IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 31, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things got more interesting around here last week as Jeff Cobb made his in-ring debut and ran over Punishment Martinez to become TV Champion. Sometimes you need to shake things up a little bit and that’s what they did last week. The show isn’t the most thrilling in the world at times but when they do something well, they do it very well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scorpio Sky vs. Adam Page

Page doesn’t think Sky can strike gold and beat him. Neither can get anywhere with a headlock so Page runs him over with a shoulder, followed by a big boot for good measure. The stomping in the corner sets up a clothesline to put Sky on the floor and that means some whips into the barricade. A running fireman’s carry toss into the post rocks Sky again and we take a break.

Back with Sky hitting a super hurricanrana to get himself a breather with a two thrown in for a bonus. Sky grabs a chinlock but Page jawbreaks his way to freedom. The fall away slam and a German suplex give Page two, followed by Sky stomping him in the back for the same. Sky hits a fisherman’s buster for the same so Page turns him inside out with a discus lariat, setting up the Rite of Passage for the pin at 10:52.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable match here with both guys hitting a few nice moves and one of them winning in the end. Page is someone who could become a big deal around here with people moving on and off the roster so it makes sense to have him get a few wins. Sky is already in a perfectly fine midcard stable and will be ok despite the loss.

The Kingdom is sick of the conspiracy against them but it’s over now because Matt Taven is the REAL World Champion.

Page wants a title shot against any champion.

Clip of Cobb winning the TV Title.

Shane Taylor vs. Eli Isom

It feels like we’ve seen this match half a dozen times in the last few months. Taylor spits on his hand when a handshake is offered so Isom hits a quick chop. A jumping knee to the face rocks Taylor and there’s a dropkick to stagger him again. Isom’s springboard is broken up though and a hanging Stunner has him in more trouble.

Back from a break with Isom striking away and hitting an enziguri, earning himself a heck of a clothesline to cut him down. More strikes give Isom a breather and he actually manages a Samoan drop (impressive) for two. Not that it matters as Taylor plants him with Greetings From 216 for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: D+. They were getting somewhere with the Isom comeback but it would have been too far to have Isom beat a monster like Taylor here. I’ll give them credit for turning Isom into something better than just a goofy jobber. He’s not great or even very good here yet but at least they’re trying to do something, which is more than some people get.

Post match Taylor wraps a chair around Isom’s neck but Cheeseburger (GO AWAY YOU TINY ANNOYING MEAT THEMED MAN!) runs in for the save. Thankfully Taylor cleans him out with ease so Flip Gordon runs in instead. A few chair shots to Taylor’s back cuts him down and Gordon tells Bully Ray that he’ll fight him anywhere, anytime in any match Ray wants. Cue Ray to mock Gordon and say we’re NOT having a TLC match tonight or any night.

Gordon is a nothing and Ray is a two time Hall of Famer. Ray asks if Gordon is a betting man so Gordon says he bets he can kick Ray’s a**. Here’s Ray’s idea: next week, they both pick a guy to come to the ECW Arena. The winner’s guy gets to do whatever they want to the other. Ray says his guy is Silas Young, who comes out for a staredown.

Cody wants a one on one rematch for the World Title.

Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal vs. Kushida/Jushin Thunder Liger

Kenny King is on commentary. Lethal and Kushida start things off (I can go for this) and some snapmares don’t do anyone any good. They hit the mat with neither getting anywhere off some attempted arm holds so we’ll try Gresham vs. Liger for a change. Liger headlocks him down but gets broken in just a few seconds, as Gresham rolls him up for two. Lethal comes back in for a showdown that isn’t as epic as you might have expected. Liger’s shoulder doesn’t work so Lethal tries his own but Gresham makes a blind tag and catches a distracted Liger in a German suplex for a smart move.

A hard whip into the corner has Liger in more trouble as Lethal and Gresham start making more tags. Liger shoves them into each other though and brings in Kushida for the springboard elbow on Lethal. Gresham comes in for a very fast paced series of rollups for mostly zeroes until a rollup for two on Gresham sends us to a break. Back with Liger putting Gresham in the surfboard and Lethal getting caught in a cross armbreaker. Lethal and Kushida head outside so Liger wraps up Gresham’s arm and leg while wrapping a leg around Gresham’s neck at the same time. I’m sure that’s going to hurt.

