IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 31, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still in Philadelphia and in this case we have a big time main event between a pair of brother tag teams with Rush/Dragon Lee vs. the Briscoes. These four are going to beat the heck out of each other and that’s what you want from a match between them. Other than that, we get to see what else is out there in something like this. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on the tag match, which does seem cool.

Josh Woods vs. Silas Young

Young bails straight to the floor at the bell and grabs the mic. He has something to say: what has Woods done since he’s been in Ring of Honor? Woods is a multi time National Champion and should be winning titles around here. Does Woods just want to come out here and get some golf claps while cute girls hoot at him? It seems to Young that Woods has a lot of learning to do so put up or shut up. The referee takes the mic and it’s a low blow into a small package (I’m not going there) to give Silas the pin at 2:37.

We look back at last week’s street fight, which was quite entertaining. Note that commentary says that we’re doing this because the previous match was shorter than expected. I love little details like that.

Jay Lethal talks about how awesome it was to wrestle in Madison Square Garden. Going there was the coolest train ride in his life but the ride back was the worst because he lost the World Title without getting pinned or tapping out. He wants the title back.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Joe Keys/Dante Caballero/Brian Johnson

Ryan Nova kicks Keys in the head to start and it’s quickly off to Isom to slam Caballero. Cheeseburger slaps Johnson to the floor but gets caught in the corner with Keys uppercutting away. A suplex plants Cheeseburger for two and Caballero sends him into the corner so the beating can continue.

Caballero hits Keys by mistake though (made better as they’re facing off in the Top Prospect Tournament) and it’s off to Isom to clean house. White Noise gets two on Caballero but Keys knocks him down again by mistake. With Keys and Johnson taken out, Isom and Nova hold Caballero up for a top rope double stomp from Cheeseburger for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: D+. I don’t like the Squad but I like the Top Prospect Tournament even less. I’m not sure what the point is for having a tournament of people that we’ve seen multiple times on the show, but it’s one of those traditions that could work well for them later on. The tournament is hit and miss so it could be a lot worse, but it’s hard to care about a jobber tournament. I will however give them points for telling a story here as the Squad beats some competition and the Keys vs. Caballero match is set up. It’s not interesting, but they did it in a nice way.

Post match Caballero and Keys fight some more.

Video on Sumie Sakai, who you will like, respect and care about no matter what you think of her.

Sumie Sakai vs. Karissa Rivera

Kelly Klein is on commentary and this is Rivera’s TV debut. Sumie goes for the arm to start but Rivera is right back up with an armbar of her own. They trade some pinfall attempts and come back from a quick break with Sumie getting a few more near falls of her own. A Boston crab into a leglock has Rivera in more trouble until she makes the rope.

Rivera hiptosses her way out of an abdominal stretch and gets two off a bicycle kick. Smash Mouth gives Sakai two and a missile dropkick is good for the same. They slug it out until Rivera hits a spinebuster for two of her own. Smash Mouth is broken up again and Rivera sits down on a sunset flip attempt for the upset pin at 9:50.

Rating: D-. This was messy, Klein was reaching new levels of boring on commentary and the match felt long, but above all else there is still zero reason to care about these people. Sakai’s claim to fame is that she’s been around here a long time and Rivera’s claim is that she’s done good stuff before. Still no personalities or characters, because they NEVER learn with this division and the problem gets worse and worse every time.

Post match, Sakai shoves the interviewer out of the way and shakes Rivera’s hand. That’s a relief. It was getting close to being interesting.

Silas Young tells Josh Woods that he is doing Woods a favor.

An edgier Coast to Coast won a match on Honor Club.

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: C+. The main event was just about the only good thing on here and thankfully it’s just about great. ROH still knows how to do some awesome tag stuff but e pluribus gads they’re stuck on everything else. The women’s division has been a disaster since its inception and the Top Prospect Tournament has mixed results at best. Oh and Taven is back next week to make everything, ahem, better. This company needs a lot of changes and I don’t know how long they’re going to be able to put them off. Then again that has been the case for a long time so maybe this is as good as it gets.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: June 19, 2019
Location: The Odeum, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

The Chicago run continues as we move towards Best in the World. That can mean a few different things, but tonight it’s a four corner survival match with no connection to the pay per view. Never let it be said that Ring of Honor spends all of its time before a pay per view getting ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hikuleo vs. Hirooki Goto

Goto gets shoved down to start as this is likely going to be a physical one. They grapple a bit and it’s off to an early break. Back with Goto’s Saito suplex being blocked with elbows to the head and some hard chops. A knee to the head cuts Hikuleo off though and Goto heads up top.

As expected, that’s not a good idea as a superplex brings him right back down. They trade clotheslines until Hikuleo gets the better of it but Goto is right back with a headbutt. The fireman’s carry backbreaker drops Hikuleo again and the GTR (kind of the Eye of the Hurricane onto a knee) gives Goto the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C-. I’ve never cared for either of these guys (though Goto has been fine at times) and this felt like a match whose sole appeal was the inclusion of New Japan talent. That’s not the most interesting thing in the world and this felt like a match that just came and went. Not terrible, but I won’t remember it by the end of the show.

Kenny King showed that he was the better man in their first match and he’ll win the second too. Maybe he’ll just use the Lethal Injection again.

Kelly Klein/Jenny Rose vs. Allure

It’s Mandy Leon/Angelina Love for the non-Beautiful People here. And never mind as Allure jumps them from behind during the break and there’s no match.

The tag match will take place at Best in the World instead. Well at least they didn’t waste time with the bait and switch this time around.

We look back at the Briscoe Brothers going nuts and coming after the NWA, both at the Crockett Cup and last week.

Best in the World rundown, including some clips for some of the matches.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. PJ Black/Mark Haskins/Tracy Williams

Williams throws Cheeseburger down without much effort so Cheeseburger spins around into a headlock. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Black vs. Isom with Eli jumping around and hitting a knee to the chest. Back from a break with Haskins kicking Nova into the wrong corner to take over.

Black adds a top rope stomp, followed by Haskins’ guillotine legdrop to the back of the head. A missed charge in the corner allows the tag to Isom so house can be cleaned for a bit. That means a moonsault to the floor to take Black down and Cheeseburger’s Swanton gets two on Haskins. Back up and Haskins hits a sitout Samoan driver on Isom. Black adds the moonsault double stomp for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C. This is another match match that existed and that’s not the most thrilling thing in the world. The Squad continues to be little more than a bunch of jobbers while Lifeblood and Black could be fine if they got some better opponents. The fans seemed to like it though so it’s hard to complain all that much.

Post match handshakes abound and Haskins calls out Bully Ray for a fight anywhere.

Jeff Cobb vs. Rush vs. PCO vs. Jay Lethal

One fall to a finish with Matt Taven on commentary. Rush won’t shake hands to start because he’d rather forearm PCO in the face. An exchange of shoulders gives us a big staredown, followed by Lethal’s chops having no effect on PCO. A hiptoss into the cartwheel dropkick works just fine but PCO is waiting on the dive. Lethal isn’t sure what to do and neither is Cobb. Rush rolls into a tranquilo pose so Lethal knocks him down and hits a dive.

