Aurora Borealis to crush him again. Back in and a Backpack Stunner/running boot combination finishes Bateman at 16:20.

Rating: B. This was the first match that felt like something that belonged on the pay per view (save for maybe the opener) as Taven vs. Vincent has become a heck of a feud. Bennett already feels FAR more important here than he ever did in WWE and that’s great for him. Bateman is a good monster enforcer as well and the match worked out rather well. I still can’t get my head around how much better Taven is as a face. It’s nothing I ever would have bet on and this has been working rather well. Good match here, with everyone looking solid.

Post match Vita hits OGK with a double low blow and it’s time to zip tie Taven to the ropes. Vita headscissors Taven to make him watch as Bateman puts a board between Bennett’s feet. A chair shot crushes the ankle in a Misery style destruction.

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

If Danhausen (who apparently debuted September 13, 1993 at 12:37am and weighs “at least” 300lbs despite being rather skinny) wins, he gets a contract. They shake hands and Danhausen kicks him in the face for a very early two. A middle rope hurricanrana gets two on Johnson and Danhausen demands his music be played. That’s what he gets as he hits a running kick off the apron, only to get caught with a hanging cutter back inside.

Johnson isn’t pleased but he grabs a mic and says Caprice Coleman sucks at his job. The trash talk and stomping ensues and Johnson wants to know why the Honor Club Girls aren’t cheering for him. A slam into a fist drop gets two on Danhausen but he takes the mat and drives Johnson into the corner for swearing (a big negative in Danhausen’s eyes). Johnson clotheslines him down again though and it’s time to grab the microphone again.

More shouting ensues as Johnson isn’t happy that he finally made it to Final Battle and is being stuck doing this. A clothesline gets two and Johnson can’t believe it. Danhausen makes the comeback with a running shot in the corner and a German suplex into another German suplex gets two….and let’s grab a jar of teeth. The Goodnight Hausen (GTS) gets two as Johnson gets a hand on the rope.

Johnson bails to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive but Johnson kicks the rope on the way back in. The jar of teeth (just go with it) is poured into Danhausen’s mouth but he grabs a quick rollup for two anyway. The teeth go into the referee’s eyes though, meaning there is no cover off Johnson’s neckbreaker finisher. Danhausen grabs the microphone, hits himself with the head with it (for the noise), and hands it to Johnson…which is enough for the DQ at 8:44.

Rating: C+. I actually liked this as Danhausen is enough of a screwy guy to make you believe that he’s just kind of out there. They didn’t do anything too far here (the teeth are certainly a thing) and Johnson ran his mouth so much that you wanted to see him lose. This was much more about the angle than the wrestling and that’s fine in a match like this, though I could see people not being pleased.

TV Title: Dragon Lee vs. Tony Deppen

Deppen is challenging after winning a four way on the pre-show but comes in holding his neck. Amy Rose, the manager of Lee’s faction, joins commentary. They go to the mat to start with neither being able to get much of an advantage. Deppen grabs an armdrag but gets sent to the floor for the suicide dive. Back in and Lee chops away in the corner as Rose is speaking about 90% Spanish. Deppen manages a step up kick to the head to put Lee on the floor, setting up a suicide flip dive. A springboard missile dropkick gives Deppen two but Lee pounds him right down in the corner.

We hit the chinlock for a bit, with Deppen fighting up and slapping away to take over. Lee is back with the snap German suplex and a moonsault northern lights suplex (geez) which leaves both of them down. They slug it out from their knees with Lee getting the better of things, only to miss a charge in the corner.

Deppen loads up a superplex but gets knocked down for an Alberto double stomp. Back up and Deppen scores with a running knee to the face and the kickout leaves him shocked. Lee blasts him in the face though and his own running knee gets two. That’s enough for Lee, who hits Incineration (another running knee) to retain at 11:50.

Rating: C+. Lee’s offense is fast paced and exciting enough that it is easy to see why Ring of Honor wants to push the heck out of him. Deppen looked good here as well, as he made the most out of the opportunity he was given. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt but they made something out of very little so well done all things considered.

We look at Jay Briscoe and Shane Taylor arguing backstage because their matches with EC3 and Mexisquad were canceled. This was announced earlier in the night and while that’s not a great way to go, like so many other things on this show, what else are they supposed to do?

Jay Briscoe vs. Shane Taylor

The lockup doesn’t go anywhere as they shove each other around with little avail. Shane sends him into the corner and unloads with rights and lefts but Jay is right back with a headlock. Jay tries to run the ropes and is knocked down hard with a shoulder. More rights and lefts set up a big right hand to knock Jay silly, meaning it’s time to head to the floor.

Jay sends him into the barricade and scores with a good superkick before heading back inside. Shane slugs away again but gets caught with a dropkick. One heck of a right handdrops Jay again though and it’s time for a slugout. Jay’s snap jabs set up an impressive Death Valley Driver and here’s Mark Briscoe for support.

Shane is up first but Jay slaps on a choke to put Shane down. Two arm drops have Shane in real trouble but he makes it over to the rope for the break. Jay’s big clothesline gets two and the neckbreaker is good for the same. Shane is back up and hits him in the face, setting up the package piledriver. Welcome To The Land finishes Jay at 13:41.

Rating: B-. This was about hitting each other really hard but also about building Shane up as a main eventer. They had a good power brawl here and beating Jay still means quite a bit in Ring of Honor. They don’t have many people at that level or even close to it so giving Shane a win on a show like this means a lot for his future around here.

We recap Jonathan Gresham defending the Pure Title against Flip Gordon. Gresham is the first holder of the new version of the title and he says there is more to wrestling than flips. Gordon doesn’t love this company as much as he does and it’s time for both guys to prove themselves.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon is challenging. They lock up to start with Ian saying this is like Thunder Road vs. Born To Run. Gresham grabs a hammerlock, which sends Gordon straight to the rope for the first break. With that out of the way, Gresham takes him to the mat to work on the leg, which sends Gordon over to the ropes for a second break in three minutes. Gresham tries a headlock takeover this time before switching to a crucifix.

