Ring of Honor
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois/Potawatomi Casino, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

The show has started to change into a hybrid of its original format and the new one with more matches, though they are all still from Honor Club events. That makes a lot of sense given how they didn’t really need TV, but if you’re watching this show at its weird hours, aren’t you likely already subscribed to Honor Club? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a highlight package of various luchadors in ROH.

The hosts welcome us to the show and thankfully know that Rush is the new World Champion. If nothing else, at least the new style of show has cut down on the ridiculous amount of time between the big shows and any fallout from them.

Barbaro Cavenario vs. Rush

From Illinois and non-title as Rush had not won the title yet. They start fast with an exchange of armdrags into a staredown as the fans are rather pleased. A shot to the face and a top rope forearm give Cavenario a quick advantage so Rush sends him into the corner for a clothesline. Rush forearms and punches away as Cavenario is down in the corner so he pops up and knocks Rush down instead.

A Vader Bomb from the middle of the ropes gets two and it’s a hurricanrana to send Rush outside. That means a big dive to the floor and it’s another dive as we take a break. Back with Cavenario headbutting him down, only to miss a Lionsault. That means a big flip dive from Rush but it’s Tranquilo instead of a second dive. See he mixes it up like a champ. The referee takes a chair away from Rush so Cavenario…..does the Worm. That earns him a suplex into the corner and the Bull’s Horns gives Rush the pin at 11:22.

Rating: C. Well they did a good job of making me think something of Cavenario but that isn’t exactly the best way to present the new World Champion. I know they didn’t have that set up when this was filmed, but maybe they shouldn’t air it then. They knew what was coming when they put this show together, so why do something that made Rush look weaker than he almost ever has around here?

We talk about the #1 contender tournament.

Dalton Castle and Marty Scurll are ready to win the tournament and the title because this is their big chance.

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We get some highlights of Triton/Caristico/Stuka Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb/Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal from Global Wars with Gresham getting the pin in what seemed like a hot match.

Jeff Cobb is getting a World Title shot at Rush in England.

Highlights of Team CMLL defeating Villain Enterprises at Global Wars.

Volador Jr,/Stuka Jr./Caristico vs. Rey Bucanero/Okumura/Hechicero

Hechicero and Stuka grapple a bit to start with Stuka having to prevent his knee from being cranked. A headscissors gets him out of trouble but Hechicero takes him down and drops an elbow on the back. Stuka pulls himself up into a headscissors and the fans are rather pleased. Volador and Bucanero come in with the former hitting a headscissors before it’s off to Caristico vs. Okumura for a slugout and an early break.

Back with Caristico hitting a slingshot dive onto Okumura before it’s back to Stuka vs. Hechicero for the chop off. A surfboard from Hechicero into a bulldog from Bucanero takes Stuka down and the triple teaming begins. That includes some running splashes with Caristico having to make a save. Stuka is kicked to the door and everything breaks down….with Stuka cleaning house on his own.

Volador gets the hot tag and it’s a triple dive from he and his partners. Back in and Volador gets caught in a triple team of his own. That doesn’t last either as Caristico comes in with a springboard crossbody and we take another break. Back again with Caristico flipping Bucanero and Okumura around with headscissors.

It’s back to Stuka for an assisted monkey flip into the two of them in the corner but Bucanero is right back with a sleeper….which he releases after about three seconds. Everything breaks down again into a Tower of Doom with Okumura and Bucanero being sent outside. Volador gets put into 619 position and it’s Hechicero with a running crossbody to his back. Hechicero puts him on top though and Volador snaps off a super hurricanrana for the pin at 19:58.

Rating: B-. I liked it enough, though it would help a bit if I had any idea who these people are or why I should care about them. This has been a problem for Ring of Honor for a long time: they bring in all of these wrestlers from other promotions and just expect the fans to go for it. It can work every now and then but long term, it isn’t going to be enough.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was a great example of everything wrong with Ring of Honor at the moment. Yeah the wrestling itself was good but it was just a bunch of people doing moves to each other until someone won. It comes and goes with nothing really changing and that is the case far too often. Rush is the new World Champion, but does that change much?