Lethal’s dive is caught by PCO with a chokeslam onto the apron and a Vader Bomb gets two on Rush. There’s a chokeslam for two on Cobb as Rush makes the save and suplexes Lethal. Rush runs PCO over but walks into a superkick from Cobb. The very delayed vertical suplex slam doesn’t worry Taven but Cobb suplexing PCO does a bit. Cobb pulls Lethal out of the corner into the swinging belly to back suplex as we take a break. Back with Lethal hitting a DDT on Cobb and a Downward Spiral on Rush at the same time.

Both Lethal and PCO head up top so Cobb goes up with them, meaning it’s a Tower of Doom with Rush powerbombing all three down. Rush can’t cover so the bloody PCO sits up. The Lethal Injection is countered with a pop up powerbomb for two with Cobb making the save. Rush’s overhead belly to belly gets two on Cobb but the strikes have little effect on PCO. PCO’s top rope flip dive only hits apron and it’s the Lethal Injection to Rush. Cue Kenny King to yell at Lethal for stealing his moves and Cobb hits the Tour of the Islands to finish Lethal at 13:16.

Rating: B. The ending was a relief as I was worried about having someone other than the #1 contender winning here. At least they didn’t do anything stupid like having someone outside of the main person winning, and King interfering helped things out a lot. It’s a nice main event and easily the best thing on the show so far.

Overall Rating: C+. If this company ever learned how to properly use their television time leading up to a pay per view, I’d be tempted to buy them a sandwich. What was the point in the opener other than to show that New Japan still does business with them? We’re less than two weeks away from a pay per view and how many matches received no build here? This shouldn’t be complicated but it’s been a problem for them since before I can remember. Do promos or a squash match or something, but get us to want to buy the pay per view, not New Japan World.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 22, 2019
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the 400^th episode and in this case we actually have something special for the main event. This time around it’s Flip Gordon getting a World Title shot against Matt Taven, who is making his first defense after winning the title in Madison Square Garden. Other than that, the Six Man Tag Team Titles are on the line. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Jeff Cobb/Jay Lethal/Rush vs. Villain Enterprises

Villain Enterprise are defending against a random trio. PCO and Lethal start things off with the former shouting a lot before doing anything. Lethal refuses to hit him from behind but a chop has no effect on PCO. The hiptoss into the basement dropkick has no effect so Lethal does it again to the same result. Another dropkick puts PCO on the floor and he welcomes a suicide dive, scaring Lethal away.

Lethal eventually loads it up anyway but Marty Scurll jumps him from behind to take over. It’s off to Rush vs. Scurll, which isn’t as historic as Ian thinks it is. Rush starts flipping around and it’s a standoff with the fans being rather appreciative. Now it’s King vs. Cobb as the blind Kenny King joins commentary. An exchange of shoulders goes nowhere so Cobb snaps off a hurricanrana and brings Lethal back in. King crossbodies both of them down at once and snaps off his own hurricanrana.

Everything breaks down and Lethal fires off some dropkicks, only to get caught in a suplex/apron superkick combination on the floor. Back from a break with Lethal not being able to suplex King because King is, you know, huge. Instead it’s back to Rush as everything breaks down. The Bull’s Horns are loaded up in the corner but Rush settles for the running slap instead.

Scurll kicks him in the leg though and nails a low superkick but the chickenwing is broken up with a headbutt. Cobb starts suplexing people with a German version to PCO and an overhead belly to belly to Scurll. The standing moonsault gets two on Scurll with King making the save. Just to show off, Cobb suplexes Scurll and King at the same time. PCO shoves Cobb over the top and it’s King hitting the running flip dive. PCO gets backdropped onto them as well as the champs are rolling.

Back in and King tries a German suplex on Cobb, with Scurll sunset flipping his partner to send Cobb flying. King dives onto Lethal and Rush, leaving Scurll to hit a 619, with King diving in for a Cannonball to Cobb’s back at the same time. Back in and Cobb superkicks PCO, setting up Hail To The King to give Lethal….no cover as PCO sits up. Rush dropkicks PCO in the back of the head so a second Hail To The King can get….two as Scurll makes another save. Lethal Injection hits Scurll but King counters another into a spinning torture rack bomb. PCO adds the moonsault to retain at 14:17.

Rating: B+. Well that was a blast. This was all about complete insanity and PCO getting a pin over someone as big as Lethal should keep him in the World Title situation. I had a great time with this as they didn’t bother with tagging for the most part and just had an entertaining match. That’s what the Six Man Titles are all about and it worked really well here. Nicely done.

We see the same video from last week looking at Flip Gordon’s knee injury and road to recovery.

During the break, King came off commentary and choked Lethal, showing that he was NOT blind, a full week after debuting the gimmick.

We look back at the Soldiers of Savagery debuting last week to the confusion of Bully Ray and Shane Taylor.

We recap Taven vs. Gordon. Taven won the title at Supercard of Honor and Gordon won the Sea of Honor tournament to earn the shot.

Ring of Honor World Title: Flip Gordon vs. Matt Taven

Taven is defending and has TK O’Ryan in his corner, meaning Vinny Marseglia is lined up for interference. Gordon starts fast with a shotgun dropkick but gets backdropped to the apron. That’s fine with Gordon who nails an enziguri, setting up a monkey flip to send the champ flying. Taven sends him outside but Gordon is right back in with a rollup through the ropes, setting up a suicide dive to keep Taven in trouble.

Hang on though as Gordon has to adjust his knee brace, which isn’t a good sign. O’Ryan has to be superkicked away though and Taven gets in a shot from behind to take over. That means some condescending applause from the champ but Gordon is fine enough to kick him down and hit a standing moonsault. The knee is tweaked again though and Taven kicks it out to send Gordon outside. A running charge gets Gordon hiptossed into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Gordon still in trouble, including the leglock to go with some logic. Gordon gets sent outside with the knee being even more banged up on the crash. A Blue Thunder Bomb into a half crab keeps Gordon in trouble. The rope grab lets Gordon fight back up with right hands and the knee is fine enough for the reverse Alabama Slam into the corner. Something like the Nightmare on Helm Street gets two and we take another break. Back again with Gordon going up top but getting punched in the face.

Gordon fires off some kicks to the head but another kick to the knee gets Taven out of trouble. The middle rope Russian legsweep plants the champ though and the spinning Falcon Arrow gives Gordon two. Taven grabs one heck of a pop up powerbomb and knees Gordon in the face for two more. It’s Gordon’s turn as he grabs a fireman’s carry for a swinging TKO but there are the red balloons (you knew they were coming) to break up the 450. A hanging Climax retains the title at 16:39.

Rating: B-. Yeah we know that’s how Taven wins matches because it’s the trope they’ve created for them. It’s not interesting and it’s not creative and they didn’t even try to hide it at the beginning with Marseglia nowhere to be found. Taven is more than watchable in the ring but he’s reached his peak of interest six weeks into his title reign. That’s what happens when your whole persona is “I’m a villain and everyone is against me”. Good match, but it didn’t feel important or epic at all.

Overall Rating: A. What were you expecting here? Ring of Honor has shown that they are far more interesting when they cut out the storyline elements and focus on the in-ring product. That’s what they did here and the show was a lot of fun as a result. This was all about having two very good matches with some minor stuff in between. What more could you possibly need from a show like this?

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 3, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s the go home show for the New Japan/Madison Square Garden Show and the first bit of fallout from the Anniversary Show. I’m not sure what they can do to set up and deal with those shows in the span of forty five minutes, though I’m so used to it at this point that it doesn’t matter. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Kingdom vs. Villain Enterprises for the Six Man Tag Team Titles. There’s enough for that to earn a recap?