Back up and Gresham works on the wrist a bit more as Gordon has barely done anything so far. Gresham ties up the arm and twists the foot around at the same time before letting Gordon up. A standing armbar goes on so Gordon drives him into the rope, which counts as the final rope break. Gordon finally scores with a spinning kick to the head to put Gresham down for the first time.

Gresham can’t hit a springboard hurricanrana so Gordon superkicks him down for two, with Gresham using a rope break of his own. Gordon gets knocked away but is fine enough to duck a middle rope crossbody with Gresham banging up his knee on the landing. That gives Gordon a target and the Figure Four goes on, with Gresham breaking it up in a hurry. A dropkick to the leg sets up a half crab but Gresham slips out again. This time Gresham kicks Gordon in the arm and they’re both down for a bit.

Gordon is right back on the leg so Gresham makes the rope for the second time. Another kick to the leg sets up a Falcon Arrow into Submit To Flip (STF) but Gresham elbows his way out. Back up and they slug it out with Gresham kicking him in the arm again. Gordon wins a slugout by going with the closed fist, which is good for his first warning. An enziguri into a German suplex (with Gresham raising the bad leg) gets two on Gordon but he knocks the leg out again and grabs another half crab.

That’s switched into another STF but Gresham crawls to the floor for the break. Back in and Gresham sets him on top for another kick to the arm, setting up a top rope belly to back superplex for another near fall. Gresham hits a running shot to the head for two, followed by a running shot to the head for two. Another one is loaded up but the referee stops it because Gordon can’t defend himself at 24:37.

Rating: B. I’m not wild on Gordon most of the time but he brought it here and they had a heck of a fight. Gresham was losing the technical battle, or at least close to it, and went with the hard shots to the head to win instead. It’s a good story for the match and Gresham didn’t cheat to win after a long match, making this one of the better things the Pure Title has done since it was brought back. Heck of a match here and pay per view worthy.

Post match Gordon declines the handshake and walks away.

We recap Brody King vs. Rush. King has been on a roll since Ring of Honor returned and Rush is finally back after his long hiatus. It isn’t much of a main event, but again you can’t hold that against them here.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Brody King

King is challenging. They go with the striking to start with Rush’s shoulder putting him on a knee. King is back up with a clothesline to the floor and that means the suicide dive. Rush is whipped hard into the barricade twice in a row, meaning it’s time to grab some chairs. King slams him down onto said chairs, which isn’t a DQ because they weren’t used in an offensive manner. There’s a backsplash onto Rush onto the chairs and it’s time to go back inside.

King stomps away in the corner and hits the Cannonball for two, only to have Rush come back with a running knee to the face. They’re right back to the floor with Rush sending him into the barricade and slamming the door in the barricade on King’s head. Rush whips away with an electrical cord and then uses it to choke away. King is down so Rush asks the camera if it missed being in his house.

Back in and King unloads with chops in the corner, only to get taken down for his efforts. The running taunting kick to the face has King in more trouble and there’s a belly to belly to put King into the corner again. King heads up top but Rush catches him with a top rope superplex for two more.

The swinging Boss Man Slam gives King two and it’s time to chop it out again. Rush knocks him into the corner again and tries the Bull’s Horns, only to get cut off by a spear. The Ganso Bomb is loaded up but here is Dragon Lee (Rush’s brother) for a distraction. Bestia del Rey (Rush/Lee’s father) comes in to chair King down, meaning the Bull’s Horns to retain the title at 16:35.

Rating: B. Pretty good brawl here with both guys hitting each other rather hard. The ending seemed designed to set up something for later, though I’m not sure I can imagine Rush keeping the title that much longer due to the immigration issues. King does have a claim to a rematch due to the cheating but I’m not sure if he’ll be first in line. I know this didn’t quite feel like a Final Battle main event, but as has been the case all night, it’s understandable.

Post break La Faccion celebrates but the Foundation comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. All things considered, this is the about all you could have asked for. I know the show was lacking a lot of the way of storyline development, but there was only so much they could have done. It felt more like a collection of matches than a show if that makes sense, though it’s quite the collection of matches for the most part. Nothing is bad, and I liked what we got here for the most part. Ring of Honor works best when they’re just focusing on the wrestling and that’s what they did here in a show that felt like it belonged on the Final Battle stage.

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Ring Of Honor TV – January 13, 2021 (Best Of 2020): They Have Some Good Taste

Ring of Honor
Date: January 13, 2021

We’re still in the post Final Battle lull, meaning that it’s time for a Best Of show. That may seem a little strange given how little Ring of Honor has been around this year, but at least they do have some interesting options to choose from. If nothing else, another refresher on what the company can do is not a bad idea. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

From Free Enterprise.

Battle Royal

Beer City Bruiser, Brawler Milonas, Tracy Williams, Cheeseburger, Josh Woods, Brian Johnson, PJ Black, Silas Young, Blue Meanie, Rhett Titus, Maria Manic, Gangrel, Delirious, Eli Isom, Kenny King, Dragon Lee, Crowbar, Dak Draper, Danhausen, Leon St. Giovanni

The winner gets a future World Title shot and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a regular battle royal in ROH. Gangrel blows the liquid in King’s face during entrances and most of the people get in at the bell to start fast. We take a break at the ten second mark and come back, seemingly with nothing having changed, meaning Delirious is running around ringside and King is blindly throwing punches on the floor.

Gangrel suplexes Danhausen and Impales Johnson as I’m trying to wonder if they’re really considering him a big deal. Draper fights off another Impaler and backdrops Gangrel out to a chorus of booing. LSG goes up top to dive at Draper, who throws him out with ease. Draper backdrops out Isom and Crowbar with ease so, say it with me, Cheeseburger eliminates Draper a few seconds later.

