Ring Of Honor TV – August 4, 2021: Brackets Palooza

Ring of Honor
Date: August 4, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Lenny Leonard

We’re on the way to Death Before Dishonor but since this promotion moves a bit slowly, we have some time before we get there. This week’s show is going to have a special theme as everything is going to be focusing on the Women’s Title tournament. It is about time as the thing has been talked about for months now, meaning it is going to have a hard time living up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look back at Chelsea Green making her Ring of Honor debut at Best in the World. Green is still injured but she will be around sooner than later.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and shows us the tournament brackets. These brackets include…..Quinn McKay, who voted into the tournament by the fans. Fair enough as she got cheated, but you couldn’t get her a single win in there somewhere?

Miranda Alize is the Lucha Baddie and Alex Gracia is the Pink Dream. They know each other but they both want the title. These were as generic of a pair of promos as you could imagine.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Alex Gracia vs. Miranda Alize

Chelsea Green in on commentary. Alize wears a sombrero and a half lucha mask because she is half Mexican and half American. They go with the grappling to start and trade escapes from the wristlocks. A chop slows Alize down but she springboards into an armdrag to drop Gracia as well. Back up and Alex grabs a headlock to no avail so it’s a dropkick to put Alize on the floor instead. The dive doesn’t work though and Gracia is sent hard into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Gracia in more trouble. Green: “It’s looking like Gracia has a better chance of getting a Chik-Fil-A sandwich on a Sunday than winning this one.” Gracia fights back with a Backstabber (Green: “Gracia might be getting that Chik-Fil-A sandwich on a Sunday!”) and a kick to the face gets two. Something like a Blockbuster knocks Alize down (despite Gracia not grabbing the head whatsoever) so she knees Gracia in the face for two. A cutter into a running knee to the face finishes Gracia at 8:43.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to make of this one but it doesn’t give me the most hope for the remainder of the tournament. They did moves to each other, one of them wore pink, the other one had a lucha theme, and one of them won. The pre-match promos did nothing to make me care about them, but what can you do in about fifteen seconds of talking? I need more than some just ok wrestling and I don’t expect to get that over the next several matches.

Respect is shown post match.

Mazzerati is all about her attitude and it’s all eyes on her when the bell rings. Nicole Savoy is a suplex machine and knows she’ll win with her half nelson suplex.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Mazzerati vs. Nicole Savoy

They talk trash to start until Savoy takes her down by the arm early on. That doesn’t last long so Savoy takes over with a test of strength instead. It’s too early for the armbar though and we take a break. Back with Savoy working on the arm some more with Mazzerati not being able to twist out.

Instead she hits Savoy in the face and calls her a loser so Savoy snaps off a fall away slam. The half nelson suplex is countered with a drive into the corner so Savoy is back with a Royal Butterfly suplex. Mazzerati gets two of her own off a bridging northern lights suplex. With the wrestling not working, Mazzerati punches her in the face to drop Savoy. Back up and Savoy snaps off a TKO, setting up the bridging half nelson suplex for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C. Just having Savoy as the suplex machine gives her something to make her stand out, but at the same time, watching her crank on the arm that long was hardly thrilling. It’s still better than the opener though, as I got a bit more of a sense of their personalities. Maybe the opener just wasn’t the best match, which gives me a bit more of that hope stuff.

Ring Of Honor TV – August 26, 2020 (Best Of The Allure): Say Their Names

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: August 26, 2020

The bottom of the barrel continues to be scraped as this time around we have the Allure. Yes the Allure, which is totally not the Beautiful People even though they have some of the same people involved doing the same things. Yes it’s totally different and yes you are supposed to buy that. Let’s get to it.

Video on the Allure.

Mandy Leon talks about her career, including being in the first Women Of Honor match, first women’s No DQ match and first women’s 2/3 falls match. One of her matches was against Jenny Rose from Global Wars: Buffalo 2017.

Jenny Rose vs. Mandy Leon

We’ll make it a Muta Lock, which doesn’t last long again. Mandy is back with a majistral cradle into a full nelson with the legs but Rose rolls out into a surfboard. Back up and Mandy hits some running knees in the corner to set up a facewash. As Deonna talks about how awesome it is that Leon picked that up in Japan, Mandy sends Rose outside for a running flip dive off the apron.

Some boot choking on the apron sets up a chop off until Rose spears her down. Back from a break with Rose hitting a suplex on the floor and taking it back inside for a clothesline. They slug it out until Mandy snaps off a headscissors out of the corner. A Hennig necksnap gets two but Rose is back with a spinning side slam. There’s a bridging fisherman’s suplex for two more but Leon grabs a pumphandle driver for the pin at 13:29.

Rating: C-. This got better near the ending but the first half felt like a choreographed performance rather than a match. Rose has gotten better but it still isn’t the easiest thing to watch. At the end of the day, the Women of Honor have never been a strong suit and have regularly felt like something there for the sake of having it there, which is rarely a good idea.

They shake hands post match.

Mandy talks about how she has done the honorable things for years and it got her nowhere. That’s what led her to the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden.

Post match Angelina Love and Velvet Sky (the Beautiful People, who Madison Rayne wanted to team with and then left anyway) debut and Leon comes to the ring. The three of them beat Klein down and do the same to an invading Stella Gray and Jenny Rose. A graphic pops up on screen dubbing them The Allure. Good. They’re already the most interesting thing in the division’s history because they’re known characters with personalities and the ability to talk. Now DO SOMETHING WITH THEM.

Angelina Love welcomes us to the show and talks about working for Ring of Honor in 2004 as part of the Embassy. She talks about coming back in Madison Square Garden and talks about how the Allure has dominated the division since then. One such match took place at Saturday Night At Center Stage in 2019.