Rush’s character is Tranquilo and being a big star from CMLL. He got his push here because of what he did in CMLL, which is exactly why the six guys in the main event were on here as well. They need some homegrown stars and an interesting story, neither of which have been a big factor in a very long time. The company can be enjoyable enough but it is also one of the least interesting things in wrestling at the moment. Nothing has any kind of staying power and it’s just hoping you liked the matches presented that week. If they want to be a big deal again, that has to change, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 5, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Marty Scurll

Final Battle is next week and the card seems to be mostly set. For once, they’re at least doing something with the build towards the show, which is more than you get most of the time around here. Odds are we’ll see a few matches set up here along with the build to those already announced. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, where the Briscoes and the Young Bucks went to a draw. SCU didn’t seem to mind and made a triple threat ladder match for the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle. Makes the most sense of all their options.

Opening sequence.

Kenny King vs. Christopher Daniels

Marty Scurll, who wants to face Daniels at Final Battle, is on commentary. Before the bell, King says he doesn’t know how long Daniels has left in ROH so he’ll hand Daniels one of his last losses. Then Daniels can go back to SCU: the Senior Citizens Unite at the hospital. Daniels, with tape on the back of his neck, chops away to start and gets two off a standing Lionsault.

That’s enough to send King outside for a baseball slide and a whip into the barricade. A legsweep knocks Daniels off the apron though and we take a break. Back with King clotheslining him down and…doing whatever he does as we look at commentary. Why do we keep having to do that? A chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Daniels down and a kick to the head makes it even worse.

Daniels avoids a springboard though and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. An STO sets up a belly to back faceplant for two but King gets the same off a spinebuster. It’s too early for the Royal Flush though and Daniels hits a release Rock Bottom. The referee gets bumped though, allowing King to hit a low blow and the Royal Flush for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C. Nice action for the most part, though I’m getting sick of the ref bumps and low blows around here. Mix it up a little bit by having King throw his feet on the ropes in a rollup or something, but find something new. Daniels losing should lead to a big comeback win at Final Battle, or his retirement and leaving the company. You could go either way.

Dalton Castle says he was gone for three months and didn’t go through all that treatment to fight Matt Taven. That belt that Taven wears is nothing but a RUSE. The anger inside Castle is certainly real though.

Josh Woods vs. Jeff Cobb

Non-title. Cobb tries to wrestle him to the ground but Woods is a former NCAA wrestling champion so it’s not so easy. Cue Hangman Page to sit on the stage and watch the match as Woods takes him down and works on the arm with Cobb not being able to shake him off. Cobb gets tired of the wrestling thing and sends him flying with a suplex, only to get caught in another armbar. Woods goes after the arm again before trying a spring but Cobb catches him in the Tour of the Islands for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. This was a great illustration of Cobb being well rounded. His amateur wrestling was canceled out so he slammed Woods really hard instead because he has the power to go with the mat skills. That’s a very dangerous combination and a good reason why he could be a star for a long time to come.

Post match Page comes in and says he’ll show Cobb how this is done.

Hangman Page vs. Facade

Joined in progress with Page stomping away in the corner as Cobb is watching from the stage this time. Page hits a running dive from the apron and gets two off a tabletop suplex back inside. Facade fights back with some flips and jumps, including a one armed cartwheel. A rope walk dive goes right into Page’s boot though and there’s a super fall away slam. Again Facade tries to slug away, this time connecting with a springboard spinning kick to the face to send Page outside. That means a big flip dive of his own but he walks into the Buckshot Lariat. The Rite of Passage finishes Facade at 5:14.