With that required annoyance out of the way, the Bouncers start wrecking a lot of people. Meanie tries to get the Bouncers to dance….and they actually do it, only to have Johnson throw Meanie out. As Amy Rose comes out to get King to the back, the Bouncers beat up Johnson and toss him….only to the apron as PJ Black makes a save. As a result, Johnson throws Black out in a good old heel double crossing. Manic grabs Johnson low and gorilla presses him out as we take another break.

Back again with Maria throwing the Bouncers out at the same time but stopping to hug Danhausen. Young and Maria have a staredown with Silas dropping her but not quite being able to eliminate her. Cue Bully Ray to pull Maria out, allowing Young to celebrate. Ray chairs her in the back and adds a powerbomb through a table (apparently giving her a concussion).

Back in and Danhausen gives Delirious some teeth but then throws them at Delirious, setting up the elimination. Danhausen German suplexes Young but gets tossed out anyway, allowing Cheeseburger to hit a springboard crossbody. Young rolls through and they go to the apron but Woods makes the save. A clothesline eliminates Cheeseburger and we’re down to Williams, Lee, Young and Woods. Young puts Williams on the top so Tracy manages a DDT onto the top turnbuckle.

Woods jumps in front of a spinning forearm so Williams blasts him instead, leaving Young to return the save. Williams gets double teamed in the corner with a slingshot elbow, setting up the easy elimination. Young and Woods stomp Lee down in the corner but Lee sends Young to the apron. Woods kicks him out by mistake and gets tossed, only to have Kenny King run in. Lee survives an elimination attempt, unmasks as Flip Gordon, and dumps King for the win at 20:30.

Rating: C. This was an entertaining enough battle royal with a surprise ending. Gordon is a safe bet for a future title shot as he’ll get in a good match and there’s always the chance he might pull off an upset. There were enough stories going on in here and they advanced some stuff, so well done with the whole thing, especially for a battle royal.

Post break, Gordon says he’s coming for the title at Supercard of Honor.

From Gateway To Honor.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. PCO vs. Mark Haskins

PCO is defending. They start very fast with Rush knocking PCO and Haskins to the floor back to back. PCO comes back in for the power showdown and knocks Rush outside in a hurry. That means the big suicide dive but Haskins’ version is pulled out of the air for a chokeslam onto the apron. PCO’s big flip dive off the top only hits apron as Rush pulls Haskins out of the way.

We take a break and come back with Rush knocking PCO off of the apron and Haskins hitting a suicide dive. A top rope double stomp hits Rush for two and there’s a PK for the same on PCO. Back up and PCO cleans house with no real problem but Rush suplexes him into the corner.

PCO tackles Rush down but Haskins makes the save with another top rope double stomp. There’s a chokeslam from PCO to Haskins and the PCOsault connects….but Rush pulls the referee out. Cue NWA World Champion Nick Aldis to knock PCO silly with the World Title, allowing Rush to knock PCO into the corner. The Bull’s Horns gives Rush the title back at 10:22.

Rating: C+. I can always go for Haskins and Rush has all the star power you could ask for. You throw in PCO as the monster and the match was about as entertaining as it could have been. There is nothing wrong with having PCO get the title at Final Battle for the feel good moment and then lose it back here, though it’s almost frustrating to imagine where the ROH/NWA feud could have gone in the future.

From ROH TV, November 4.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Tracy Williams

For the vacant title. They shake hands to start and Williams towers over him. It’s straight to the grappling early on but neither can get a hiptoss. Instead they head outside for a staredown until Williams gets back in and holds the rope open for Gresham. Back in and Williams starts working on the arm but Gresham slips out and we take a break. We come back with no time having elapsed (sweet) and Gresham starting in on Williams’ arm to take over for the first time. Williams goes to the ropes to get a breather and then chops Gresham right back down.

A cravate of all things gives Williams two and Gresham has to go to the ropes as well. There’s a spear to Williams but he’s right back up with a clothesline in the corner. Gresham hits a suplex with Williams popping up again for another chop. A bridging German suplex gets two on Williams and a collision in the corner puts them both on the floor in a heap.

Back in and Williams gets two off a brainbuster, setting up the Crossface to stay on the neck/shoulder. That means a second rope break from Gresham, who is back with a bridging German suplex of his own. Gresham forearms him down for two more but he can’t get a Kimura in full. Williams is back up with a piledriver for two, with Gresham using the final rope break. They both need a breather and Gresham pulls him into the Octopus for the sudden tap at 14:37.

Rating: B. Well that was sudden. I was expecting this to go closer to half an hour and it didn’t even make it to fifteen minutes. That’s quite the out of nowhere ending but Gresham seemed to be the favorite to win the title from the beginning of the tournament so it’s hardly a bad idea. It was a setup for a match, but the lack of time brought it down from where it could have been.

Post match Jay Lethal comes out to celebrate and respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I can always go for a Best Of show as it almost guarantees some quality stuff. That was the case here as there were some good matches from the better wrestlers around the company. It’s time to get back to normal though and hopefully that is where we go next week, as there are some things that need to be done around here. Good stuff here, but it can only last for so long.

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Ring Of Honor TV – June 3, 2020 (Best Of Rush): It Took Long Enough

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: June 3, 2020

It’s finally time to take a look at Rush. Yeah you know, the World Champion? Somehow it took us almost nine weeks but we’re finally looking at the biggest star in the company. Rush has a charisma that you can’t manufacture and it should be good to see what he’s done around here. Let’s get to it.

Rush highlight video.

Rush talks about what a big deal it was to come to Ring of Honor and make a big impression. His family supported him and eventually he won the World Title.

From Death Before Dishonor 2019.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Matt Taven

Taven is defending but Rush one ups him in a white suit. They slug it out at the bell with both of them hitting some hard kicks to the head. It’s already time to go outside with Rush being sent into the barricade and then the timekeeper’s table. A backdrop puts Taven down on the ramp and there’s a whip to even the count of trips into the barricade.