Angelina Love vs. Sumie Sakai

Angelina jumps her before the bell and stomps away as commentary wonders how Angelina can have so little respect. Mandy gets in some choking from the floor and there’s a hair pull for the knockdown. We take a break and come back with Angelina charging into some boots in the corner but charging into a side slam for two. Lights Out (jumping Downward Spiral) into a Koji Clutch has Sakai in more trouble and Leon pulling the bottom rope away makes it even worse.

Back up and Smash Mouth gets two on Angelina but Sakai gets caught going up. Love hits a Samoan drop for two of her own but Sakai pulls her down into a blocked cross armbreaker attempt. Sakai won’t let go and even pulls Love back out of the ropes. A second reach of the ropes breaks things up but Mandy uses the distraction to blast Sakai with the hairspray. The Botox Injection (bicycle kick) finishes Sakai at 9:18.

Angelina and Mandy get together (via split screen of course) to talk about how great they are. They brag about their wins over Rose and Sakai and now it’s time for a tag match. From Unauthorized.

Allure vs. Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose

No DQ so Sakai and Rose jump them on the way to the ring. The beating continues at ringside as Ian Riccaboni can’t remember the difference between Kanye West and Humpty Dumpty. Leon is knocked down inside and we take a break. Back with a double suplex getting two on Leon as Ian wants to start a band with Joe Hendry and Caprice Coleman. Leon whips out a chain to choke Rose on the apron to put her on the floor.

Back in and Sakai is sat in a chair for a bad looking running double dropkick and Allure gets two pose. Back up and Sakai grabs a stuffed cat to hit both of them in the head. A good looking fisherman’s buster onto the chair plants Love for two as Rose suplexes Leon on the stage. Sakai’s moonsault only hits chair but Angelina can’t cover. Instead they fight over the chair until Love hits Botox Injection for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C-. The violence helped a bit and that’s about all there is to say here. The Allure is more interesting than most of the division, but it doesn’t help when they’re up against Rose and Sakai. They’re both talented in the ring but they aren’t the most interesting, which brought them down here quite a bit. Not a terrible match, but it wasn’t exactly good either.

Post match Love cuts a promo in a Hulk Hogan style voice but here’s Maria Manic to cut her off. The Final Battle challenge is on and Angelina looks terrified.

The Allure reaffirms their awesomeness one more time.

We get a vignette saying Follow The Trend to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Yeah they’re out of ideas here as they are now featuring something from the Women of Honor division. It has been a big problem since they first started and it hasn’t gotten any better since. The Allure is just the Beautiful People with a different name and that is hardly something all that appealing in 2020. These new TV shows can’t start fast enough, because this is getting rough in a hurry.

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

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Ring Of Honor TV – July 22, 2020 (Best Of Hana Kimura): That Was A Great Smile

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 22, 2020

This is going to be a tough one as the show is all about Hana Kimura, who took her own life earlier this year. She was featured on several Ring of Honor shows including some fairly high level events, which means they have a lot to pick from here. I’m not sure how this one is going to go but it likely won’t be easy. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Kimura.

We get a quick bio of Kimura, who really did accomplish a good bit in such a short time.

From the 16^th Anniversary Show.

Pre Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament First Round: Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Kimura is from Stardom in Japan and one half of their Tag Team Champions with her partner Kagetsu, at ringside. Sumie’s offer of a handshake is ignored and Hana pounds her down to start. A whip sends Sakai outside and Kagetsu chokes away like a villain should.

Back in and Hana pounds away, followed by a surfboard with a few presses up and down. A half crab stays on Sakai’s back but she’s still able to counter a suplex into a DDT. Sakai gets two off a bridging belly to back, only to have Kagetsu grab her leg on top. Hana’s brainbuster is good for two but it’s time for some heel miscommunication. The team is sent into each other and Sakai dives onto both of them in a good visual. Back in and Hana hits a Helluva Kick for two but Sakai grabs something like Cross Rhodes for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on a match like this as you’re basically expected to watch the YouTube matches and Stardom to know who these people are. Sakai has been around Ring of Honor for a long time now and other than the fact that she’s a wrestler and from Japan, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about her. That’s the case with most of the women’s division and that’s not good. Work on that and the division will get better in short order.

In the back, Hana sings about having the belt and Sumie isn’t sure about that.

Cheeseburger introduces our next match, from Best in the World 2018.

Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani/Tenille Dashwood vs. Hazuki/Kelly Klein/Hana Kimura/Kagetsu

Kagetsu is the Stardom Champion and we get a staredown over the titles. Sakai wants to start for the team and gets kicked in the face by Kagetsu. Well that’ll teach her. Kimura comes in and wants Dashwood, meaning the brawl is on. Before that has a chance to go anywhere, it’s Klein coming in to throw Jenny around. Of course the fourth pairing comes in with Iwatani Sling Blading Hazuki. I might be a bit more excited if you didn’t know the tags were coming as soon as the sequence started.

The villains (Klein’s team in case you get confused by the teams with a bunch of names thrown together because you don’t do your Stardom homework) come in and triple team Sakai with three boots on her face at once, allowing Kimura to hold up the Oedo Tai (stable) sign for a cute visual. Sakai DDTs Klein and the hot tag brings in Dashwood to clean house, including a double Taste of Tenille in the corner.

A high crossbody gets two on Dashwood and Sakai comes back in with a missile dropkick. Everything breaks down again and Sakai gets a guillotine choke on Kimura. That’s muscled into a delayed suplex for two on Sakai but Kagetsu hits Kimura with the sign by mistake. Sumie dives onto a pile and hits a dragon suplex for the pin on Kimura at 10:27.

Rating: C. I say this a lot and I’m going to keep saying it until it’s no longer a problem: I have no idea who these people are and I don’t know why I’m supposed to care about them. It’s a bunch of Stardom talents and some names from Ring of Honor, who I don’t know either for the most part. The division does exist, but it’s not going to go far if I have to do outside research to figure out who these people are or what they’re doing here. Give us some quick videos or translated promos if necessary, but find a way to let us know what’s going on.