Back up and Gresham sends Liger into Kushida and the hot tag brings in Lethal to take over. The Lethal Combination gets two on Kushida but Lethal takes too long setting up the Lethal Injection and gets taken down instead. Gresham takes Kushida to the floor for a running knee off the apron, leaving Lethal to kick Liger in the head. The Lethal Injection is good for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: C+. This felt like they were going for the special tag match and it only approached that level. The wrestling was fine but was there any serious doubt that Lethal and Gresham were going to win in the end? Right now we’re waiting on the start of Lethal’s next title program and maybe King is part of that, but this didn’t make for the most exciting main event. Pretty good, but nothing that you need to see.

Overall Rating: C-. While nothing great, this was a perfectly watchable episode of the show. I could still go for them advancing the top stories (or having a top story actually) but what we got here was fine enough. Just give Lethal something to do as we get ready for Final Battle, which is only about six weeks away. They need to start putting something together, and I hope it’s more than Lethal vs. Taven.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Scorpio Sky vs. Chris Sabin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kelly Klein is on commentary for the next match.

Karen Q vs. Jenny Rose

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

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

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

Post match Klein jumps Rose as Karen looks on.

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

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

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

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

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

The Kingdom is ready for the Bullet Club next week.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 27, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s after Christmas (or before depending on when this show airs for you) and that means it’s time for a special match. This time around we’ll be having a ten man tag with surprise teams, which could make for some fun stuff. We’re still waiting on the post Final Battle stuff but that’s how Ring of Honor works. Let’s get to it.

Cody is standing by some Christmas presents and isn’t happy with being a captain of a team tonight where he doesn’t even get to pick his own team. Dalton Castle, the other captain, comes in and gets to draw the first name. Castle likes his pick, which isn’t revealed.

Opening sequence.

The Dawgs vs. Flip Gordon/Simon Grimm

Rhett Titus is dressed as Santa and Will Ferrara is a reindeer. Grimm is better known as Simon Gotch from WWE and I’m interested in seeing if he’s as nothing here as he was there. Ferrara and Grimm fight over whether the reindeer suit should be zipped up or not. Grimm takes him down into a choke before it’s off to Flip. Some chops set up a standing moonsault for two, followed by a good looking dropkick for the same.

Ferrara trips him up though, sending Gordon face first into the apron. Back from a break with Titus throwing Ferrara into Gordon for another two as the Dawgs have lost the suits but Will kept the red nose. A double suplex drops Gordon and Titus catapults Will into a splash for two. Back up and a springboard forearm cuts Titus off though and the hot tag brings in Grimm. A tiger bomb gets two on Titus as everything breaks down. Ferrara hits Grimm with a present though and an implant DDT with Ferrara helping to spike Simon (Who Let the Dawgs Out) is good for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: C-. It’s the right outcome, assuming you can tolerate the Dawgs. Grimm was slightly better than his Gotch days but that’s not exactly saying much. The match was nothing to see but that’s kind of what you have to expect from a Dawgs match. It feels like such a nothing team and that’s pretty much what they are to this point.

Cody makes two picks. He’s pleased with one but doesn’t think the second even works here. Post break he makes a third pick. Cody: “Christmas sucks.”

Castle makes a pick and says this makes things interesting. No names have been given yet.

Video on the Women of Honor, mainly focusing on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Karen Q. I feel like we’ve seen packages like this for months now and while a title will help, they need to be on TV more than once every few months.

We get an ad for Final Battle….which aired over a week before this show.

Cody is in the ring with a present. He’ll give it to the loudest fan….but stomps it instead because he hates Christmas. It’s time for the reveal of the teams.