Rush looks over at his family in the front row but gets suplexed over the top and back to the floor for a nasty crash. Taven hits ANOTHER suicide dive (people come on with that already) and the Flight of the Conqueror to really rock Rush. Back in and some strikes to the head give Taven two, followed by a DDT for the same. Rush fights back and pulls off a piece of the barricade to toss into Taven’s….well everything really.

Some fish hooking ensues as Taven is in some sudden trouble. Rush slams him onto the timekeeper’s table, freaking Coleman out in a bad way. Back in and Rush hammers away, setting up Tranquilo to really pop the crowd. A missile dropkick connects, only to have Taven avoid the Swanton.

Rush is fine enough to hit something like a Jay Driller for two but Taven grabs the Climax for two of his own. A German suplex sends Taven into the corner but he’s up with a spear to cut off the Bull’s Horns. Three straight running knees to the head rock Rush so Taven goes up, only to get caught in the Tree of Woe. A pair of Bulls’ Horns gives us a new champion at 16:14.

Rating: B. They did what they needed to do here as Taven died as champion (though he was getting better near the end) and Rush was the hottest thing in the company. He survived Taven’s best here and beat him so what more do you want? This was a solid main event and gave us the ending it needed so I’m rather pleased.

Taven eventually shakes his hand and Rush celebrates with his dad and Dragon Lee (brother) to end the show.

Jeff Cobb was ready to challenge for the title.

From Honor United 2019: Bolton.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Jeff Cobb

Cobb is challenging and they slug it out to start with Rush getting the better of it and forearming Cobb out to the floor. That lets Rush chill in the ring while Cobb tells him to bring it outside. Some swearing brings the champ to the floor to keep up the slugout, with Cobb grabbing a German suplex. Cobb slides back in and strikes Rush’s pose before heading outside again for a whip into the barricade.

Back in and Cobb slowly stomps away and gets a rather lackluster two, with Colt Cabana calling him out for the lack of effort. Rush isn’t having any of that disrespect and slugs away to send Cobb outside. This time Cobb is sent into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Cobb still in trouble and Rush grabbing the chinlock. For some reason Rush tries a suplex, which you just don’t do to Cobb.

After Rush crashes hard from the suplex, he’s right back with a triangle choke on the rope to slow Cobb back down. Rush gets in his own pose and it’s time to slug it out again. A jumping knee staggers Cobb but he nails a superkick, only to get caught with the Canadian Destroyer. That’s still not enough to keep Cobb down as he pops up with a hard clothesline for the double knockdown. Back up and Cobb dropkicks him off the top, only to bring him back in with the deadlift superplex.

That’s good for two and we take another break. Back again with Rush superplexing him for two but Cobb is right back up to catch him on top a second time. Cobb gets knocked into the Tree of Woe and the Alberto double stomp gets two. Rush stomps away in the corner but the Bull’s Horns are cut off with a heck of a spear. Tour of the Islands is countered into a small package for two and Rush suplexes Cobb into the corner. Now the Bull’s Horns for two, followed by a second one to retain at 16:27.

Rating: B. This was a match about two people beating the heck out of each other and Rush getting to show his more physical size. It’s the kind of match that is going to make Rush seem harder to beat, which is exactly the point here. Cobb is someone you can reheat in a hurry and that is a valuable monster to have, whenever Ring of Honor is actually back.

Respect is shown post match.

We see Rush losing the title to PCO at Final Battle, forming La Faccion Ingobernable, and winning the title back.

Rush talks about how he’s training harder than ever and he’s ready to take out everyone, stronger than ever.

Overall Rating: B+. Rush is the kind of guy who can serve as a good (and possibly long term) transitional champion as it is going to take a special performance to beat him. This show made him look like a star, along with making the PCO reign seem all the less necessary. Rush could be a star in any company through sheer intensity and talent, and he’s been a strong performer in Ring of Honor so far. Just keep it up, and find a little something else for him to do. Like face Dragon Lee down the line, which is probably coming one day (thank goodness).

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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Ring Of Honor TV – April 15, 2020 (Best Of PCO): Too Far

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: April 15, 2020

It’s PCO week as we continue the highlight episodes. I’m not sure what to expect from this one as PCO hasn’t been around the company that long. It was cool to see his career renaissance but I’m not entirely sure how smart it was to push him all the way to the main event scene. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

PCO talks about how long he has worked to get here. At one point he quit but then he had one more chance. Now he believes that he isn’t human and here he is. A few months ago he and Brody King made it to the finals of a tournament to become the new #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. After they won, the Briscoes attacked them and he never felt the pain. This set up their big showdown for the titles at the 17^th Anniversary Show where he and King won the titles for PCO’s huge moment. It was enough to get him into the tournament for the #1 contendership to the World Title and that’s where we’re going.

From ROH TV, November 13, 2019.

#1 Contenders Tournament Finals: PCO vs. Marty Scurll

They’re both part of the Six Man Tag Team Champions, though it helps when you almost never defend the things. Before the match, Scurll suggests they wrestle a clean match…and then hits him with the umbrella for two. PCO shrugs it off and hits the standing splash as we take a break. Back with Scurll hitting an enziguri on top and scoring with an Iconoclasm.

They head to the floor with PCO going into the barricade so Scurll can pose a bit. It’s back inside for a chop off but PCO goes with a powerbomb and spear to take over. The chokeslam sets up the Swanton for two more and they head right back to the floor with PCO setting up a table. Scurll gets off of it before PCO can dive and sends PCO through it instead.

