Collision
Date: June 22, 2024
Location: PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to wrap up the build for Forbidden Door, with just over a week to go before the event. In this case we have a major match as Kazuchika Okada will face CMLL legend Ultimo Guerrero in a rather unique international match. Other than that, we have the International Title on the line as Will Ospreay defends against Brian Cage so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Premiere Athletes

Joe and Tony Nese start things off with Joe running him over off a shoulder. An elbow to the face does it again and it’s off to Hook for some clubberin in the corner. Daivari comes in and takes Hook down for a seated full nelson, with Hook fighting up rather quickly. It’s off to Shibata vs. Woods, who strike it out for a bit before fighting over arm control on the mat. Nese comes in for a cheap shot to the knee but Shibata just sidesteps a top rope moonsault (Joe approves).

In addition to approving, Joe also comes in but a distraction lets Woods get in a neck snap across the top rope to take over. That doesn’t last long either as Joe is back with a backsplash and Hook comes in to beat up the Athletes. Woods manages a release German suplex so Shibata comes back in and dropkicks Nese in the corner. The cross armbreaker finishes Nese at 7:35.

Rating: C+. I’d think we’re done with Joe and company against the Athletes, which we should have been done with a few weeks ago. If nothing else, it’s another case where people treated as bigger deals in Ring Of Honor are massacred on the main roster, but it’s also Joe and company taking longer than they needed to in order to beat a weak set of opponents. Joe and company could have something, but they need better competition.

The Bang Bang Gang isn’t happy that Juice Robinson isn’t an official Trios Champion. Now the House Of Black is getting a title shot so Jay White is going to come back with TEN ABS.

Learning Tree vs. Private Party

Bryan Keith is here with the Learning Tree. Jericho starts with Quen but hands it off to Bill before anything can happen. Bill hammers away in the corner and then sends Quen flying right back out of it. A missed charge gives Quen a breather but Bill drops him with a right hand. Jericho comes in but charges into a boot in the corner, allowing Kassidy to come in and hammer away. The Silly String gives Kassidy two on Jericho and it’s Quen coming back in to rain down his own right hands. Jericho gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Quen managing to knock Jericho down and bring Kassidy back in. The pace is picked up until Jericho knocks Quen down, leaving Kassidy to dive onto Bill. Quen’s 450 gets two on Jericho but Bill gets in a big boot to give Jericho two of his own. A hurricanrana is countered into the Walls but Kassidy makes the rope. The very swinging Boss Man Slam gets two more and Bill chokeslams Quen onto Kassidy for the same. Kassidy is back up with a step up dropkick to Bill and Gin and Juice into a Codebreaker gets two on Jericho. Keith is back up with a foreign object to knock Kassidy silly though, giving Jericho the pin at 14:53.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is the fact that it wasn’t Jericho talking. Jericho having more followers isn’t the worst idea but the talking is quite a bit to take. Beating Private Party is fine, but the Learning Tree needs someone better to feud against than a fairly low level tag team.

Post match the villains go for the beatdown but Hook/Samoa Joe/Katsuyori Shibata come in for the save. The challenge is made for the six man at Forbidden Door. Jericho seems in as Keith seems to have hurt his arm.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Non-title and Guerrero is in a mask here despite having lost his mask in 2014. Okada slaps his hand in respect to start and they trade armdrags for an early standoff. We pause for Guerrero to play to the fans as commentary says their Spanish isn’t great. Guerrero plants Okada for two and chops away in the corner before grabbing the chinlock. With that broken up, Guerrero goes after the leg and then the arm, only for Okada to come back with White Noise onto the knee as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of running shots in the corner for a double knockdown. They fight to the floor with Guerrero firing off a chop before heading back inside. Guerrero has to adjust his mask for about the fourteenth time, allowing Okada to come back with the dropkick. Guerrero’s belly to back superplex is broken up but the Rainmaker is blocked as well. Not that it matters as Okada pulls the mask off and hits the Rainmaker for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of what’s wrong with the way these international guest stars are introduced. Guerrero is a legend and has done all kinds of amazing things in wrestling but unless you’ve watched him in CMLL or elsewhere, he’s just a guy who was brought in and lost to Okada in about twelve minutes. If you want to do some kind of dream match, set it up a bit better than just throwing it on Collision with a few days’ notice and nothing from Guerrero coming in.

Dante Martin talks about breaking his leg in a ladder match and some people say he’s crazy for getting in another one. It’s going to take a bit of crazy to make him TNT Champion. Lio Rush comes in and says he has Top Flight’s back, but he wants the TNT Title for himself. They’ll see each other at Forbidden Door.

We look at the Patriarchy attacking Buddy Matthews last week.