Rating: C+. Facade was moving out there and Page was his usual entertaining self. It’s interesting that Page had more trouble against a weaker opponent though. That’s not exactly what you would expect from a match designed to make Page look like he’s on Cobb’s level, but the ending sequence looked good and that’s what people will take away from it.

Post match Page and Cobb stare each other down.

We look back at Marty Scurll winning the Survival of the Fittest tournament.

After the match, Scurll congratulated Christoper Daniels (the man he pinned) on a good match. Daniels said Bullet Club cost him the match and arguing ensued. They’ll face off at Final Battle with Scurll’s World Title shot on the line.

Jay Lethal is ready to beat Cody because Cody had to cheat to beat him in the first place. Cody knows he can’t beat Lethal so Jay is ready at Final Battle. Cody cannot win because Jay isn’t letting him start the year on top.

Final Battle rundown. Points to them for having a proper build instead of a one week version.

Matt Taven talks about Dalton Castle cracking under the pressure of being World Champion. When he’s under pressure though, Taven becomes a diamond.

We get that heart rate thing again.

Tag Team Titles: Stuka Jr./Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. SCU

SCU is defending. Sky, dressed up as Apollo Creed, takes Guerrero down to start and works on the arm to keep him in trouble. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Guerrero two and it’s off to Stuka vs. Kazarian with Frankie getting two off a dropkick. The champs tie up Stuka’s legs and roll him over (the Rockers used to do that) and we take an early break. Back with Stuka and Guerrero putting Sky in a double surfboard (cool) until Kazarian makes a save.

Another double hold is broken up again and thankfully we get back to the actual tagging with Sky coming in to take over. Kazarian adds the slingshot dropkick (so much for the tagging) in the corner but Stuka moonsaults onto him outside (with Kazarian somehow winding up on top). Guerrero adds a running flip dive through the ropes onto Sky but Kazarian comes back in with his slingshot DDT. The Rock Bottom into the Backstabber finishes Stuka to retain the titles at 8:04.

Rating: C+. The match was entertaining, though it’s not like there was any kind of drama at all. This would have been better served airing before the announcement of the ladder match as there might have been a reason to believe in a fluke title change. The CMLL guys are talented, though I’m still not sure how much it means to have them around. Yeah they’re big names there, but that’s not entirely the case for a lot of the fans who might not be familiar with the company.

Post match Christopher Daniels comes in to say he’s the only one who doesn’t have a contract extension at the moment. He has one match left on his contract and that’s against Marty Scurll at Final Battle. If that’s what he has to do to stick around, he’s willing to do it to stay in the company that he helped build. Marty gets in the ring and asks if Daniels wants to be the man who built his company or the man who is known for a three letter catchphrase. A tense handshake takes us out.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling, while pretty good here, wasn’t the point this week. This show was all about building up Final Battle and for once, they made it work very well. The card is getting some attention and it should be a good one once we get there. You know most of the matches already and most of them have gotten some attention instead of just adding things in for the sake of adding them in. That makes the biggest difference and makes Final Battle feel important after all those shows with a last second build. Well done, for a rare change.

 

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:

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Ring of Honor
Date: August 24, 2016
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 850
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

We’re past Death Before Dishonor but given the screwy taping schedule around here, it could be weeks before we actually get around to the next ongoing TV show. The big story at the moment is Adam Cole winning the ROH World Title without any help, ushering in the Bullet Club as the top group in the promotion. Let’s get to it.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Hangman Page

Page spits on his hand before the opening handshake. Gresham, a bit disgusted, starts fast with a dropkick to send Page outside. That means a tease of a dive but Page catches the real thing in a fireman’s carry and LAUNCHES HIM HEAD FIRST INTO THE POST. The loud thud made it far worse and we take a much needed early break.

Back with Page getting two off a suplex but Jonathan starts in on the arm to get a breather. A dragon suplex doesn’t work so Gresham settles for a German suplex and a near fall instead. That means it’s time for a Crossface, only to have Page easily power his way out and kick Jonathan to the floor. The Rite of Passage puts Gresham away at 6:55.