We take another break and come back with PCO hitting a powerslam but the referee was bumped. Cue Brody King for a Boss Man Slam on PCO to give Scurll two. Scurll hits PCO by mistake though and walks into a sidewalk slam for two. The PCOsault is broken up and the ref gets bumped again, but it’s Flip Gordon to kick PCO down. A belt shot gives Scurll two so PCO flip dives onto King and Gordon. The PCOsault connects for two but the Cannonball to the apron misses. Well not the apron but Scurll at least. PCO is fine enough to hit a clothesline and the PCOsault for the pin and the title shot at 14:33.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This one was designed to make PCO look like a killer but that had been done in previous weeks. It’s another day where you look at Scurll and try to figure out why he isn’t a multiple time World Champion already, but ROH has not been known for its bright ideas in this area as of late. PCO getting a chance is fine, though he isn’t someone I would build my biggest show of the year around.

Post match, Scurll tells him to go win the World Title.

Then it was time for the title match against Rush at Final Battle.

Ring of Honor World Title: PCO vs. Rush

PCO is challenging and anything goes. They stare each other down to start and forearm it out with PCO shouting a lot. A clothesline drops Rush but he stops a suicide dive with a chair to the head. Rush whips him with a camera cord, followed by the running slap in the face in the corner. That means a Tranquilo pose but Rush would rather go over the barricade to get a small ladder. He throws the ladder at PCO and then wedges it in the corner before whipping PCO hard into said ladder/corner.

The posing takes too long though and it’s a pop up powerbomb to send Rush outside. PCO misses the Swanton to the apron though and Rush suplexes him onto the timekeeper’s table. They fight up the aisle and Rush hits him in the head with a barricade. Rush stacks up a bunch of barricades and chairs before throwing PCO off the stage for a huge crash.

PCO is a bit dead so here’s his trainer Destro to pop open the hoot of a well placed hearse…..and jump start PCO using some jumper cables. Well of course he does, allowing PCO to chokeslam Rush onto the car. Rush suplexes him off of the car and heads back to the ring, only to have PCO stagger after him.

That means it’s time for some doors, with Rush standing them up in opposite corners. Rush knocks him down and gets one off a top rope backsplash. PCO gets sent through the door but of course he’s right back up to send Rush through another door. The PCOsault gets two so Rush goes outside to beat up Destro. The delay lets PCO hit a chokeslam and another PCOsault through a table finishes Rush at 22:28.

Rating: D. And no. The problem here comes down to the fact that Ring of Honor was in a terrible place at this point and this is what they give us for the main event of the biggest show of the year? It was just a brawl, but a very slow paced one that should have been about ten minutes shorter. The PCO story is a nice inspirational one about never giving up on your dream, but this was a really rough sit, especially in this spot. It wasn’t the right way to go given where Ring of Honor was and it was a pretty terrible match as a result. Cut this down to ten minutes and put it in the middle of the card and maybe, but not like this.

PCO talks about how dreams come true and he can’t believe this happened. He thanks everyone who helped get him here, from his fellow Villain Enterprises teammates to Destro to the fans. This is only the beginning.

Overall Rating: D-. I really don’t get the PCO thing. It’s a nice story and PCO did an amazing job of reinventing himself but making him World Champion when you have Marty Scurll right there next to him? Yes I’m aware of Scurll’s contract situation around the time, but how many other people would have been better off in the spot? Just too much for someone who doesn’t have enough to make something like this work.

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

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Ring Of Honor TV – March 11, 2020: Maybe Sort Of?

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.

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

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Ring of Honor Final Battle 2019: Not In This Spot

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Final Battle 2019
Date: December 13, 2019
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Colt Cabana

Yeah I know it’s been awhile since this show took place but given the place Ring of Honor has been in over the last few….well nearly years now, it took some time to get me to care enough to do the show. That being said, the company has a tendency to be a lot better when they just stick to the wrestling so hopefully that is the case here. Let’s get to it.

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

We do get a nice inclusion from commentary as they say they have three pre-show matches scheduled but they are subject to time constraints. Why is that so hard to figure out? Castle is already running his mouth on the apron as Hendry and Young lock up to start. Young headlocks him down but Hendry powers up and nips up off another headlock attempt. Castle and Woods come in for a wrestle off with neither being able to get the better of things.

With that giving us a standoff, it’s Hendry coming back in to suplex Young. A jawbreaker gets Young out of trouble so everything breaks down, leaving Castle to get in trouble. Young kicks him in the head so Woods can get two off a half nelson. Castle finally suplexes his way to freedom and it’s back to Hendry to clean house. Everything breaks down again and Castle walks into Young’s backbreaker/clothesline combination. There’s a suplex to Hendry and a catapult into a running knee finishes Castle at 9:14.

Rating: C. Just a tag match here and that’s a good way to open the show. Young and Woods are starting to get some momentum with the fans and it is pretty clear that they are going to be turned face in the near future. Hendry and Castle on the other hand, not so much, as there isn’t much to them other than they’re a waky pair who can’t win much of anything.

The Bouncers, sitting in the front row, aren’t impressed with Young and Woods.

Pre-Show: Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus

King has Amy Rose with him and it’s a battle over who was the Marty Jannetty of the All Night Express. Titus’ wife and son are in the front row, more or less guaranteeing that he loses here. As a bonus, King comes out to the Express’ theme song. Feeling out process to start and they go head to head for some expressions of anger. They both miss kicks to the head and it’s an early standoff.

King sends him throat first into the top rope though and a clothesline takes Titus down again. Titus is right back up to send King outside, meaning a slingshot dive can hit him even harder. After a quick kiss to his son, Titus suplexes King on the floor, only to get spinebustered onto the apron. Back in and a belly to belly suplex into the corner gives King two, followed by the camel clutch.

That’s broken up in a hurry and Titus hits a clothesline, setting up a high crossbody for two. King is back up and tries a Lethal Injection, only to get dropkicked in the back. A Royal Flush plants King for two as the mind games are on. Some running kicks in the corner look to set up….something that we don’t get to see because Rose grabs Titus’ foot. The referee yells at her and it’s a low blow into the Royal Flush to finish Titus at 11:09.

Rating: C-. The action was fine but my goodness they are killing anything they could have with Titus every time he loses like this. I’m also not sure how smart it is to have heels win the first two matches (though Woods and Young are borderline) as the action was good, but not good enough that the fans don’t need something to cheer for. That and I have no reason to believe that King is going anywhere, because, you know, he never does.