Patriarchy vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Christian Cage joins commentary, despite being in the match. Bronson takes a sip of the Savage Sauce to start and gets dropped, allowing Wayne to get in a cheap shot from behind. Bronson gets up and hits a backdrop before rubbing Wayne’s face into Boulder’s chest. It’s off to Killswitch to clean house and Wayne dives onto Boulder and Jameson on the floor. Back up and Bronson clotheslines Killswitch to one knee, only for Killswitch to come back with a chokeslam. Now Cage is willing to go to the ring and hit the Killswitch for the pin on Bronson at 4:40.

Rating: C. Jameson and the Savages are at or near the top of the worst acts in all of AEW or ROH and that was the case again here. They talk trash, they do the stupid hairy chest deal, and then they lose. I’m not sure who I was supposed to be cheering for here and the way both teams acted didn’t make it any less complicated.

We look at Mercedes Mone going to Arena Mexico and getting in a big brawl with Stephanie Vaquer. Still not shown in AEW: Vaquer having a match.

Toni Storm/Mariah May vs. Lady Frost/Leyla Hirsch

Storm and Hirsch start things off and fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. Storm front facelocks her into the corner and brings May in to chop away at Frost. A running hip attack puts Frost on the floor and we take a break. Back with Storm hitting a Backstabber out of the corner for two on Hirsch.

A cross armbreaker has Storm in trouble but May hits a running knee for the save. Stereo hip attacks miss in the corners though and Hirsch hits running knees on May (Nigel: “SHE’S JUST A CHILD!!!”). Everything breaks down and Storm and May hit stereo German suplexes. The running hip attacks set up Storm Zero to pin Hirsch at 8:05.

Rating: C+. Not bad here and a good way to show Storm and May working well together. That’s the kind of thing that plays into the story with May needing to pick between Storm and Mina Shirakawa, which continues to be one of the best things going into Forbidden Door. I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in Shirakawa, but I’ll take what I can get.

Serena Deeb talks about being on a losing streak but she won’t give up. Open challenge next week.

House Of Black vs. LSG/MSG

Black and MSG start things off with Black striking away, as you might have expected. King comes in and chops the soul from LSG, setting up Dante’s Inferno to finish MSG at 1:52.

Post break the House Of Black says revenge is a straight line and they feel nothing.

Hechicero vs. Matt Menard

The Gates Of Agony are here with Hechicero. Menard strikes away to start and is quickly knocked out to the floor. Hechicero bites away at his head and hits a backdrop before snapping Menard’s arm. A missed charge in the corner lets Menard strike away and a cutter gets two. Hechicero is right back with the headscissor driver into an armbar using his legs for the tap at 3:19.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly a major showcase for Hechicero and I’m still not sure why he is the one getting MJF’s first pay per view match after six months away. He has some cool technical stuff and his match with Bryan Danielson was rather good, but it was only kind of on display here. Also, they didn’t have anyone other than Menard to be the designated victim here? Why do that to one of your commentators?

We get a rather emotional interview with Jeff Jarrett talking about his friendship with Owen Hart. Jarrett, fighting back tears, talks about how he wants to be there for Owen’s kids and how this means more to him than anything else. This was really good, though it’s hard to imagine that Jarrett is making it past the first round.

International Title: Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage

Ospreay is defending and Cage charges at him in the corner to start. The champ gets dropped fast and his running hurricanrana attempt is pulled out of the air. Cage misses a charge over the top though and Ospreay takes him out with a slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Ospreay fighting out of a bearhug and scoring with an enziguri.

A Phenomenal Forearm gets two on Cage but he snaps off a German suplex to drop Ospreay again. The apron superplex gets two on Ospreay so the fans try to get behind him. Ospreay is back with a shot to the face but the Hidden Blade and Oscutter are both blocked. A sitout powerbomb puts Cage down for no cover and they slug it out from their knees. Cage is back up with an F5 for two and we take another break.

Back again with Ospreay firing off some kicks to the face but Cage gives him a helicopter bomb. Ospreay’s hard shot to the head gets two so he puts Cage up. The super hurricanrana is loaded up but Cage reverses into a super swinging powerslam (that’s a new one) for two. They go up top again and this time the super hurricanrana puts Cage down. A Stundog Millionaire into a poisonrana drops Cage and the Oscutter gets two. The Hidden Blade finishes Cage at 17:21.

Rating: B. It’s the kind of match where the ending wasn’t in doubt and that’s perfectly fine. Ospreay can get an audience into just about anything and that’s what he did here. There is something fun about watching Ospreay fight back against a monster and win in the end, though I’m still not sure if I can imagine him winning the World Title next weekend.

Overall Rating: B-. Your taste in this show is going to depend on whether you like the international guest stars and the Learning Tree. That and the main event were the majority of this show and it went well enough, with a bit more interest than in most weeks. I’m not sure what they are going to do once Forbidden Door is over as it is going to take away a lot of their content, but hopefully they have something to make up for it.