Opening sequence.

Mark Haskins vs. Rush

Dalton Castle is on commentary and Rush kicks the hand away because he’s a little rudo. They grapple against the ropes and an amateur off on the mat goes to a standoff. Haskins’ chops have no effect so Rush knocks him to the floor and the beating is on. Back in and Rush stares down at Castle, who isn’t scared because he walked Fremont Street last night. Rush kicks at Haskins’ head so Haskins slugs away as the hard shots continue. A big shot sends Rush outside but he’s ready for the dive, allowing Haskins to swing back inside for a cool visual.

Haskins seems to drop him on a suplex attempt so it’s something like a V Trigger instead. Rush is right back with a fireman’s carry cutter for two of his own, setting up the running kick in the corner. The Tranquilo pose takes too long so Haskins comes after the arm, only to get powerbombed into the corner. Haskins is right back up with a Samoan driver for two of his own but walks into a running Canadian Destroyer. You don’t sell something like that though as Haskins hits a tornado DDT for a double nine count. Back up and Rush has had it, suplexing Haskins into the corner for the Bull’s Horns for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of the young talent that Ring of Honor has brought in and how much better things can be with them around. There is more talent out there than just the Bullet Club and it’s a good move to showcase some of these people. Let us see who we like and what they can do, kind of like what made ROH work in the first place.

Castle is fired up and wants to punch the farm animal in the face and roast him for dinner.

We look at the Tag Team Title vs. Tag Team Title match being set up for Madison Square Garden. Since this is wrestling though, the match turned into a four way with the two champions (Guerrillas of Destiny and Villain Enterprises) being joined by Evil/Sanada and the Briscoe Brothers.

We look at the World Title three way match becoming a ladder match, which I think took place earlier in this taping cycle but is being included here due to scheduling issues.

Jeff Cobb says Will Ospreay beat him in a tag match in Japan for his only loss in Ring of Honor. At MSG, let’s make it title for title. Why we need to see this challenge now when it was announced at the Anniversary Show isn’t clear.

Also at MSG: Mayu Iwatani defends the Women’s Title against Kelly Klein, because THAT’S ALL THIS DIVISION IS GOOD FOR. We see a video on Klein not being sure if she’s good enough because she couldn’t get the title back. This is the biggest match in Women of Honor history. Good for it. Still don’t care because ROH hasn’t given me a reason to care in the slightest.

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

The Kingdom is defending and it’s a brawl to start (like it could be anything else) with all six fighting to the floor. Brody King goes inside and hits a big flip dive to take everyone out, including landing on his feet for a bonus. Back in and the Kingdom starts taking over on Marty’s leg, followed by a butterfly backbreaker for two on Scurll. Taven slams him down, declares himself the real World Champion, and brings Marseglia back in.

Scurll finally rolls over for an enziguri to bring in PCO for the crazy power, including pop up powerbombs all around. Marseglia manages to take him down with a cutter but it’s King coming in for a German suplex. We settle down to Scurll not being able to get the chickenwing on Marseglia and it’s a blind tag to bring Taven back in for the frog splash and a near fall with King making the save. Scurll fights off a triple stomp in the corner as PCO and King come back in to take over.

O’Ryan gets caught on the ropes for a 619 from Marty with a Cannonball to the back at the same time for a cool visual. King chops away but gets triple teamed, capped off by Rockstar Supernova. Scurll is legal though, allowing PCO to get back up and drive Marseglia into the apron a few times. Taven’s dive doesn’t work but PCO’s Cannonball from the apron connects to send us to a break. Back with Marseglia powerbombing PCO onto the ramp but it’s a chickenwing to make O’Ryan tap for the titles at 16:13. The post break part was barely a minute long.

Rating: C+. This one is going to depend on your taste as it was a wild brawl for the most part, but these people excel in wild brawling, making it a rather entertaining match. It also helps if you completely ignore the Six Man Tag Team Titles being some of the easiest titles in the world to win. Fun enough match though, and it does add something to the World Title match for a change.

Various wrestlers talk about what it means to be wrestling in Madison Square Garden. Castle thinks it’s BANANAS and Taven thinks the Kingdom Conspiracy was just a setup so he could be headlining this show. Either way, it’s a rather awesome deal for them to be at the arena and should put to rest any debate about ROH vs. Impact.

Overall Rating: C+. While the very (and I mean VERY) rushed build worked, it’s sad that this is the best they can do. They really can’t find some way to film some of the stuff in advance or have some of the post pay per view stuff come later when you can have some more filler episodes? It would actually have a flow instead of letting everything just stall for weeks before we get to something like this almost literally all at once. It’s not a bad show, but I have no idea if I want to see the show or not because it came flying at me all in one hour. That can’t be the best solution, but it’s the one they use every single time.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

17^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 15, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nick Aldis

I think the title of this show speaks for itself as we have a big pay per view in honor of the company’s founding. The main event is Jay Lethal defending the World Title against Matt Taven, who continues to get a rocket push for reasons that tend to elude me. Other than that, the improbably rise of PCO continues as Villain Enterprises challenge the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on Jay Lethal’s records as World Champion but Matt Taven hijacks the video, saying that he’s tired of having his greatness ignored. Now you can start the show.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

They’re both villains and have traded wins of late but Scurll does it with a smile. Kenny even brings out his own Scurll look alike to really rub things in. An uppercut sends King to the floor at the bell and Marty hits the apron superkick just as fast. Back in and they trade chops in the corner before Marty scores with an elbow to the face. Kenny is right back with a neck snap over the top and a springboard Blockbuster for the first two.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gets the second and we’re onto the chinlock. Aldis even analyzes that, as he’s very, very good on commentary so far. Marty fights up and goes up top, earning himself an enziguri to the floor. Of course the being down part doesn’t last long and it’s a tornado DDT off the apron for a knockdown. A snap German suplex into a backbreaker gets two on Kenny and there’s a 619 of all things for the same. King is right back with some kicks to the head and a spinebuster gets two.

With the wrestling not working, Marty starts going after the fingers so King sends him outside for a senton from the apron. Back in and the Royal Flush connects but Scurll rolls outside as King is down too for some reason. Frustration sets in so King grabs a chair, which is taken away in all of a second, allowing Marty to hit him with the umbrella for the pin at 12:45.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable opener here with Marty using the cheating to win as is his custom. You knew Marty would win here but they did the entertaining stuff to get the fans into the show, which is the entire point of an opener like this. King continues to be fine as the midcard heel and losing to someone about to fight for the World Title next month isn’t going to hurt him.

We recap Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor. It’s a battle of the bulls with Taylor being the only person who can hang with Cobb’s size and power. Cobb has been unstoppable since debuting and winning the title so this should be fun.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Jeff Cobb

Cobb is defending and the fight is on at the bell with both of them no selling release suplexes. A dropkick staggers Shane but he Pounces Cobb off his feet. Some very hard chops have Cobb in trouble but he headbutts and uppercuts his way out of trouble. A running big boot sends Taylor outside, where he spears Cobb to take over again.