Pre-Show: Jeff Cobb vs. Dan Maff

They go with the slugout to start and Maff takes him down off a shoulder. Cobb is knocked outside so Maff hits a suicide dive, so Cobb muscles him up with a suplex back inside. That just earns him a Pounce as the bigger Maff has a rare power advantage here. The Cannonball (WAY too popular a move in wrestling these days) misses Cobb in the corner and he muscles Maff up for the apron superplex.

Cobb hits a clothesline so hard that he falls outside, allowing Maff to come back with a superkick. Back in and they slug it out until Cobb grabs a German suplex. A bunch of strikes in the corner set up a running European uppercut but Maff won’t go down. Maff comes back with a spear but another suplex sends him flying again. A powerbomb out of the corner doesn’t work for Maff and it’s back to back Tours of the Islands to finish Maff at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Now that was a heck of a hoss fight as these guys beat the heck out of each other for a little while. That’s all you need to do at times, and it’s made even better when Cobb is strong enough to throw someone like Maff around. Maff is a monster in his own right and has had a rather nice resurgence in recent months.

Post match they shake hands and exchange chops in a display of respect….I think?

The opening video talks about how samurai fought for honor, but there were some how did not care. Tonight, it’s PCO vs. Rush for the World Title. It’s as sudden of a jump as it seems to be.

Villain Enterprises vs. Flamita/Bandido

Marty Scurll/Flip Gordon for the Villains here and Brody King is on commentary. Gordon shoulders Flamita down for a nip up to start and some headscissors work just as well. Marty and Bandido come in to trade rapid fire near falls into a standoff. Bandido snaps off a hurricanrana into a dropkick meaning it’s already back to Gordon. That goes badly as Bandido takes him down, allowing Flamita to climb onto Bandido’s shoulders for a splash.

Scurll comes in to take over though and a sunset flip gets two on Flamita. We settle down to Flamita superkicking Scurll down and Gordon getting knocked off the apron. A 619 sets up a running shooting star press for two and it’s a double Floss Dance into a double moonsault. Gordon comes back in, gets knocked outside again, and Flamita hits the big flip dive (after slipping that is). Scurll is back up with a tornado DDT to Flamita into a superkick from Gordon for two. Bandido is back up to kick both of them down, setting up the running flip dive.

Back in and Flamita superkicks Scurll, followed by a Spanish Fly to plant Gordon. Scurll is back up with a powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination for two on Flamita but Scurll kicks Gordon by mistake. A quick neckbreaker puts Flamita on the floor and Bandido hits a super fall away slam on Gordon. Scurll is right back with the chickenwing on Bandido but Flamita makes the save with a springboard 450. The X Knee puts Gordon on the ropes and Scurll is knocked behind him. That means a 619 into a double 21 Plex for the pin at Scurll at 13:51.

Rating: B. Sometimes you need four guys to go out there and have a fast paced tag match to open the show and that’s what we got here. Flamita and Bandido can do all kinds of things in the ring and look awesome at the same time so they could be an awesome addition. Then you have the Villains, who are as over as anyone in the company. Good match and a great choice for an opener.

We recap Matt Taven vs. Vincent. They were in the Kingdom together but Vincent (Vinny Marseglia) wanted to do his own thing so he started attacking people. This included a big beatdown with Vincent attacking Taven and busting him open. Taven: “You’ve always lived in my shadow and now I’m going to make sure my shadow is covered in your blood.” That’s a heck of a line as Taven is already more interesting in about a week as a face than he was for years as a heel.

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

Taven goes straight at him to start and sends Vincent outside for the suicide dive. Kelly rapid fires off Taven’s resume as Vincent is backdropped over the barricade. That means a dive from Taven and a jumping enziguri in the corner back inside rocks Vincent again. There’s a powerbomb for two and a freaky leglock works on Vincent’s leg. That’s broken up so Taven grabs a DDT for two more but Vincent sends him outside for a drop onto the apron.

A suplex onto the exposed concrete bangs up Taven’s back even more and they head back inside. Instead of staying on the back though, Vincent starts in on the ankle with stomps and bending around the rope. That’s broken up though and Taven sends him to the floor for the Flight of the Conqueror, followed by a top rope splash to the apron for two.

Back in and Vincent grabs a Side Effect, followed by Redrum for a near fall of his own. A quick Climax gives Taven two more and a second gets the same, leaving Taven stunned. With that not working, naturally it’s time for a hatchet but the attempted murder is countered into a Dudley Dog to finish Taven at 13:32.

Rating: C+. I’m as shocked as you are that Taven is working so well as a face. He really does seem to have been missing the point all this time and while he isn’t a huge star, he’s good enough to work in a spot like this. I could go for more of him, but his ankle injury would put him on the shelf for a long time. That’s a shame too, as he’s more interesting than he ever has been around here.

Post match Bateman comes out and helps Vincent crush Taven’s ankle.

We recap Mark Haskins vs. Bully Ray. Pick any Bully story over the last few years and it’s the same thing, with Haskins standing up to him.

Bully Ray vs. Mark Haskins

Street fight and Haskins’ wife Vicky is with him. Ray jumps Haskins from behind with a barbed wire board and even hits Vicky for a bonus. A chair to the back is enough to hit the bell and it’s time to head inside, with Ray raking the cuts from the barbed wire. Some release German suplexes send Haskins flying and Ray yells at the referee. Ray throws in a piece of the barricade and tosses Haskins onto it as this is one sided so far.

The Bully Bomb drops Haskins again and let’s grab a cheese grater. Ray spends too much time posing though and it’s an enziguri to take him down. That’s a bit too much selling for Ray though and he throws in a kendo stick. He grabs the mic and talks about how he talked trash about Haskins’ family while caning him down. Haskins says hit him harder and flips him off before sending Ray face first into the open chair.