Team Cody vs. Team Castle

Cody, Scorpio Sky, Josh Woods, Chris Sabin, Punishment Martinez

Dalton Castle, Silas Young, Hanson, Jonathan Gresham, Marty Scurll

Neither Cody nor Castle (in an ugly Christmas sweater) has the World Title here for the sake of protecting pay per view results. Gresham and Sabin start things off and of course they hit the mat with neither being able to do much against the other. Sky and Castle come in but Young tags himself in instead. They slug it out and it’s pretty clear that Sky hasn’t turned heel yet. A backbreaker has Sky in trouble so he brings Cody in, only to have Castle come in as well.

As you might expect, Cody hands it off to Woods so Castle takes the sweater off. Cody puts it on instead as Castle and Woods take turns driving each other into the corner. Neither can gutwrench the other so Castle hits the peacock pose as we take a break. Back with Hanson and Martinez coming in for the hoss fight. Both guys get in a knockdown for no effect so Cody tags himself in. Hanson tags out by chopping Scurll off the apron but of course they just pose.

Castle sends Marty into Cody and despite tensions being teased, it’s just a big hug. Everyone comes in and it’s a big ten man staredown. Castle wants to fight because IT’S CHRISTMAS! Everything breaks down and it’s Sky with the big flip dive onto the pile. Woods powerbombs Sky onto the same pile before Cody comes off the top with yet another dive. It’s Martinez adding a springboard dive, followed by Hanson topping them all with a dive of his own.

Back from a break with Sky taking a series of running charges in the corner. Marty charges into a knee though and it’s a Flair Flop. Now it’s Marty’s turn to get hit with the running charges in the corner but Cody pulls up short of course. Martinez hits Cody instead until we settle down to Cody vs. Castle. That lasts all of three seconds though as Castle has to suplex a bunch of people.

Sky slips out of the Bang A Rang and it’s Gresham taking over with a dive. Sabin escapes Misery but it’s Hanson kicking Woods in the face. Cody and Hanson trade cartwheels until Cody hits the Beautiful Disaster on Castle. *That earns him a Bang A Rang but Sky takes Castle down with something like a neckbreaker, though Castle lands face first instead. Another Bang A Rang puts Sky away at 19:37.

Rating: B-. This was all it needed to be, aside from maybe some more Cody vs. Castle. They had to hide the results from Final Battle so it was really just a bunch of random fighting, though that’s just about all it needed to be. I had a good time with the match and for a big time special, it’s hard to complain about that kind of a result.

Overall Rating: C+. Solid show, even if it’s just thrown together as a filler episode. The main event was fun enough and I had a good time with it, though the opener kind of dragged things down. We’re still not ready for the Final Battle fallout though as we’re coming up on a Best Of show next week, though it wouldn’t feel right if we got to the next stuff so soon. Good enough show this week, but I could go for some storyline advancement.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: November 29, 2017
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’ve got three shows left before Final Battle and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I’m digging the heck out of ROH. They’re putting on good matches and telling interesting stories, which is a lot more than you can say about most wrestling shows these days. Let’s get to it.

The Bullet Club is in the back and ready for the eight man tag main event. They’re ready to face the spot monkeys and Flip Gordon will never flip again.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young

The winner is the final entrant in the four way TV Title match so TV Champion Kenny King is on commentary. Gresham gets sent into the corner to start but Gresham goes after the arm to slow things down a bit. A Beer City Bruiser distraction doesn’t get Young very far so Gresham sends him outside without much effort.

Back in and we hit a crisscross until Young grabs a sunset flip for two. Gresham ties his legs together to….I guess mildly annoy Young. Back up and Gresham pulls Young up by one leg and it’s time for a comedy spot. After nearly thirty seconds of waiting, Gresham pushes him back and scores with a dropkick. Back with Gresham slugging away with some really bad looking punches. A suplex puts Young down and a good looking high crossbody gives Gresham two.

The octopus hold goes on but Bruiser throws in a keg for a distraction, allowing him to sneak in and break things up. In other news: ROH referees are really stupid. Bruiser grabs the leg but this time Gresham takes him down with a suicide dive. Another distraction allows Young to avoid a second high crossbody, allowing Young to hit Misery for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: C-. The Bruiser stuff got really annoying with three different interferences. I can go for Young being in the title match but he needs something a little better than the Bruiser cheats and then Misery. Young is a good promo and a passable worker but more importantly he’s more interesting than Gresham, who is a technical guy with no personality.