Back in and a Cannonball misses, meaning Cobb can throw him around with a pumphandle suplex (that’s insane). Taylor goes back to the strikes to the face until Cobb hits a clothesline, though his swing sends him falling to the floor. Back in again and they square up to each other for the slugout with Cobb hitting a running elbow in the corner. Taylor headbutts his way out of a superplex attempt so Cobb throws him down, setting up the standing moonsault for another near fall.

A spinebuster into a middle rope splash gives Taylor two of his own, only to have Cobb hit a bridging German suplex for the same. Just because they haven’t shown off enough yet, Taylor hits a running Canadian Destroyer and the kickout more than seals his fate. Cobb has had it and hits the Tour of the Islands…but Taylor starts getting up. That means a second Tour of the Islands to finally put Taylor away at 13:28.

Rating: B. This was FUN. These guys beat the heck out of each other as only two hosses can and that’s what everyone wanted to see them do. Cobb is a special kind of talent and Taylor has gone way beyond just being a big guy. I had a lot of fun with this as it was a pure popcorn match in the vein of an old monster movie.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Mayu Iwatani won the title from Kelly Klein in a big upset and now it’s time for a rematch. Normally there would be more character building and development than that, but not in ROH.

Women’s Title: Kelly Klein vs. Mayu Iwatani

Iwatani is defending while Klein comes out with Camp Kelly, her unnamed goons. They actually shake hands before Klein jumps her at the bell, continuing a trend tonight. The champ gets knocked outside and it’s some knees to the face to keep her in trouble inside. There’s a running elbow to the face to cut off a comeback attempt as Coleman compares this to Razor Ramon vs. the 1-2-3 Kid, except Iwatani is called a star and not a rookie. And she won a long match instead of a fluke. Other than that, totally the same thing.

Iwatani fights back and hits a few kicks to set up a double stomp to the ribs. Klein wins a strike off though and sends Iwatani outside for a rather odd breather. Back in and they trade German suplexes, with Iwatani landing HARD on her neck. Mayu is fine enough to take Kelly down and hit a quick moonsault, but an attempt at a second only hits knees. K Power gives Klein two but her excessive trash talking lets Iwatani slap on a small package for the pin at 8:52.

Rating: C-. Still perfectly watchable, still have no reason to be interested in either of these two. Klein has at least been built up a little bit over the last few months…and then she loses to a Stardom name who you don’t likely know unless you follow that promotion. It’s a fine enough match, but absolutely nothing noteworthy.

We recap Lifeblood forming and their efforts to bring Ring of Honor back to normal. This included destroying Matt Taven’s fake World Title, meaning it’s time for Lifeblood vs. the rest of the Kingdom tonight.

It’s not time for the tag match yet though as here’s Taven to say he’s not waiting another second for his title shot so let’s do this RIGHT NOW.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and they go straight to swinging instead of shaking hands. Some chops have Taven in early trouble until he suplexes the champ down for two. A clothesline gives Lethal the same but Taven is right back with some knees. Lethal is a little more down to earth with a right hand to the face and a suplex so Taven gives him a running forearm to the face.

We hit the chinlock on the champ to slow things down until Lethal is right back up with a dragon screw legwhip (remember that Taven had a major knee injury). The Lethal Injection is broken up and Taven blasts him with a spinning kick to the face. The chinlock goes back on as we get the breaking news of Will Ospreay challenging Jeff Cobb for the New York show. Cool match, though not the best time to announce it here.

Back up with Lethal favoring his shoulder and getting knocked out to the floor. That goes nowhere as Lethal nails a dropkick and starts in on the back with some knees. The reverse chinlock has Taven in trouble here as they seem to be burning through a lot of time. That’s broken up as well and Lethal gets two off a quick powerslam. Lethal goes for an inverted Texas Cloverleaf (with Lethal sitting on the mat and pushing on the legs) but the bad shoulder means it’s only with one arm.

That’s broken up as well so Lethal starts chopping and knocks Taven outside for four straight suicide dives, each on a different side of the ring. As you might expect, Lethal’s shoulder is banged up but his legs are fine enough to stomp on the bad knee. A kneecrusher gets two and the referee checks on Taven, allowing him to pike Lethal in the eye. Taven starts back in on the arm (makes sense) with a DDT on said arm and then just a hard pull. The cross armbreaker doesn’t last long so it’s a Stroke into a crossthroat/face.

With Lethal getting close to the ropes Taven switches into the Rings of Saturn, meaning Lethal needs to use a foot to make the rope. They stare each other down with Lethal headbutting him, earning himself more damage to the shoulder. A sitout gordbuster (not a sitout Falcon Arrow Ian) knocks Lethal silly, though not silly enough that he can’t hit a Lethal Combination. An enziguri has Taven in even more trouble and it’s time for Hail To The King….but the red balloons pop up for a distraction from Vinny Marseglia, allowing TK O’Ryan to hit Lethal with a baseball bat.

Jonathan Gresham runs in for the save and gets his ankle crushed by a chair. They load up a table but Haskins and Williams make a save as Gresham is taken out. Taven hits a low blow into the Climax for a very close two and the shock sets in. The frog splash gets the same so he tries it again, with the second attempt hitting knees. Lethal’s cutter connects for two more and they slug it out one more time.

A torture rack into a reverse Regal Roll gives Lethal another near fall but Hail to the King is countered into a crucifix. Lethal doesn’t even get to his feet as he grabs the leg for the Figure Four. The rope is finally grabbed so it’s time to stomp on the legs some more, much to Aldis’ delight. The knee is strong enough to revers a suplex to send Lethal over the top and through the table at ringside, with the shoulder taking a lot of it.

That’s only good for two as well and a backpack Stunner gets the same. You should be able to tell what’s coming here and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Lethal gets in a Climax of his own, setting up the Lethal Injection for the closest two yet and the fans are shocked. You don’t see that kind of a reaction too often around here and it worked well. Lethal isn’t sure what to do so he drops him face first onto the apron, with Taven not being able to get back inside.

A table is pulled out as Taven pulls himself to the apron. Lethal takes too long again and it’s a DDT to send the shoulder into the apron. Taven bridges a ladder between the apron and the table but Lethal dropkicks him onto the ladder, which can’t end well. Another Hail to the King only hits ladder, which doesn’t break, though Lethal himself may.

Lethal has to be helped out so Taven hits the still great looking dive over the top to take everyone out. The Climax gets two but Lethal is out so Taven knees him in the head over and over…for two. Another frog splash is countered into another cutter for another near fall. With nothing else working, they slug it out from their knees until Lethal hits a superkick. A second Lethal Injection connects for the nearest near fall you’ll see in ROH and time expires at 60:00.

Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this one and they told an awesome story, though there was a stretch where things dragged in the second half. What matters the most is there’s a reason to believe that Taven can win because Lethal couldn’t finish him off. The good thing here though is I bought Taven as someone who was a threat to the title, which is quite impressive given how horribly uninteresting his promos and character have been over the last….ever actually. Anyway, great match here, and I get why they went with this in the middle of the show instead of the close.

Post match they’re both done so Marty Scurll comes out to hold up the title. Both guys get helped out.

Silas Young has attacked Gresham backstage.

Here’s a rapper named Mega Ran to perform but Bully Ray interrupts to say rap music sucks. Ray insults Man’s name being ripped off from a video game and then accuses Ran of playing wrestling games as a kid and playing as him. Ran: “Actually I played as D-Von.” Ray goes after both of them but security gets rid of them. That leaves Ray to rant about being the only one here or in New Japan to wrestle at Madison Square Garden. He even main evented and sold the place out. The fans chant for Flip Gordon but Ray cuts them off and issues an open challenge for the Madison Square Garden show. That….could be interesting.