Rating: C. This was fine as Page is really surprising me since his latest heel turn. It’s really annoying watching a team just add members who go nowhere so thankfully Page is actually making something out of this. Normally I’d talk about his huge win over Jay Briscoe at Death Before Dishonor but we can’t go there yet since this show’s schedule is all over the place.

The Cabinet is ready to beat up Dalton Castle and the Boys next week.

Video on Shane Taylor/Keith Lee vs. War Machine before their match next week.

The Young Bucks are ready for their World Tag Team Title shot next week and superkick the cameraman for no apparent reason.

Kamaitachi vs. Stuka Jr.

Stuka is from CMLL and flips around to start, setting up a dive to the floor to take Kamaitachi out. Christopher Daniels (Kamaitachi’s mentor) breaks up an Asai Moonsault and stomps away as we take an early break. Back with Kamaitachi stomping away even more and going for the mask like a true heel. Since that’s a bit too evil, Kamaitachi opts to just send Stuka into the barricade and choke with a chair.

Back in and it’s time to go for the mask again before Kamaitachi stomps on the knee. Stuka finally gets up and limps to the top for a moonsault into raised boots to give Kamaitachi a near fall. In something as close to cheating as you can get, Stuka loads up Shattered Dreams but hits a running dropkick to the ribs instead. That’s pushing it. They trade rollups for a few near falls each before the referee gets bumped, only to have Stuka dive onto Daniels. A top rope splash crushes Kamaitachi for no count so he pulls off Stuka’s mask and small packages him for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: C-. This is the kind of stuff that I can’t get into in any wrestling company, including Ring of Honor. Stuka is just someone from Mexico that I’ve never heard of and Kamaitachi’s entire character is that he’s Japanese and being mentored by the Addiction. I need more than that and an ok fourteen minutes of wrestling to keep my interest. The mask thing was fine but it would be nice to be told a little more about these people.

We recap the still stupid Kevin Sullivan/BJ Whitmer/Steve Corino story. Apparently Whitmer summoned Sullivan, who he sees as his spiritual father. It’s all about spreading chaos over ROH and Sullivan wanted the two of them to do it. This feels like something out of ten years ago at best and that’s not a good thing.

Jay Briscoe vs. Jay White

White has the Motor City Machine Guns in his corner. The much younger White takes Briscoe to the mat and grabs a rollup for two, which makes Briscoe take this more seriously. Briscoe forearms him in the corner and hits a running boot to the face for two. Back from a break with Briscoe slowly beating on White until a running forearm puts Briscoe down.

That’s enough for Briscoe who knocks White outside for a HARD suicide dive. Another big boot doesn’t make things any better for White and neither does the Death Valley Driver. The Jay Driller is broken up though and a German suplex gives White his first real offense. Back from another break (yes in this match) with White hitting a dropkick and Rock Bottom for two before grabbing a Crossface.

White switches it up into something like an abdominal stretch crossface (it’s better looking than it sounds), sending Briscoe’s foot into the ropes. Briscoe finally throws him off the top to take over and plants White with a superplex. Both guys are gassed so it’s time to slug it out from their knees as TV time expires at 16:00.

Rating: B. That ending actually got me and well done Ring of Honor for not going with the tired “well the rookie tried but came up just short” ending. I completely understand why you don’t want someone who has been around about a month to pin one of your top stars but it took some guts to go with a draw here instead of the Jay Driller for the pin. White looks like a player now and that’s without a doubt the best thing they could have done. Well done indeed and a very legitimate surprise.

Overall Rating: C+. You can take or leave the rest of the show but the main event was one of the better booking decisions I’ve seen in a good while on a TV match. Sometimes you need to make a new star and while this isn’t a career making moment, it’s something that’s going to get him noticed. I didn’t expect that coming into this nothing show and I got a good match as a result, making this show a success.

 

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