A Van Daminator (pump kick instead of a spinwheel kick) drops Ray and let’s have a ladder. Haskins climbs to Pillmanize the arm but Ray shoves the ladder over, sending Haskins crashing into the barricade. Naturally it’s table time but Ray also throws in the barbed wire board and stacks it on top of the regular table.

Ray slams him through both and drops an elbow for two, with the kickout earning the referee a shot from behind. Another table is brought in, but first Ray needs to rub Haskins’ blood on his face. The middle rope splash is loaded up but Vicky comes back in with a cheese grater to the crotch. They both slam him down and Mark adds a top rope double stomp for the pin at 16:49.

Rating: D. It’s rarely a good sign when you can cut a match in half and have the same thing. This was a lot of slowly walking around and beating on Haskins until he came back and won. I don’t even watch all of the big Ring of Honor pay per views and I knew how this was going to go. It’s how every Ray feud/blowoff match goes and most people don’t get much out of it, but he’s on creative so here we are.

Alex Shelley vs. Colt Cabana

This was set up on the pre-show. Shelley leads the fans in the COLT CABANA chants and gets headlocked down for his efforts. A lot of rolling gets Cabana out of a wristlock and then he nearly handstands his way out of another. Shelley cranks on both arms at once for a change but Cabana reverses into a bodyscissors. That’s reversed into a surfboard but they get back up for a standoff. They run the ropes until Cabana grabs a wristlock, only to switch into the Superman pin for two. Back up and Shelley grabs the wrist but pulls him down into a crucifix for the pin at 6:33.

Rating: C. This was more of an exhibition than a regular match and that’s ok, especially considering it would wind up being Cabana’s last match with ROH. The fans like both of these guys a lot and it’s cool to see them getting to go out there and do something different than what we’ve been seeing so far. Fun little match too.

We recap Maria Manic vs. Angelina Love. Manic has been tormenting the Allure and now it’s time for her to actually have a match.

Maria Manic vs. Angelina Love

Angelina has Mandy Leon with her. Maria doesn’t waste time and slams Angelina down in a hurry but stops to beat up Leon as well. Some running boots hit Angelina in the corner as this is one sided so far. A Pearl River Plunge connects for no cover so Leon loads up the hairspray, only to have it kicked out of her hands. Mandy has to save Angelina from a piledriver on the apron so Maria beats her up and gorilla presses Love to the floor instead. Back in and a torture rack finishes Love, who didn’t get in a single bit of offense, at 6:22.

Rating: C. It wasn’t a competitive match whatsoever but dang that was fun and exactly what it should have been. There was no reason to have this be anything more than complete destruction and that’s exactly what they did. Then of course ROH almost managed to screw up Maria’s contract when she could have been a big deal, but that’s ROH for you.

We recap Shane Taylor vs. Dragon Lee. Taylor has been champion for a good while now and wants to set all of the records. Lee on the other hand is awesome so this could be interesting.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Dragon Lee

Taylor is defending and has all of his goons with him. Lee dropkicks him into the corner but charges into a spinebuster. That doesn’t seem to matter as he dropkicks Taylor to the floor, only to get slammed onto the apron. Taylor sends him into the barricade and then chokes on the apron for a bit as the beating begins. The big legdrop gets two and Taylor tells him to do something.

Lee dodges a charge in the corner (that would be something) and kicks Taylor to the floor for a heck of a suicide dive. An even bigger no hands flip dive takes him down again and a running dropkick in the corner gives Lee two. Some running strikes to the face have Taylor on the apron so Lee snaps off a top rope double stomp. Another top rope double stomp gets two….so Lee slaps him in the face.

Taylor knocks him right back down and a clothesline turns Lee inside out. The package piledriver gives Taylor two and a German suplex drops him again. Lee gets in a kick to the head in the corner though and the Alberto top rope double stomp gets two. Taylor snaps off Greetings From 216 for another near fall and the frustration is strong.

With nothing else working, Taylor pulls out a chain but Lee is back up to knock it away. Lee is right back with a knee to the face, a Canadian Destroyer and another running knee with the chain wrapped around it for two. The knee pad comes off and another running knee (bone to skull) gives Lee the pin and the title at 14:34.

Rating: B. This was a rather great back and forth power vs. speed match as the two of them beat each other up for about fifteen minutes. It’s as basic of a match formula as you can get and this one was very good, as the crazy talented Lee gets to take the title from the monster Taylor. I liked this more than anything else on the show and I can’t say I’m surprised by that whatsoever.

We recap Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham vs. the Briscoes. Gresham lured Lethal to the dark side with promises of success and since Lethal’s resume is only lacking a Tag Team Title, here we go.

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

The Briscoes are defending and for the sake of simplicity, Jay Briscoe will be referred to as Jay and Jay Lethal will be referred to as Lethal. PJ Black is on commentary for a bonus and the Briscoes’ family is in the crowd. Mark and Gresham start things off with Gresham taking it to the mat with ease. That doesn’t last long so it’s off to Jay vs. Lethal for some circling…and a tag to Gresham before there’s any contact. The Briscoes take Gresham into the corner for some chopping but he pulls Jay into the other corner to start working on the leg.

Jay avoids the basement dropkick and that means another standoff. Everything breaks down in a hurry and they all head outside with the Briscoes taking over. Mark throws a chair in for the running flip dive, setting up the Bang Bang elbow to Lethal. There’s a big boot to Gresham as it’s all Briscoes at the moment. Back in and Mark gets taken down by a dragon screw legwhip but Jay breaks up the Doomsday Device.

Jay cutters Lethal off the top and the Doomsday Device gets two on Gresham. We settle back down with Gresham hitting a springboard moonsault press on Mark, setting up the shooting star press for two. Gresham starts working on the leg even more and Lethal kicks the knee. A t-bone suplex gets Mark out of trouble though and it’s back to Jay to fire off the forearms.