We recap Rush vs. Bandido. Rush arrived and Bandido offered friendship but got turned down, meaning it’s time for a fight over who is the best Mexican import. I think?

Rush vs. Bandido

Dalton Castle is on commentary, with Coleman thanking him for bringing the Boys with him for the fanning. They don’t shake hands so it’s straight to the mat as Castle says both of them are rather handsome with great hair. Rush gets the better of things and it’s time for the flipping around with neither getting anywhere. That means a standoff until Bandido sends him outside, only to have a hurricanrana countered into a powerbomb.

Rush whips him into the barricade a few times and it’s a dropkick to the back of the head back inside. It’s too early to make a serious play for the mask so Rush claps a bit instead. Bandido isn’t much for clapping so he pops back up and kicks Rush to the floor for the big Fosbury Flop. Back in and a snap powerslam gives Bandido two but Rush knocks him into the corner for a breather.

A running kick to the face in the corner lets Rush hit the Tranquilo pose. The running Canadian Destroyer plants Bandido but he pops up for a running headscissors for the double knockdown. Rush knocks him off the top though and hits the apron superplex Bandido is back with a suplex and the springboard 450 with Rush caught in the ropes gives him two of his own.

Back up and Bandido gets dropkicked out of the air, setting up a big flip dive to the floor. An apron piledriver is countered with a hurricanrana off the apron and they’re both down on the floor. They head inside with Rush taking a knee to the head but being fine enough to suplex him into the corner. The running corner dropkick (The Bullhorns) finishes Bandido at 14:52.

Rating: B-. I’m still not sure why they were fighting because we never got a translation or subtitles but the match was your high flying, hard hitting lucha libre style fight and that’s what they were brought in to do. Bandido is a great high flier and Rush is clearly a star in the making (if not already made). ROH needs to enjoy Rush while he can, as he might not be around much longer given how good he could be.

Post match Castle gets in the ring and challenges Rush for Madison Square Garden. That might be a si.

Silas Young has attacked Jonathan Gresham so there’s no match between the two of them. Haskins/Williams vs. Kingdom is off too due to time constraints. This kind of thing happens WAY too often for ROH.

We recap the main event, with the newly debuted Villain Enterprises going after the Tag Team Champion Briscoes in a wild brawl in Texas. Do I need much more of an explanation? It’s the Briscoes vs. PCO/Brody King in a street fight.

Silas Young joins commentary.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Villain Enterprises

The Briscoes are defending in a Las Vegas street fight. They all head to the floor for weapons to start and go straight at it with the chairs to the back. The champs get the better of it as Silas says PCO/King don’t seem so tough now. The huge King is fine enough to hit a spinning high crossbody to take Mark down, leaving Jay to take a Michinoku Driver off the apron through a table.

Back in and PCO has King chop him to fire him up a bit but it’s King using a chair to drive another chair between Jay’s legs for the always painful looking spot. Mark kendo sticks PCO down and the Briscoes get a chance to double team King inside. A table is set up in one corner and a chair is wedged into another but King drives a Briscoe into each of them, with a Death Valley Driver putting Mark through the table.

Jay is busted open from hitting the chair so PCO hits him in the head with a piece of the table. King takes the stick away from Mark and hammers away but Jay drops PCO back first onto the apron as the announcers freak out over the blood on them. Back in and the very bloody Jay has King in trouble as Mark sets up a pair of tables at ringside.

The Blockbuster off the top takes King off the apron through the tables and King gets thrown back inside. The Jay Driller is only good for two (and a rather lame response from the crowd) so the champs beat on King with kendo sticks. PCO comes back and takes a beating of his own, which only fires him up. He breaks both sticks so Jay stabs him in the throat with the jagged stick to cut him off.

Another table is set up but King slams Mark off the apron and through a pile of chairs. The Jay Driller through the table is broken up and King hits a “piledriver” through the table instead. Back in and the moonsault onto the chair onto Jay is enough for the pin and the titles at 19:44.

Rating: A-. Sometimes you need to go all out with the violence and the blood which is what they did here and it was a heck of a ride. PCO and King winning the titles is a great way to end the show and it’s almost impossible to believe that PCO went from basically retired to this comeback. Really that’s one of the best stories you’ll see in wrestling and this worked very well for what might be the apex of his career. Great violent match here and a good chance of pace after everything they’ve had on the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Shortened card aside, this was a heck of a show and the kind of thing that Ring of Honor does well. Their TV might not be the best thing in the world but at least they can nail the big shows. The question now is what they can do on the huge stage, and there’s a chance that they could make something work incredibly well. It’s worth seeing and at less than three and a half hours, it doesn’t even run that long. Check this one out and have a good time.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 6, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Believe it or not, things have gotten very interesting in a hurry around here with a bunch of different things going on, most of which revolve around Jay Lethal and the World Title. Last week saw Lifeblood pick up a big win over Lethal’s collected team, meaning we’re probably coming up on something between Lifeblood and the unofficially named Plague. Let’s get to it.

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

TV Champion Jeff Cobb is ready to defend against Silas Young. He’ll even give Young a Tour of the Islands.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Jeff Cobb

Young is challenging and it’s certainly getting straight to the point. Cobb drives him into the corner for an early power display before taking him down amateur style. Young is smart enough to get to the ropes and we take an early break. Back with the two of them shaking hands with Young talking about a handshake. Of course that means a shot to the throat as Cobb is in trouble for the first time.

Cobb shoves him away without much effort and hits a standing moonsault for two. They head outside with Cobb being sent into the barricade, which is about all that seems to work on him. Back in and some shoulders to the ribs keep Cobb in trouble with a missed dropkick making things even worse. Cobb gets low bridged to the apron for a springboard clothesline as it’s all Young at the moment.

We take another break and come back with Cobb fighting out of a chinlock as ROH follows the WWE’s playbook. Young makes the mistake of talking trash though as Cobb comes back with forearms to the head. The backbreaker/clothesline cuts Cobb off for two and the hanging swinging suplex gets the same. That’s enough for Cobb to get fired up with shoulders in the corner and Young is rocked. Cobb’s swinging belly to back suplex drops Young and rolling German suplexes make things even worse. Young is done and the Tour of the Islands retains the title at 17:41.

Rating: B. They’ve got something with Cobb, as he’s kind of the ROH version of Brock Lesnar with a little less aggression and more of a laid back attitude. Young gave Cobb everything he could but got overwhelmed in the end because Cobb is just that good. It was a good story and Cobb looks even better than usual, making this a nice step forward for him and the title reign.

We look at a clip of the Briscoes and Villain Enterprises getting in a fight at a show in Texas, setting up a Tag Team Title match at the 17^th Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven rants about Jay Lethal being a fake World Champion. Tonight, he’s issuing an open challenge for his own World Title.

We look at Shane Taylor attacking Cobb, earning himself a title shot at the Anniversary Show.

We look at Mayu Iwatani winning the Women’s Title from Kelly Klein. Rematch, Anniversary Show.