The Kingdom is ready for their Tag Team Title match next week.

We look at the end of last week’s show with Mark Briscoe turning heel and helping to beat down Bully Ray.

War Machine comes out for a match but the Addiction jumps them in the aisle. The brawl is on with War Machine throwing the Addiction into the barricade, including a hard shot that takes down a plant.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with his first returning guest: Kenny King. Kenny is ready to be a fighting champion and doesn’t want to hear Coleman’s speech about reality. Coleman thinks King is being played for a fool because he’s just a pawn. He’s being pimped out, which King doesn’t care for. Somehow this gets Coleman a TV Title shot in Florida, which seemed to be Coleman’s idea.

We look back at Bullet Club beating down Dalton Castle from last week.

Flip Gordon/Scorpio Sky/Coast to Coast vs. Bullet Club

It’s the Bucks/Adam Page/Marty Scurll here. Jay Lethal is on commentary and Cody comes out for a bonus. Before we get going, Cody says Gordon’s dreams of beating the Bullet Club is the same as Castle winning the title: a pipe dream. Scurll takes LSG down by the wrist to start and it’s time for an early wrestling sequence. You don’t do that to a British guy though as he pops up with a bird pose, only to have Cody come up on the apron for the same. That earns him an ejection though and it’s off to Matt vs. Sky.

Neither can hit much of anything until Scorpio nails a dropkick. Nick comes in and of course the fans are mostly behind the Club. It’s off to Gordon, who refuses a series of handshake offers. Flip makes the mistake of doing his dancing handstand, allowing Nick to dropkick him in the ribs. Back up and Gordon keeps nipping up to avoid superkicks and because this is a Bucks match, Nick keeps trying the same stupid move over and over. A standoff takes us to a break and we come back with Gordon still refusing a handshake.

Matt comes in and grabs him by the hand though, allowing Scurll to break the fingers. Naturally, the partners just STAND AND WATCH ALL THIS, including the triple superkicks. The fans think this is awesome because they’ll cheer anything the Bucks do. Coast to Coast gets sent outside and it’s time for a bunch of dives, as you might expect. Gordon nails an even bigger dive and comes back in to face Nick….who promptly pokes him in the eye to take over. Sky gets sent into the corner and it’s time for a Bullet Club train of clotheslines.

Back from another break with Flip having to bail out of a 450 and getting superkicked down. Flip grabs a reverse Regal Roll but backflips into the chickenwing. Sky makes the save and grabs a dragon sleeper, only to have the superkick party begin. Ali and Matt slug it out on the apron until LSG hits his partner by mistake. A belly to back suplex onto the apron drops Ali, leaving Flip all alone in the ring. He tries his own dive, and, say it with me, lands on a bunch of superkicks.

More Bang For Your Buck doesn’t work and Gordon springboards into a mostly missed dive to the floor. Nick is caught in the Tree of Woe for a double Coast to Coast but Gordon’s 450 only gets two. Scurll does the chickenwing dance but gets kicked in the head. A blind tag brings in Ali….which doesn’t matter as it’s ANOTHER string of superkicks as the Bucks cut off another comeback. Matt superkicks Scurll by mistake but Page comes back in for a Rite of Passage/Tombstone/Indytaker combo to Gordon and Sky for the double pin at 20:07.

Rating: B-. Well that was maddening. This match was designed to push Gordon as a young up and comer but all I saw here was the Bullet Club superkicking everyone in sight and hitting a big team move for the win. As usual, the problem with the Club’s matches is the same: they’re never made to look like they’re in any kind of danger. Every time the good guys got something going here, it was a bunch of superkicks to cut them off again. Sure there were some exciting moments here and there but I should buy the idea that the underdog faces have a chance. That wasn’t the case here and it got old in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was much more about the in-ring work instead of the storytelling but you can tell they’re especially working hard around this time. You also would have expected something from Lethal vs. Scurll here but that was barely discussed in the slightest. It’s still a good show, though it wasn’t exactly the same formula they’ve been using, or the one they should have been using for that matter.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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