Everything breaks down again and the Death Valley Driver plants Lethal. Gresham pulls the referee out at two and Lethal gets in a belt shot for the same. The Figure Four has Jay in more trouble until Mark makes the save with the Froggy Bow. The Doomsday Device is broken up though and Lethal rolls Jay up with a grab of the tights for the pin at 21:55.

Rating: B+. These guys beat each other up for a long time and it ended with the only realistic outcome. Lethal and Gresham had been set up as the big heels for a long time now and giving them the titles was the only way to go. The match was the awesome, action packed showdown that you would have expected and it was one of the best things about the show so far. Great match and the right result.

We recap PCO vs. Rush. PCO is 51 years old and trying to reach the top of the world after winning a tournament to gain the surprise title shot. Rush doesn’t really care.

Ring of Honor World Title: PCO vs. Rush

Villain Enterprises come out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s an up and down show with nothing that will blow you away, but a good string of solid enough matches to make it work. That being said, the bad stuff was rather bad and felt out of place on the biggest show of the year. Ring of Honor has gotten a bit better since this show, but they have so far to go to get back to anything close to good that one show doesn’t matter.

As it is, the show was more good than bad, but there are some major issues that stand out, including putting the promotion on PCO in a story that a lot of fans aren’t going to care about in a bad main event. It could have been worse though, and that’s not something you could say very often about this company in 2019.

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

Ring of Honor TV – December 25, 2019 (Best Of 2019 Part 1): It Helps When You Can Pick

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

From Best In The World.

TV Title: Bandido vs. Shane Taylor

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

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

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

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

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

From Global Wars Espectacular.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From ROH TV, July 31.

Briscoes vs. Dragon Lee/Rush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring Of Honor TV – December 18, 2019: Why Ring Of Honor Is Loved

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Everything tonight is from Unauthorized.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clips from some Unauthorized matches.

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

Lifeblood vs. Dragon Lee/Rush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Battle 2019 Preview

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

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

Pre-Show: Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus

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

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

Jeff Cobb vs. Dan Maff

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

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

Angelina Love vs. Maria Manic

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

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

Mark Haskins vs. Bully Ray

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

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

Bandido/Flamita vs. Villain Enterprises

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Taven vs. Vincent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

Ring of Honor TV – November 20, 2019: Kingdom Of Honor?

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: November 20, 2019
Location: York Hall, London, England
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Dalton Castle
Hosts: Quinn McKay, Ian Riccaboni

We’re over in England this week and maybe that can make the shows feel a little more important. After last week being dedicated to the #1 contenders tournament and almost nothing else, I could use something else on the road to Final Battle. Then again ROH doesn’t seem to realize that show is coming up so it’s hard to say what we are going to be getting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with highlights of TV Champion Shane Taylor going to a time limit draw with Joe Hendry, meaning Hendry gets a TV Title shot in London.

Long form clips of Jeff Cobb unsuccessfully challenging Rush for the World Title on the UK tour.

We look at Jonathan Gresham cheating to pin Jay Briscoe on the UK tour.

On the same show, Gresham offered Jay Lethal a chair to attack an injured Mark Briscoe. Lethal attacked Jay Briscoe with the chair and we have a big old heel turn. The big brawl was on with the referees having to break things up.

Later on the UK tour, Lethal says he is starting to understand what Gresham has been trying to say to him. Lethal has pride and love for wrestling but Gresham has gotten him to understand something: the best wrestlers around here do whatever they want to do, so that is what he and Gresham are going to do from now on. Now they want to level the playing field and on top of that, they want the Tag Team Titles.

The next night, Gresham attacked PCO with a chair to save Lethal, drawing out the Briscoes for the very delayed save.

We look at Kelly Klein getting the Women’s Title back, thanks to Maria Manic evening things out a bit.

Clips of Mandy Leon almost winning the title with a belt shot, only to have it taken back thanks to a Dusty Finish.

Clips of Mike Bailey vs. Flamita, the latter of whom has now signed with the company. This one looked good, though that may be due to seeing a bit more of it without the rapid fire clips.

Hendry is ready to win the TV Title.

Taylor says he’s going to knock Hendry out.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Joe Hendry

Taylor is defending and they both have their entourages with them, though it’s one on one when we get ready. During the referee’s instructions, Shane calls him a ballerina and they lock up against the ropes. Hendry takes him into the corner for a shove off as Castle isn’t all that impressed so far on commentary. Taylor spins out of a wristlock so Hendry does it a little bit better, which doesn’t mean much when you consider Hendry’s much smaller size.

A big shoulder drops Hendry and we take a break. Back with Hendry shouldering him to the floor but Taylor pulls him down with a Tower of London. The big leg on the apron makes it even worse and for some reason Hendry tries a suplex back inside. This goes as well as you would expect so Taylor chinlocks some sense into him. Back up and Hendry gets sent outside for a whip into the barricade. We take another break and come back with Hendry sending him into the barricade to even things up again.

Taylor is sent into the barricade a few more times but comes back with a shot to the face for two more. Hendry finally does hit that suplex and starts striking away, setting up a Codebreaker for another two. That means another slugout until Shane hits a heck of a package piledriver for a great near fall. A middle rope splash gets a slightly less great two but Hendry is up with the fall away slam into the ankle lock. Hendry even sits down with it before being kicked away. Taylor slips out of a slam though Greetings From 216 retains the title at 15:59.

Rating: C+. Hendry is someone who should be a star but it isn’t clicking for some reason. Maybe it’s the fall away slam finisher but the whole package isn’t coming together. That being said, it’s not like he is going to be pushed as anything more than a midcarder around here anyway. Just get things together so we can see what all he can do.

Overall Rating: D+. Again, we are less than a month away from Final Battle and this week focused on one match for the show. Lethal’s heel turn was a good angle, but I need more than a pretty hot Tag Team Title match to sell me on an event. Why they feel the need to wait that long is beyond me, but it seems to be a trend for this company. And they wonder why they’re in trouble.

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

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