Vinny Marseglia vs. Rush

Fallout from the Kingdom attacking Rush recently. It’s a brawl to start with Rush kneeing him in the face and flipping over Marseglia for a splash in the corner. Marseglia takes him down and hammers away before taking things outside as we go to a break. Back with Rush being sent into the barricade a few times, followed by the removal of the floor mats. A suplex on the floor doesn’t work so they head inside with the suplex working just fine in there.

Rush is right back up with a kick to the ribs and they go outside again with Marseglia being sent into the barricade this time. A chair is teased but the referee actually does his job for once and breaks it up. Back in and Rush kicks him in the face before hitting the Tranquilo pose. Marseglia is right back with a double underhook backbreaker for two but Rush suplexes him into the corner. That means a hard running dropkick to the face and Marseglia is done at 10:53.

Rating: C+. This was all it needed to be with Rush looking like a star who can beat up an established name. I’m liking him more and more every time I see him either here or elsewhere and that’s a great sign. He comes off as a big deal and if they keep pushing him, they could have something special on their hands.

We look back at Kenny King stealing a pin from Marty Scurll in Miami. They meet at the Anniversary Show.

Here’s Matt Taven with the Kingdom for an open challenge for his title. Before the challenger comes out, Taven goes on a rant about how Lethal is cosplaying as him and bragging about holding the World Title. This is an open challenge to anyone but Jay Lethal.

Fake World Title: Matt Taven vs. Jonathan Gresham

Taven is defending and the Kingdom is ejected. The beatdown is on early on with Gresham in trouble until he crushes Taven’s finger between his feet. A running knee to the elbow sets up an Octopus Hold but here’s the Kingdom for the DQ at 1:31. I mean, they don’t do anything before the bell rings, which is rather prejudiced of the referee.

Post match the beatdown is on until Lethal comes in for the save. The numbers get the better of him as well and it’s table time, only to have Lifeblood run in for the real save. The Kingdom leaves and Mark Haskins finds the fake World Title. Haskins hands it to Lethal and the ax and baseball bat have been forgotten as well. Lethal uses said bat and ax to destroy the title as Taven swears revenge. Good segment, as long as it doesn’t get replaced by the real title.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show here as they’ve been avoiding the less interesting talent and stories. If you do that long enough, those stories go away and the good stuff becomes the norm. They’re on a roll right now and that’s a good time to have with less than a month away from the biggest show in the company’s history. Now keep it up after that, which is the hard part.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

We recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

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

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

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

TK O’Ryan vs. Rush

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #39
Date: January 18, 2019
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re two weeks away from Super Fight and you can see the big main event coming from here. That’s not a bad thing in this case as there’s a heck of a title match on the horizon. Other than that there are some other matches to look forward to, though the build hasn’t gotten as far with them. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Shane Strickland, who still won’t leave this place, to open things up. He hates Miami, but MLW paid him a fortune to be here because they need Swerve. Shane is tired of being treated so badly, but here’s Rush to interrupt. The microphone is hard to understand but Strickland jumps him and we’re off to a match.

Shane Strickland vs. Rush

Shane knocks him to the floor and the cockiness is strong to start. Rush goes back first into the post and they head back inside for some stomping in the corner. As Shane chokes, the announcers do a rather nice job of explaining his story of being the fallen star of MLW. That’s the right story and it’s an interesting one. Rush fights up but a running dropkick to the knee cuts him right back down.

The fans think Swerve sucks as he puts on a leg lock to keep Rush in trouble. Something like an STF doesn’t last long for Shane so he goes with kicks to the chest instead. Rush gets up again and takes it to the floor, this time with a whip to send Shane into the barricade. They fight into the crowd with a trashcan being pelted off of Shane’s head. Back in and another shot to the chest lets Rush pose tranquilo style.

Another chop makes Shane cringe but the fans want UNO MAS. The Rush Driver is countered and it’s off to the slugout. Shane gets in a head fake for a shot to the face in a clever move, which makes you realize what MLW saw in him as he really is that good. They trade no sold German suplexes with Shane grabbing a rolling DDT for two. Rush gets in his own big shot with a superplex for two more, followed by a bridging fisherman’s suplex for the same.

Hang on though as Rush stops to point at someone in the crowd…which is apparently a way to get them fired up. A top rope backsplash misses (likely because it took forever to start) and Shane gets his own two. Shane’s brainbuster gets the same and he’s so annoyed that he chops away in the corner, only to have Rush shrug it off. Rush runs him over and hits the Rush Driver for the pin at 14:01.

Rating: B-. This was more of a story based match than anything else, though the wrestling was certainly good enough to make the match watch. The idea here was more about Shane losing to the new star and establishing that he was completely done and there is no coming back. Of course I’ve said that before and he keeps coming back, so maybe there’s one more match for him.

Opening sequence, seventeen minutes into the show.

Mance Warner is still coming.

We look back at Tom Lawlor destroying Sami Callihan last week, possibly murdering him with a hammer.

Salina de la Renta promises to send LA Park after Sami Callihan for being such a screwup.

Ariel Dominguez vs. Ace Romero

Barrington Hughes is on commentary, which thankfully isn’t an overly common act around here. Huge vs. tiny here with Dominguez getting thrown down like he’s not even there. Aries gets tossed a few more times but manages to avoid a sitdown splash. Some running clotheslines have little effect so Romero slams him down and drops an elbow/splash (it was hard to tell) for the pin at 1:50.

Hughes and Romero stare each other down.

Brian Pillman Jr. is at a playground and talks about wanting to destroy Tommy Dreamer because now he knows how to use his environment.

Low Ki is the greatest World Champion of all time and Tom Lawlor gets to join the list of people who have lost to him.

Ricky Martinez vs. El Gringo Loco

Feeling out process to start with Martinez grabbing an early rollup for two and Loco cartwheeling into a standoff. Things get a little more intense with Martinez hitting a jumping neckbreaker to really take over. The figure four neck lock faceplants into the mat keep Loco in trouble, followed by something like a Pounce to take him down again. Loco is right back up and catches Martinez on top with a super Falcon Arrow. A middle rope cutter gets two as the fans are WAY into this one. Salina pulls Martinez out of the way of Spiral Tap though and Martinez rakes the eyes. A fireman’s carry gutbuster finishes Loco at 5:01.

Rating: C. This was entertaining while it lasted as Loco is the kind of guy who can connect with the crowd. MLW has a good audience where if they get behind a wrestler, that wrestler is over for good. Loco has done that and it should keep him around for a long time to come. Martinez is good as the enforcer and a win like this should help him.

Colonel Parker gives the Dirty Blonds (They’re still around?) a pep talk and threatens problems if they don’t win.

Tom Lawlor is at his training camp and talks about everything he’s done to get here. With everything he’s done, nothing is stopping him from becoming champion, including an undefeated Low Ki. The champ has paid people off to keep the title but there’s no way around him in Philadelphia. Lawlor still sounds like a high school student acting, but he has the intensity and good fire in his eyes.

Super Fight Control Center, which will include the second live special on February 2. That makes a lot of sense. Signed for the show (not clear if this will be on the live portion) is Puma King vs. Gringo Loco, Pillman and Dreamer in a mystery partner tag match (get Sandman ready), Ace Romero vs. Barrington Hughes, the debut of Mance Warner, Aerostar vs. Rey Horus, the World Title match and the Hart Foundation challenging the Lucha Bros for the Tag Team Titles. Good card actually.