Mandy Leon talks about meeting Hana after working with her mother. They wrestled together in Japan and Hana was always smiling.

From ROH TV, July 28, 2018.

Kagetsu/Hana Kimura vs. Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Kagetsu gets double teamed to start and Iwatani hits a quick standing flip splash for two. Jenny gets sent outside and takes a suicide dive as we go to an early break. Back with Jenny getting crushed in the corner until a double clothesline bails her out. Mayu comes in with some dropkicks and a double springboard wristdrag. A double dropkick against the ropes has the villains (I think?) in trouble and an even harder baseball slide dropkick nails Kimura for two.

The frog splash misses and Hana hits a hard suplex, allowing for the double tag. Rose gets two each off a northern lights suplex and a top rope clothesline but Kagetsu pulls her into a cross armbreaker. A rope is enough for the save so Kagetsu grabs the referee, allowing Hana to hit Jenny with the Oedo Tai sign. Kagetsu kicks her in the head for two and a double big boot is good (I thought that was the finish). Instead a Samoan driver pins Rose at 9:57.

Rating: C+. If you give these people some characters or tell us a few things about them, I could easily get behind matches like this. It’s a very entertaining match and the four worked hard, but this division needs a top star to build around. For reasons that I don’t understand whatsoever, that spot has gone to Sumie Sakai instead of Tenille Dashwood.

Clips of Kimura in New York City and how important it was to get to wrestle in Madison Square Garden.

From the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden.

Jenny Rose/Kagetsu/Hazuki vs. Hana Kimura/Stella Grey/Sumie Sakai

Kagetsu and Hazuki do their rather cool Oedo Tai dance. It’s a brawl to start with Stella getting beaten up in the corner. Oedo Tai ties her in the ropes for a big triple pose before Sumie gets double drop toeholded down. A double backsplash makes it even worse and it’s off to Rose for a running corner clothesline. The spinning side slam gets two and it’s off to Hazuki to choke on the ropes.

Sakai avoids a splash though and grabs a neckbreaker, allowing the hot tag to Kimura. Some running furry rainbow boots to Hazuki’s face get two but Kimura’s suplex attempt is countered into a guillotine. That’s broken up with straight power into a suplex and it’s a triple submission onto Rose and company. With that broken up, Kimura gets kicked in the face by Kagetsu and it’s off to Rose for a slugout with Sakai.

A double suplex is countered into a double DDT and Sumie’s brainbuster gets two on Hazuki. Smash Mouth gets two with Jenny making the save and everything breaks down. Sumie dives onto her own partners by mistake and Oedo Tai hits their stereo suicide dives. Back in and Kagetsu hits a Samoan driver for two on Sakai. Hazuki is back in with a springboard missile dropkick though and Kagetsu adds a 450 to finish Sakai at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This is how you get a show going as this was almost all action throughout. That’s a nice choice for an opener and while it didn’t exactly focus on Kimura, it was great to see her getting to be on a big stage like this. The match was good stuff too, mainly due to the Stardom women as the ROH roster leaves a good bit to be desired.

Everyone talks about how sad it was to see Kimura pass away like she did. Everyone needs to be nicer to each other.

Overall Rating: B-. I really didn’t know much about Kimura as I’m not the biggest joshi fan but it was clear that she was a young up and comer who was gone way too soon. There is no excuse for what she had to go through and it’s horrible that this was the result. She should have been a star for a long time to come and that smile certainly seemed to be a major trademark. She wasn’t around long but she did seem pretty good at what she was doing. That’s quite a shame and it’s nice to see ROH do something like this for her, as she deserved it.

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

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Ring of Honor TV – March 18, 2020: That’s The Right Direction

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 18, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Host: Quinn McKay

This has to be the last show from Baltimore right? If my math is correct, they should have seven or eight weeks of television from their last two shows, but after that it’s going to be interesting in a hurry. These shows have been good so far and hopefully the trend continues this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham winning the Tag Team Titles in a great match at Final Battle.

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clips of Session Moth Martina beating Sumie Sakai in what looked like a comedy match. Martina likes to dance and drink, meaning her finishing move is called the Jager Bomb.

Post break Quinn asks Sumie for a comment but she shoves Quinn against a wall and tells her to shut up.

Dan Maff/Jeff Cobb vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Non-title but if Maff and Cobb win, they’re guaranteed a title shot. The handshake offers are slapped away so it’s Cobb and Gresham starting things off. Gresham can’t quite wrestle him down as Cobb muscles him up for a throw into the corner. Back from an early break with Maff chopping Lethal and then slapping him in the face for a bonus. The Pounce sends Lethal outside and the champs need a breather.

Back in and Maff suplexes both of them before it’s Cobb coming in for a dropkick. The standing moonsault gets two on Lethal and Cobb pounds him down in the corner. Gresham comes in and goes after Cobb’s knee though as the champs take over for the first time. Lethal gets kicked into the corner for the hot tag to Maff but the referee doesn’t see it, sending Maff into a frenzy in the corner. Cobb suplexes the heck out of Gresham and now Maff can come in to run Lethal over.

We come back from another break with Maff hitting a Cannonball in the corner. The spinning belly to back from Cobb sets up an elevated backsplash from Maff to crush Lethal again. Gresham makes the save with an enziguri and Lethal cutters Cobb for two. Maff gets knocked to the floor so Gresham dives onto him with a sleeper, leaving Lethal to Figure Four Cobb.