Dirty Blonds vs. Hart Foundation

Pillman and Smith for the Harts here. It’s Smith and Leo Brien starting things off as the fans want Pillman. That’s exactly what they get too and a running dropkick in the corner has Leo in trouble. A missed dropkick allows the tag to Michael Patrick to hammer away in the corner and spit a little. The chinlock goes on for a few seconds before Patrick elbows Pillman in the face. Pillman gets up and hits a crossbody for two of his own, allowing the double tag. Smith cleans house on both Blonds and Pillman adds a springboard clothesline. A top rope superplex finishes Brien at 4:50.

Rating: D+. What the heck happened to the Blonds? I liked them as an old school team back in the day and now I’m surprised to see them show up and lose a five minute match. It wouldn’t shock me to see them leave the promotion as there’s no point to keeping them around at this point. The match was fine as a glorified squash, but that’s all it was.

Parker yells at the Blonds for the loss to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t much as a stand alone show but it did well as a way to advance the stories going into Super Fight. That’s the kind of show you need heading into the biggest shows of the year and these shows are necessary to bridge the gaps. I like how the Super Fight card is setting up and that’s a good sign with about two weeks to go before the show.

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #35
Date: December 14, 2018
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

This is a special edition of Fusion as they are LIVE from Miami, marking the first time that they’re not taped. Tonight’s show is part of a larger series of tapings but the live aspect is something special that really does feel like a big deal. With some luck they can hit it out of the park, though that’s never a guarantee. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Promociones Dorado laying out Team Filthy in the back. Salina de la Renta reminds us that we are live and warns Tom Lawlor that they’re coming.

Opening sequence.

Lawlor is on his way here due to getting his injured hand looked at elsewhere.

Middleweight Title: Gringo Loco vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Hijo de LA Park vs. Kotto Brazil

This is a ladder match and the title is vacant coming in due to Maxwell Jacob Friedman injuring his elbow. The lineup for the match has changed about half a dozen times coming in so it’s nice to have an actual group of competitors for a change. Actually hang on as Teddy Hart is here and decks Dezmond on the way in, setting up an Arabian Press to take him out again. I guess it’s a five way now.

Middleweight Title: Gringo Loco vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. Hijo de LA Park vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Teddy Hart

Teddy goes for a ladder but Kotto takes him down with a slingshot forearm. Park follows them out and Pillmanizes Brazil’s ankle as the fans chant for Gringo. Brazil’s troubles aren’t done though as Park wraps the ladder around his leg and crushes it with the chair. Park heads back inside and gets in a chair duel with Gringo but they let it go to kick Dezmond in the face. A headscissors sends Gringo to the floor and there’s another superkick to put Hart outside as well.

Dezmond gets sent to the apron so Park hits a sunset bomb to the floor. That gives us the Park vs. Hart showdown as we hear about Salina wrecking havoc in the back. The kind of havoc isn’t specified but it is indeed being wrecked. Hart misses a moonsault but hits his walk onto the back into a sunset bomb, which has nothing to do with this match. With havoc managed, Salina comes out to support Park as Gringo and Dezmond come in. Loco hits a Spanish Fly on Xavier and we take a very abrupt break.

Back with everyone on the floor until Hart hits a big moonsault onto the three who don’t have severely damaged legs (sticking the landing of course). We finally get the first ladder thrown in but Hart and Park have to fight on the floor before anyone can climb. It’s Hart getting the better of the climb but having to slug it out with Loco on top.

Hart knocks him off so Loco lands on the top rope and springboards back into a cutter on Xavier in an awesome spot. Hart gets a DDT on Park and goes up again but this time Park shoves him down. Dezmond knocks Park off the top of the ladder and gets a hand on the title but Park needs to bridge a ladder onto the ropes instead of making the save because that’s the spot they had planned.

Instead, Dezmond gets knocked onto the bridged ladder but here’s Kotto back in as Hart moonsaults onto Xavier. Kotto unloads with a chair to various people but Hart chairs him off the ladder, with Kotto falling before the contact was ever actually made. Project Ciampa drops Brazil again and Hart wins the title at 13:57.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t an all time classic or anything but they took their time and Hart winning is the right call. He’s crazy over with the fans and can still have entertaining matches so give him the title and let him elevate it a good bit. That’s all you could go with here and he should be an improvement over Friedman.

Lawlor says it’s the time for fighting, not talking.

Rush will face LA Park at the Wrestlemania weekend show. Trash was talked at the press conference in New York.

Dragon Lee vs. DJZ

I believe both guys are debuting here. They hit the mat to start with neither being able to get anywhere. A dropkick puts DJZ on the floor but he comes back in for a double cartwheel into stereo tranquilo poses. Lee gets sent to the floor and that means the big flip dive. Back in and DJZ hits a slingshot splash, followed by a Lionsault for two. Lee is right back with a running dropkick in the corner and a shoulder breaker puts DJZ down again.

They trade some strikes to the face and a rolling DDT from Lee gives us a double knockdown. Since you don’t stay down in a match like this, they both head up until Lee hits the top rope double stomp ala Alberto Del Rio. That’s good for two back inside but Lee’s powerbomb is countered into a fast Canadian Destroyer for the same. A Dragon Driver (suplex into a sitout powerbomb for a cool move) gets two more and another one finishes DJZ at 7:00.

Rating: C+. This was the spot fest match of the show, which says a lot when there was a long ladder match beforehand. Both guys looked good here and there’s a reason to believe that the two of them are going to stick around for the middleweight division. Lee looked great in ROH and the same was true here. As a bonus, DJZ is that much better than he was in TNA, where he was just annoying as opposed to someone talented like he apparently is.

An annoyed Salina tries to leave with Promociones Dorado and has to dive into the limo to get away from Lawlor.

Video on Superfight, featuring Lawlor vs. Low Ki for the World Title.

We get an H2 video n the Hart Foundation as Brian Pillman messes around at the hotel. He winds up getting the Rookie of the Year award.

Lawlor and Park are still fighting. We can’t see this, but apparently it’s true.

Simon Gotch is ready to face Lawlor in the no ropes, no holds barred fight next week. Next week, Lawlor’s nightmares are just beginning.

Rush vs. Rich Swann

Swann wants to dance to start so Rush hits him in the face. Maybe that’ll teach him to pay attention. Rush takes it to the floor and tosses a metal trashcan at Swann’s head to really take over in a violent way. They head over to the announcers’ table and Tony sounds half scared and half annoyed. Back in and Rush hits a running clothesline in the corner, followed by a kick to the face. Swann’s chops have no effect but a single one from Rush takes him down to his knees.

After taking his time getting up, Swann springboards into a cutter to get himself a much needed breather. It’s time to slug away with some rather loud strikes and Rush is down this time. A running flip dive off the apron puts Rush down on the floor and there’s the running flip dive off the top to make it even worse. Back in and Swann gets two off a frog splash but charges into a belly to belly in the corner.

Swann’s spinning kick to the head and the rolling DDT get two more but Rush is right back with a superplex. They’re certainly trading the big spots here and that’s a good thing. An enziguri staggers Rush so he comes right back with a headbutt for the double knockdown. The running dropkick misses Swann but his 450 hits knees. Rush is done with this though and the Rush Driver (double underhook piledriver) is good for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this one as they were hitting each other really hard and trading one big spot after another. That’s the kind of match that Rush needs to win as Swann has credibility and a hard hitting win over him is a good start. Rush comes off as a star and that’s a great thing to have around here. Nice match here, with Swann looking very solid as well.