Maff, with Gresham on his back, climbs back in but falls just short of a save. He gets up again and finally Attitude Adjusts Gresham onto Lethal for the big break. Everyone is down again until Maff spears Lethal, setting up the Oklahoma Stampede to Gresham. Lethal kicks Cobb to the floor and Gresham adds a suicide dive, only to have Maff hit a Burning Hammer on Lethal for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: B-. The tag matches have been rather good around here as of late and while this wasn’t quite up to the Briscoes vs. Mexiblood, it was a rather good power vs. technical match. There was even a nice twist of the power guys being the faces for a change and that’s not the kind of match you often see around here. Good enough match here though and the rematch will likely take place at a pay per view, whenever that takes place.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this one well enough as the battle royal was a nice change of pace from the usual ROH formula. Things are starting to get a little better around here under Marty Scurll and hopefully we can get to another level in the near enough future. I’m not sure when that is going to be, but at least they seem to have something better here. It’s a heck of a lot better than what they were doing for years though and that’s a good sign.

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

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Ring of Honor TV – October 30, 2019: They Can’t Be Long For The Wrestling World

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 30, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McCay

Yes we are still somehow in Las Vegas for Death Before Dishonor fallout, even though the show was a month ago and we have already had the UK shows. Then again it isn’t like it matters because this company is flailing like few I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure what to expect, but it isn’t likely to be great television. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We look at the Allure cheating so Angelina Love could take the Women of Honor Title.

Jeff Cobb/Kenny King/Brian Johnson/Josh Woods vs. Silas Young/Cheeseburger/Rhett Titus/Joe Hendry

Random draw tag match with King driving Cheeseburger into the corner to start. The announcers make McDonalds jokes as King grabs a wristlock and shrugs off a headlock. Some running of the ropes sets up a shoulder to drop King, with Cabana saying that’s no plant based burger. Titus comes in because ROH thinks we care about an All Night Express feud. Johnson tags himself in to shout at Titus but Woods tags himself in before anything can happen.

Woods takes Titus down with no trouble but Titus survives a series of standing switches and gets over to Young. Silas shouts about being the mentor before trying to take Woods to the mat, which works as well as you would expect. Woods takes over without much trouble and we take a break. Back with Titus slamming Cheeseburger onto Johnson for two and Titus gets the same off a splash.

Not that it matters as Woods gets back up and makes the tag to Cobb so full sized humans, plus Cheeseburger, can get tossed around with ease. Cobb muscles Titus up into a Falcon Arrow and gets two off a standing moonsault. Now King is willing to fight of course and hammers away, even after yelling at Johnson. Speaking of Johnson, he comes in and grabs the cravate, only to have Titus fight up with a clothesline. Johnson refuses to tag though because he doesn’t need anyone, meaning it’s off to Cheeseburger to start the comeback.

Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of secondary finishers to put everyone but Cobb down. Cobb and Hendry stare each other down in a moment that isn’t as special as commentary thinks it is. They both throw two opponents at the same time before a double clothesline gives us another group knockdown. Cobb and Hendry collide on the floor again so Cheeseburger starts cleaning house with the palm strikes. Woods and Young grab a suplex apiece until Woods rolls him up for the pin at 17:52.

Rating: D+. Just a longer tag match here and not all that interesting, mainly due to the talent involved. There aren’t a lot of interesting people in Ring of Honor and Cobb is stuck in the middle of this mess, which got way more time than it needed. It was more boring than bad, and in this case that’s a lot worse.

Shane Taylor says he has always been this good and this confident but everyone gets paid more than him.

Video on the Bouncers vs. the Kingdom in a bar room brawl.

The Bouncers were pleased with their win.

Bouncers vs. Chris Bey/Slice Boogie

Boogie shoves Bruiser and gets chopped against the ropes for his efforts. Milonas comes in for a side slam so it’s off to Bey, who gets punched and non-bitten. A cheap shot lets Bey take over on Bruiser and a standing moonsault gets two. That’s it for the offense as it’s off to Milonas for the splashes in the corner. Closing Time is good for the pin on Boogie at 4:45.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here with the Bouncers continuing to be a surprisingly decent tag team. They’ve found their niche as the crowd favorites with no chance of ever going anywhere of note and that’s a good little spot for them. They can have a one off title shot here and there and maybe even win the titles at some point, but if this is their ceiling, that’s not a bad thing.

Titus tells his partners that the loss wasn’t all bad but mocks Young for getting pinned by Woods. Young blames the rest of them for the loss. Hendry offers autographs but Silas walks away. Cheeseburger: “I’ll take one.”

Jonathan Gresham and Jay Lethal talk about how they’ve nearly injured each other (Lethal: “You nearly broke my arm.”) but what matters is they’ve worked out their differences. Maybe Lethal needs to start accepting his partner’s views. The tag division needs them.

We look at the finals of the Top Prospect Tournament with Dak Draper pinning Austin Gunn to earn a TV Title shot.

Draper won because he worked harder than anyone. He’s smart and strong, because his mind is his general and his body is the army.

Video on Rush.

The hosts run down the upcoming big events, which will be tough on the World Champions.

Brian Zane runs down the five toughest World Champions of all time with Nigel McGuinness on top of the list. Dalton Castle comes in and complains about not being on the list when he defended the title for six months with a broken back. The top five should have been Dalton Castle, Dalton Castle, Dalton Castle, that Dalton Castle fellow and Dalton Castle.

Women of Honor: Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Angelina Love

Love is defending and has Mandy Leon with her. After the Big Match Intros, it’s Love getting double teamed to start, including a double clothesline to put her on the floor. Rose is smart enough to go straight after Sakai with a side slam getting two. Love pulls Sakai to the floor and runs Rose over back inside. That’s fine with Sumie, who pulls Love to the floor for a forearm to the face.

Back from a break with Rose holding Sakai in a half crab but Love breaks it up with a Koji Clutch. That stays on for a good while until Sakai finally makes the ropes so Love hits a Thesz press off the apron to drop Rose. Sakai is back up with a fisherman’s buster for two on Love as Rose comes back in to send both of them into the corner. Rose’s spear gets two on Sakai and a Rock Bottom gets the same, only to have Love hit the Botox Injection. Sakai makes the save this time so Mandy gets up on the apron for a distraction. Now the Botox Injection can hit Sakai to retain the title at 8:19.

Rating: C-. It’s the same problems as ever: not very interesting wrestlers, action that isn’t great, and another version of the two in/one out triple threat formula that has been done for years. On top of that, the fact that Love lost the title over two weeks before this aired shows you how far behind the company is, which is still a problem even though they handpick the matches they show now.

We don’t even get a sign off to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This show took me a few days to get through as it just wasn’t all that interesting. It was boring, the wrestlers don’t get or keep my attention and there was nothing going on that I care about. What is there to care about here that I should want to see from week to week? Rush is World Champion and has no one of note to challenge him until Ring of Honor and everything else is some combination of dull and not very good, with the shows being weeks, and approaching a month, behind. Really weak show and I don’t see it getting any better.

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

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

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Ring of Honor TV – July 31, 2019: FIX THE STUPID THING ALREADY! Oh And The Main Event Was Great.

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:

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Ring of Honor TV – April 17, 2019: The NWA Is The Way

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 17, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The fallout from Supercard of Honor continues to be delayed as we’re still not quite ready to get to New York yet. As usual, that means we could be going in a variety of ways as you never know what sort of things this company will throw at you. Odds are it won’t be storyline based though, which can get old after awhile. Let’s get to it.

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

The Briscoe Brothers aren’t happy with having to qualify for the Crockett Cup. That’s cool though, as they’ll throw someone a beating tonight to make it in. After tonight though, they’re not responsible for what happens.

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Luchasaurus

Shane yells a lot and they take turns shoving each other in the face. Luchasaurus’ kick to the legs gets on Shane’s nerves so he chops the heck out of Luchasaurus’ chest. Some more kicks have Taylor in trouble but a right hand on the apron sets up a hanging Stunner for two.

Back from a break with Shane shrugging off a knee to the face and getting two more off a chokeslam. The Snake Bites (anklescissors faceplant) into the Shining Lizard (yep) gives Luchasaurus two of his own and they trade the big shots to the face. One heck of a clothesline blasts Luchasaurus for two more but something like Black Mass rocks Shane again. A chokeslam sets up a standing moonsault to Shane’s raised knees and Shane blasts him with a knee of his own. Greetings From 216 finish Luchasaurus at 8:11.

Rating: C+. Shane can have some awesome hoss fights and while this one was good, it wasn’t quite up to the levels of his fights with Jeff Cobb. Luchasaurus is a great monster, though having him lose here doesn’t do him a ton of good. I could see Shane being a great monster for someone to slay, though I’m not sure who that someone would be.

We look at Silas Young cheating to beat Jonathan Gresham last week.

Young and Gresham get in an argument in the back but they’re separated pretty quickly. A rematch is teased for later.

Sumie Sakai/Mayu Iwatani vs. Katie Forbes/Mazzerati

Tenille Dashwood is on commentary and announces that she is cleared to get back in the ring (which ring isn’t specified). Forbes is debuting here (she was at the Impact United We Stand show and didn’t exactly stand out). She’s also rather, ahem, hippy and that seems to be the main focus of her existence. Mazzerati slaps Iwatani in the face to start so it’s a fast paced Japanese armdrag to take Mazzerati down.

Since Mazzerati realizes how far in over her head she really is, it’s off to Sumie vs. Forbes for a change. Katie shoves her into the corner so Sakai kicks her in the foot (which seems to take three tries for Forbes to get the hint) and hits the Mongolian chops in the corner. Forbes hips her in the head and follows with a handspring hip attack in the corner. A Stinkface (yeah you get the idea) sends us to a break with the announcers calling this “terrible”.

Back with Mazzerati kicking Sakai in the knee and getting frustrated at the kickout. The legdrop misses so Sakai gets in a running knee but Forbes intercepts Iwatani on the floor. Sumie grabs a fisherman’s neckbreaker to drop Mazzerati again and this time the tag works just fine. Everything breaks down and Iwatani springboard wristdrags both of them at once. Dashwood: “I can do that but I just hold it back.”

Iwatani’s middle rope missile dropkick sets up a missile dropkick to give Sakai two. Forbes fireman’s carries both of them at once and does some squats before hitting the Samoan drop. There’s no cover so Iwatani superkicks Forbes, leaving Mazzerati to take Smash Mouth for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: D+. I would go into a little more on Forbes but I’d be surprised if she’s brought back. Her entire thing was the hips and that got annoying in a hurry because it feels out of place around here. Forbes wasn’t working for me and the act wasn’t great when it started and aged even faster. Mazzerati needs more work but there’s potential there. Just keep her away from Forbes, who was the big problem with the match.

PJ Black is impressed with Bandido and doesn’t like the cheating ways.

Crockett Cup Qualifying Match: Jeff Cobb/Willie Mack vs. Briscoes

This could be good. Mark and Mack chop the heck out of each other to start and you know they’re both cool with that. A crossbody takes Mark down and a knee to the head makes it even worse. Cobb comes in for his very delayed vertical suplex and the Briscoes are in trouble. Jay comes in to face Cobb and we take a fast break.

Back with Cobb charging into Jay’s elbow in the corner and a double elbow dropping him again. Some knees to the head and an elbow of his own put Jay down and they head outside. Mark isn’t that patient though and hits a big dive onto both of them to put Cobb back in trouble. Jay fires off the hard shoulders in the corner and a snap suplex (with some trash talk to Mack) has Cobb in rare trouble.

A dropkick gets Cobb out of trouble, because a 280lb Olympic wrestler can throw a great dropkick, and it’s the hot tag bringing in Mack. The reverse Cannonball gets two on Mark but Jay sends Mack into something close to a Claymore for two. We take another break and come back with Mark headbutting Mack in the corner with some surprising success. The neck crank goes on for a bit but Mack hits a pop up Downward Spiral (that’s a new one). The tag brings in Cobb but Jay comes in without a tag of his own in what seems like a bit of chicanery.