Post match LA Park comes out and the fight is on with referees breaking it up in a hurry. Rush leaves and here’s Low Ki to promise to beat Lawlor. Cue Lawlor for the big brawl to end the show. That’s a strong ending as they had a hot fight that was built up throughout the show.

Overall Rating: B+. For their first live special, this was quite the hit with all three matches being entertaining. They did exactly what they needed to with some good matches and angles that I want to see move forward. It’s a good introduction for new fans that gave you a reason to come back. Well done on all accounts and that’s a good sign.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #34
Date: December 7, 2018
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini

Last week was a big show and now we have the final event before it’s off to Miami. In this case that means we have the debut of Rush, a big star from Mexico. It’s hard to say what else we might be getting around here, but the good part around here is how you’re almost guaranteed to get at least something worth seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today Simon Gotch arrived and was chased by Tom Lawlor. Ricky Martinez shows up to jump Lawlor but didn’t get anywhere.

Opening sequence.

The Hart Foundation went to the Pro Wrestling Tees store and rather like the Hart Foundation shirt. As they should, though it’s not the flashiest thing in the world.

Jason Cade vs. Teddy Hart

Hart has Brian Pillman Jr. with him. Cade isn’t interested in a handshake and strikes away to start instead. A running neckbreaker puts Teddy down and the fans aren’t happy. Teddy gets out of trouble with a Code Red and a Project Ciampa, followed by a bearhug, which actually works despite the sizes. Cade gets planted with a hammerlock DDT, followed by a top rope moonsault elbow (cool) for two.

Since you don’t sell in a match like this, Cade is back up with a tiger driver and a handspring Codebreaker. Cade even goes outside and smacks Pillman around before sending Hart into the barricade. There’s a legdrop off the barricade to Hart’s back but a frog splash hits knees back inside. The electric chair Backstabber keeps Cade in trouble to the point where we even get some old school begging off.

The Stu Hart Special (looked like a suplex flipped forward into a spinebuster) gives Teddy two and Pillman (DANG he looks like his dad here) is shouting at the crowd. Hart hits a piledriver for two more but Cade is right back with some rolling vertical suplexes. A Samoan driver gets another two so Hart pops back up with a super Canadian Destroyer. Another one puts Cade away at 8:41.

Rating: C+. This is all about entertaining spots and no kind of story or flow, which is perfectly fine. Sometimes you need something fun and that’s what you got here. Hart can do the big spots as well as anyone else and Cade is a very talented guy in his own right. I had a good time with this and that’s all that matters in a popcorn match.

An upset Salina de la Renta rants on the phone when Konnan comes up to brag about the Lucha Bros retaining last week. Next up is the World Title, which Konnan will take himself in Miami. After that, he’s coming for Salina. Singing ensues.

We look back at Lawlor and Martinez from earlier.

Konnan finds Martinez down and dripping blood from the head before dropping a padlock next to him.

Marko Stunt vs. Ace Romero

Stunt is about 5’2 and Romero weighs about 400lbs. Tony: “Who in the world booked this?” Stunt dances to Romero’s music before the (literal) squashing can begin. He only comes up to Ace’s chest so they’re definitely going for the freak show style here. Stunt can’t even get his arms halfway around on a waistlock attempt and a chop to the chest just annoys Romero. A running dropkick sends Stunt flying into the corner and Romero goes up (oh dear), only to miss a legdrop onto the apron. I never would have bet on seeing him try a spot like that and the landing looked dangerous.

Stunt hits a suicide dive but Romero CRUSHES HIM against the barricade in a good visual. Back in and the big elbow gets two but Stunt gets fired up. Some running dropkicks stagger Romero and an enziguri makes it even worse. A springboards backsplash to a leaning over Romero gets two and he tosses Stunt into the air, only to get pulled down into a Codebreaker.

Rich brings up a good point: Marko has to make sure that Romero doesn’t fall on him. That’s not usually something that applies but it’s accurate here. Romero takes him up top but Stunt manages a VERY impressive sunset bomb (Rich: “HE BROKE GRAVITY!”) to pop the heck out of the crowd. Marko heads up but his high crossbody is countered into a Black Hole Slam for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C+. This was fun. That’s the first thing that came to my mind and I’m rather surprised by how much I liked this. Normally this is the kind of match that would make me roll my eyes but I had a good time with it and they didn’t make it seem stupid (for the most part). That’s very hard to do but they managed to pull it off. Well done, and Stunt is slowly starting to change my mind.

We run down next week’s card. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is officially out of the ladder match due to his elbow injury so it’s now a four way match for the vacant Middleweight Title.

We look back at Shane Strickland losing his World Title match two weeks ago and snapping as a result.

Strickland is yelling at CEO Court Bauer (the fact that I have to point out his job title because he’s not around that often is a good thing) behind closed doors and Bauer doesn’t sound happy.

Miami Control Center with both card rundowns.

Salina has had it with Konnan. Low Ki says they came to him with respect and this is what they got. Ricky Martinez comes up, spitting blood into a trashcan. Ki and Salina leave him there after being told it was Konnan.

Rush vs. Sammy Guevara

This is Rush’s (pronounced Roosh) MLW debut and Sammy’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. Rush’s theme music sounds like it’s being hummed to start but he definitely has some star power. Rush shoves him away to start and dives over a monkey flip attempt. They both try dropkicks and flip up to a standoff, which is enough for Rush to take the shirt off. He throws it all the way onto the lighting grid, which is quite the arm. Rush takes him into the corner and stomps away, followed by a single kick to the face.

That’s enough for a pose ala Andrade Cien Almas (both from the same stable so it makes sense). Guevara knocks him down but stops to pose a little too much, with Tony calling out him for not being serious enough. They fight outside with Rush dropping him onto a table, which doesn’t break. Rush whips him with an electrical cord and gets in a chair shot to keep Sammy in trouble.

Back in and Rush nearly decks the referee and Guevara hits a running shoulder in the corner. Sammy sends him outside for a running flip suicide dive, followed by a springboards missile dropkick for two back inside. They botch what looked to be a standing Spanish Fly so Rush catches him on the top with a release superplex for two of his own. An exchange of superkicks goes to Rush and he headbutts the heck out of Sammy for another near fall. Guevara’s shooting star hits knees so Rush hits a double underhook piledriver (Jay Driller) for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B-. Oh yeah they have something with Rush. He comes off as a star and has a presence that almost no one around here has, which isn’t something you can teach. Rush is the kind of guy you want on your show because he makes it feel bigger, which is hard to do on a smaller show like this. He’s a good talent to have and someone that hopefully gets a lot of attention going forward.

Post match Rush grabs a mic and says (with subtitles) that he’s here for the rivalry with LA Park, which is quite a big deal in Mexico. Works for me, though I hope Park can carry his side.

After a quick preview for next week’s show, we see Ki and Salina leaving (How are they not gone yet?) and Lawlor chases after them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here as they seem to actually have found a way to bridge out Lawlor vs. Low Ki all the way to February. This company has managed to surprise me more than once and that’s not something I can say very often. That makes for a fun show week to week and that’s what we got here. Nice work again here, which is becoming the norm.

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

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

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

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