Cobb suplexes both of them in a row and then does it at the same time to show off. A standing moonsault gets two on Mark, who is right back with a Pele of all things. Jay’s crazy hard lariat gets two as Mack is back to life for the latest hot tag. Mack hits a Samoan drop into a standing moonsault for two on Jay and it’s time to head outside. Since Mack and Cobb can never get together, Mark hits a running Blockbuster off the apron to drop Mack again.

Back in and Mack is fine enough for a t-bone suplex for two but walks into the Doomsday Device. Cobb shoves Jay into the cover for the save and breaks up Redneck Boogey for a bonus. The Stunner into a swinging German suplex sets up Mack’s frog splash for two on Mark in a great false finish. Jay grabs Mark to block the Tour of the Islands so it’s Mack and Mark chopping it out again. Mack hits a running big boot but Jay comes back in for a hurricanrana into the Jay Driller. Just in case, Mark drops the Froggy Bow for the pin at 19:44.

Rating: A-. I dug the heck out of this one as they were nailing it throughout with an energy you don’t get around here very often. The best thing I can say about it though was that it felt like an old NWA main event tag. Back in the day you would have a random pairing against a regular team (usually the Horsemen or the Midnight Express) and they would tear the house down with an awesome match. Cut about three minutes out of this and it’s even better, which is quite the accomplishment. Check this one out, and probably the Crockett Cup too.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event is more than enough to carry this one as far as it needed to go, though the rest of the card doesn’t exactly live up to that level. I want to see the Crockett Cup though, which is about all this show needed to do. They need to get to the main stories though because this isn’t going to be the norm for these shows.

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:

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Ring of Honor TV – January 2, 2019 (Women Of Honor Special): It’s Not Working

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 2, 2019
Host: Ian Riccaboni

Now this one could be interesting and the focus is going to be on the Women of Honor. Why is that interesting you may ask? Well for once we might actually get to know what is supposed to be interesting about some of them. There are several women in the division, but I’m still not sure what is supposed to make a lot of them stand out. Hopefully we can find some of that out here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a quick video looking at the division as a whole, plus some of the bigger names over the year.

From Honor Reigns Supreme in Philadelphia.

Tenille Dashwood/Mandy Leon vs. Kelly Klein/Stacy Shadows

This is Dashwood’s in-ring debut and I believe Shadows appeared a few times on TV over the year. Shadows and Leon start things off with Mandy hitting some pretty weak chops to the much bigger Stacy. That just earns her a forearm to the face and it’s off to Dashwood in a hurry. Tenille gets her to miss a charge over the ropes and fires off some kicks, followed by a Stunner to send her throat first into the middle ropes.

Dashwood charges into a boot to the face though and Kelly comes in for a cravate with knees to the face. The headscissors into the Russian legsweep gets Dashwood out of trouble and we take a break. Back with Kelly sending Leon into the corner and kneeing her in the face again. Stacy comes in for more of the same and throws Mandy down by the hair as the boring match continues.

Mandy does the big dive towards the corner but can’t quite get there until a DDT gets her out of trouble. The diving tag brings Dashwood in to clean house, including a shotgun dropkick to send her into the corner. The Taste of Tenille connects and the reverse layout DDT plants Stacy again. Mandy dives on Kelly and the yet to be named Spotlight Kick finishes Stacy at 9:00.

Rating: D. This was every boring tag match that you can imagine with the only good part being Tenille coming in for the big win in the end. I wouldn’t have had her in there against someone like Stacy who Dashwood can’t do a lot against, but maybe they didn’t have anyone else. It wasn’t terrible but it was dull, and that’s worse.

We see the end of Sumie Sakai vs. Kelly Klein for the first Women of Honor Title in a pretty lame ending with Klein kicking out of Sakai’s regular finisher and then getting pinned with a regular DDT. The big celebration is included.

From May 30.

Women’s Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose

Sakai is defending and Rose is another one of those interchangeable women that Ring of Honor thinks is important or interesting because they’ve been around for a while. Sumie takes her into the corner for some fast stomping and Rose is sent outside as we take another early break.

Rating: C. And the problems for the division continue. I’ve been watching Ring of Honor for a good while now and I still couldn’t tell you anything significant about either of these two. Rose trained with Sakai and wants the title. Fine. Now tell me something about Sakai or Rose. Let them have some promo time or a character or something, but what we’re getting right now is just people having not great matches.

From Honor United in the UK on May 27.

Women’s Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Chardonnay

Sumie is defending and shrugs off a cheap shot attempt. That means some stomping in the corner before Chardonnay gets tied in the ring skirt for a quick spanking. Back in and Chardonnay hammers her down before sending it right back to the floor. That means a baseball slide to send Sakai into the barricade but Sumie is right back with chops to the neck. A crossbody off the barricade misses though and Sumie crashes hard.

Chardonnay gets two off a chop and the Boston crab goes on. Sumie grabs the rope and we take a break. Back without much having changed as Chardonnay chokes in the corner and yells at the crowd. Sumie fights back with a running knee and Smashmouth gets two with almost no reaction on the kickout.

A bridging German suplex is good for two more on Chardonnay, who comes back with a spinebuster for the same. Chardonnay’s signature butterfly suplex gets two more but the Tower of London is broken up. Sumie misses her moonsault and gets caught with a running knee to the face for two more. Another butterfly suplex is countered into Smashmouth for the pin to retain at 10:46.

Rating: C-. Chardonnay had a good look and moved well in the ring but the lack of drama and crowd reaction really pulled the energy out of this. Sumie was her usual uninteresting self and that’s not exactly a good thing for a match like this. You can only do so much with these international house shows and this was no exception to the rule. Not terrible, but pretty dry.

From Best In The World.

Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani/Tenille Dashwood vs. Hazuki/Kelly Klein/Hana Kimura/Kagetsu

Kagetsu is the Stardom Champion and we get a staredown over the titles. Sakai wants to start for the team and gets kicked in the face by Kugetsu. Well that’ll teach her. Kimura comes in and wants Dashwood, meaning the brawl is on. Before that has a chance to go anywhere, it’s Klein coming in to throw Jenny around. Of course the fourth pairing comes in with Iwatani Sling Blading Hazuki. I might be a bit more excited if you didn’t know the tags were coming as soon as the sequence started.

Overall Rating: D+. Everything that has been bad about this division since its inception was on full display here: the non-existent characters, the not great wrestling, the matches that just come and go, and the incredible uninteresting Sakai at the top of the division. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen by a mile and there are some perfectly watchable matches at times, but the complete lack of character work kills any positives that could come from the whole thing. Highlighting the year is fine on paper, but was this really the best they could do? Boring show, but it went by quick.

Ring of Honor TV – November 7, 2018: Get Your Own Letters

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: November 7, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Colt Cabana

We’re onto a fresh taping cycle tonight and, believe it or not, the big story here in Philadelphia is about an ECW wrestler as Bully Ray and Flip Gordon are sending in representatives (Ray has already announced Silas Young) for a match where the winner gets to pick whatever happens to the loser. Should we just pull up a Tommy Dreamer graphic already? Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Gordon vs. Ray challenge and the setup for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Ray with an envelope as we’re starting big. He explains the concept again, because airing that video in the arena was too complicated. Flip comes out as well and has his own envelope, labeled “Bully Ray’s Punishment.” I’m not sure I want to see what’s inside there. Colt Cabana gets off commentary and gets in the ring, much to Ray’s stunned displeasure. Ray: “You really are stupid Flip.” Colt says he’s here for two reasons: to support Flip and to be in the ring when he sees who Flip has chosen. And then this happens.

Silas Young vs. Sandman

Yes, because THE ECW TRIBUTES MUST CONTINUE!!! I get where they are and I get why they’re doing this, but do you really want to bring up this memory from ECW? The company that folded seventeen years ago? Meaning seventeen years after Sandman’s, ahem, athletic prime? Sandman canes him down for two as the fans chant for a company that is decidedly not Ring of Honor.

They head outside with Sandman in full control and grabbing a ladder. Coleman lists off some great ECW names and there are at least three of them who didn’t retire five years ago. Back in and Sandman gets sent into the ladder as we hear about Mikey Whipwreck and Joel Gertner. Silas gets in a few shots of his own and then grabs a table. Sandman puts the ladder on top of him and hits the Swanton onto the ladder onto Silas for two. That’s about it though as Misery finishes Sandman at 4:33.

Rating: D. Well it could have been worse. Again, I get what they’re going for here but egads this isn’t a good idea. It’s not like Sandman is an ROH legend. He’s a legend in the building they’re in at the moment. It’s bad enough that Ray is arguably the top heel in the promotion right now, but between this and Tommy Dreamer getting a spot at last year’s Final Battle, they need to cut out this ECW stuff. I’m sure the fans in the arena loved it, but there are a lot more fans on the other side of those cameras who are probably wondering why this is happening.

Post break, we see an edited version (with graphics and commentary saying it’s too violent to show in full) of Gordon’s punishment: ten Singapore cane shots to the back, because THEY DID THAT IN ECW TOO! Wrestlers eventually come out, including the Bullet Club with Cody making the actual save despite past issues with Gordon.

Everyone else gets out and Ray says this one is for Brandi. Gordon won’t give up and says F*** YOU to Ray because he has one more. Ray hits him low instead and everyone comes in to scare him off. It was an effective angle, though the ECW stuff really hurt it for me. Not worthy of using half the show, but it was good.

Karen Q./Britt Baker/Kelly Klein vs. Jenny Rose/Madison Rayne/Sumie Sakai

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Apparently Klein attacked Rose at the zoo in Japan. That’s not something you hear too often so at least they’re doing something. I mean, showing us that might be interesting but I’ll take what I can get. Sumie chops away at Baker to start but gets rolled into something like the Rings of Saturn.

That’s broken up just as fast and Sumie hits a running knee to the chest for two. The Sling Blade gets the same on Sakai and Baker runs the ropes, until Karen tags herself in (Coleman: “I wish she’d tag me like that.”). Jenny comes in for a headlock and it’s quickly off to Madison for a wristlock. A northern lights suplex gets two and we take a break.

Back with Sakai hitting a headscissors on Karen and bringing in Madison to dropkick Kelly. A crucifix driver hits Karen for no cover as she’s not legal (good referee) and it’s a ripcord cutter for two more. Rose and Kelly come in for the brawling but actually settle in with an abdominal stretch on Kelly. That’s broken up so Rose rolls Kelly up for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: D+. Another Women of Honor match with little story (though Rose vs. Klein was something) and no one really standing out. Pinning Klein is a big deal for Rose, but I still don’t know anything about her, though apparently she goes to Japanese zoos. The division just isn’t working and I’m not sure how they can fix it, though it’s not exactly getting better.

The Kingdom is ready for their six man tag next week.

Kenny King vs. Cody

Non-title, Jay Lethal is on commentary and Brandi has changed her outfit. Feeling out process to start with neither headlock going anywhere. Kenny’s wristlock works about the same and it’s time for some dancing. Cody tries a hammerlock instead and gets hiptossed down as it’s all King so far. The drop down right hand finally takes King down and a release gordbuster gets two.

Back up and King falls down but blames Brandi, who was nowhere near him. A Flatliner gets two on King and this time he accuses Brandi of a slap. King puts him down again and grabs a chinlock as we take a break. Back with a double clothesline taking both guys down for a breather.

Cody is up first with the Disaster kick for two and a superplex is good for the same. Kenny sends him outside for a dive and there’s a spinebuster for two of his own. With Cody down, King throws an elbow pad at Brandi, drawing her in to distract the ref. Cody gets up and King throws him the IWGP US Title before falling down, ala Eddie Guerrero. Another referee runs out to say not so fast so King shoves the referee for the DQ at 11:09.

Rating: D+. That ending was all kinds of messy and continues my streak of not liking something about King’s matches. Cody wasn’t doing any favors here either as he hit the Disaster kick and not much else. They were hyping up King getting a title shot this weekend so there was indeed a point to the thing, but it wasn’t working for me, as tends to be the case in their main event stuff.

Post match Kenny kicks Cody low and grabs Brandi but Lethal runs in for the save. Brandi leaves and Kenny belts Lethal down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This one was way off as the first half was spent on a single angle that featured Bully Ray, the Sandman, and an angle that felt more like a tribute to ECW than anything else. Then you had a women’s match that just showed how much the women all run together and a main event with an overbooked ending. I hope this was a one off bad show because this really missed bad.

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:

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Ring of Honor TV – September 19, 2018: A Point In Their Favor

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Death Before Dishonor and that means it’s time for the standard Ring of Honor crash course booking as they suddenly realize that just saying the show is coming isn’t the same thing as actually setting it up. You get used to that around here but it doesn’t make anything better. A main event would be nice if nothing else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s World Champion Jay Lethal for an opening chat. He’s been asked about the matches that he’s considered his best over the years and now there’s a new one on top of his list after last week’s Iron Man match against Jonathan Gresham. That match proved to him that you don’t need gimmicks or storylines (erg) to have a great match. It also showed him that he wants to have great matches with the rest of the locker room, or any locker room for that matter. The challenge is open to anyone so here’s Will Ospreay on the screen to challenge for the title. Lethal seems game.

So Cal Uncensored is ready for Punishment Martinez and the Briscoes.

The Briscoes and Punishment Martinez are ready for So Cal Uncensored.

Tasha Steelz vs. Sumie Sakai

Non-title, Brandi Rhodes is on commentary and this is a Proving Ground match, meaning Steelz gets a title shot if she wins. Steelz poses at the champ instead of shaking hands so I don’t see this lasting long. Sumie forearms away to start and gets sent outside as Brandi accuses Caprice of hating on the women’s division. Back in and Sumie chops away, followed by a clothesline and a running knee. A missile dropkick gets two but Smash Mouth is countered into Stratusfaction. Not that it matters as Smash Mouth finishes Steelz at 3:13.

Rating: D. Another thrilling Sakai match as she continues to just not be interesting. It’s a good idea to give her a squash every now and then but really, there’s nothing to her that makes me want to watch her matches. This division has been one lackluster moment after another and I don’t see that chanting anytime soon.

The Bullet Club says they’re the top of the pile in Japan and Chaos is at the bottom. Therefore, the ten man tag at Death Before Dishonor is an easy match for the Club.

Sakai is still in the ring and is told that the Women’s Title is now the Ring of Honor Women’s World Title. Sakai says this is her home and challenges Tenille Dashwood for the title. Cue Tenille to say they can do this at Death Before Dishonor.

Kenny King is ready to beat up Adam Page next week.

Here’s Jonathan Gresham to say he wants another shot at Lethal but here’s Bully Ray to scare Riccaboni off. Ray says he sold out Madison Square Garden on his own, which Gresham never could have done. This is like the old Piper’s Pit with Frankie Williams (Ray: “He was the jobber.”) because Gresham is nowhere near as great as he thinks he is. Where was Gresham’s standing ovation when he came out here? Gresham takes the mic and says he knows he can’t win a match with Ray. He can win a match with Ray though because there’s no D-Von here to do the work. Ray says get a referee.

Bully Ray vs. Jonathan Gresham

Ray kicks him low at 14 seconds.

Post match Ray shakes his hand for being the better wrestler and whips Gresham with the chain. Flip Gordon runs in for the save but gets knocked down as well. Cue Lethal for the real save but Silas Young lays him out with Misery. Silas wants nothing to do with a hug from Ray and leaves.

Post break Lethal and Gresham set up the tag match for next week.

Video on Chris Sabin vs. Punishment Martinez.

Sabin says he’s betting on himself.

Briscoes/Punishment Martinez vs. So Cal Uncensored

Sabin is on commentary and it’s a big brawl to start with Jay getting run over in the corner. Some stomps to the back have Jay in more trouble and Mark has to come in for the save. A cheap shot from the apron lets Jay clothesline Daniels to the floor and it’s Martinez coming in to hammer away as well. All three villains take turns beating Daniels down and we take a break.

Back with Daniels slipping out of a chokeslam and bringing in Scorpio Sky to clean house. A slingshot cutter gets two but Jay hits a head of a Death Valley Driver to cut him off. Everything breaks down and Kazarian DDTs Mark for two. Daniels’ middle rope knee to the chest into a suicide dive gets two but Jay’s chair shot hits the referee by mistake. More chair shots have So Cal Uncensored knocked out but Sabin comes in to take care of Martinez. So Cal Uncensored pops up for the Best Meltzer Ever and the pin on Mark at 11:42.

Rating: C+. I do love it when the booking for multiple matches come together at once. That’s what they pulled off here and it was a good match as well. Having the Briscoes take the fall made sense as Sky doesn’t have anything to do at the pay per view and it wouldn’t have made sense for Martinez to get pinned. Nice way to end the show here as the rapid fire build for the pay per view is underway.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think of this one. It was a good show as far as setting up the pay per view (in rapid fashion of course because throwing in some graphics or promos onto the other shows is out of the question for whatever reason) but you also have Lethal being thrown into the feud with Ray and Young. I’d assume that’s because Ospreay wasn’t available to be at the tapings, but that’s the danger of having a World Title match thrown together like this.

I’ll give Ring of Honor this: given the amount of issues they have with their pay per views (the main one being the schedule, as always), they manage to put together some nice last minute building. There are some flaws, but given how much they’re up against, it’s not terrible a lot of the time. The ending segment here made me want to see both matches they were hyping up and that’s better than I was expecting.

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:

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