Results
Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata b. Premiere Athletes – Cross armbreaker to Nese
Learning Tree b. Private Part­ – Foreign object to Kassidy
Kazuchika Okada b. Ultimo Guerrero – Rainmaker
Patriarchy b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Killswitch to Bronson
Toni Storm/Mariah May b. Leyla Hirsch/Lady Frost – Storm Zero to Hirsch
House Of Black b. LSG/MSG – Dante’s Inferno to MSG
Hechicero b. Matt Menard – Armbar
Will Ospreay b. Brian Cage – Hidden Blade

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Rampage
Date: June 21, 2024
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The road to Forbidden Door continues and we have another qualifying match for the TNT Title ladder match. That at least adds some drama to this show, but a good chunk of the rest of it seems to be the usual Rampage fare. In other words, it should be some solid action. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Private Party vs. Metalik/Komander

Zay headlocks Komander to start but gets taken into the wrong corner so Metalik can come in for a chinlock. That’s broken up and the Silly String gives Zay two and it’s off to Quen. Metalik elbows his way out of trouble and everything breaks down, with Komander and Metalik hitting a big running flip dive to the floor each.

We take a break and come back with Zay hitting a spinebuster and diving over for the tag to Quen. A superplex hits Metalik and Quen drops a 450 for two. Metalik is back up with a reverse Sling Blade with Zay having to make a save. With Zay and Metalik both down, Komander and Quen both miss shooting star presses, leaving Metalik to charge into Gin and Juice for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: B-. While this was little more than a way to build up Private Party for their match against the Learning Tree tomorrow, it wound up being an entertaining match. Komander and Metalik were more or less the designated luchadors but since they have such little status, a loss doesn’t hurt them. Nice amount of action here and it will serve something of a purpose tomorrow.

Post match here is the Learning Tree for the brawl, with the outnumbered Private Party getting beaten down.

Video on Ultimo Guerrero, who is facing Kazuchika Okada on Collision.

Rey Fenix vs. Turbo Floyd

Floyd hits a shoulder and poses, setting up an elbow drop for one. Fenix avoids a charge in the corner though and hits a springboard spinning crossbody. The frog splash finishes for Fenix at 1:29.

TNT Title Qualifying Match: Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti

They go to the grappling to start with Rush dodging a bunch to send Andretti outside. An exchange of flips gives us a standoff so they collide to give us a double knockdown. We take a break and come back with Andretti firing off some forearms. Rush gets kicked to the floor and an Arabian moonsault takes him down again. Back in and a Falcon Arrow gives Andretti two, followed by the Cameron Grimes flipping powerslam for two more. Rush strikes away though and hits the springboard Stunner, setting up the Final Hour for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C+. You knew what you were going to get with these two and it went about as expected. There is nothing wrong with that as Andretti is a god high flier and Rush can do some things that almost no one else can do. There’s nothing wrong with sending two high fliers out there and letting them do their thing, which they made work here.

Post match Top Flight comes in and Rush shows respect to Andretti.

Shingo Takagi vs. AR Fox

Fox jumps him to start and takes it to the floor, setting up a middle rope moonsault. Back in and Takagi drops him with a clothesline, followed by a neckbreaker. Fox dodges a basement lariat and jumps to the top for a 450 and a near fall. Lo Mein Pain is broken up but Fox rolls him up anyway. A Death Valley Driver sets up a hard lariat, followed by Last Of The Dragon to finish Fox at 4:46.

Rating: C+. Takagi is one of the people who was randomly thrown onto one of the previous Forbidden Door cards with no in-ring exposure around here. This wasn’t exactly a glowing showcase, but getting him in the ring at all is the right way to go. Let us know what he can do and show that he could be a threat to take someone out, just for the sake of adding a bit of interest. Nicely done.

Post match Bryan Danielson comes out to shake Takagi’s (his opponent in the Owen Hart Cup) hand but Takagi isn’t interested.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Serena Deeb vs. Willow Nightingale

We get a handshake to start and Deeb grabs the wrist for some spinning. A running shoulder doesn’t work on Nightingale, who runs Deeb over with one of her own. The basement crossbody gets two but Deeb snaps the knee over the ropes for a breather. A neckbreaker on the floor has Nightingale in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Nightingale striking away and superkicking Deeb for two. Deeb’s Black Widow is broken up so she grabs a half crab on the leg she went after earlier. With that broken up, Deeb hits a DDT for two as frustration sets in. Deeb goes up but gets superplexed back down, leaving them both on the mat. Back up and Deebtox gets two on Nightingale, who is right back with the Pounce. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Deeb at 11:32.

Rating: B-. They telegraphed the result with all of the talk about the winner facing Kris Statlander but that’s not the worst way to go. Nightingale continues to feel like a star in the making and a win over someone as dangerous as Deeb will only make her feel stronger. Other than that, it was a good match with Nightingale surviving the knee and winning in the end.

Overall Rating: B-. Now this is more what I want from Rampage: a bunch of matches that either set something up for a future show or take care of some of the smaller stories that Dynamite doesn’t have time to cover. The Fenix match, which wasn’t even two minutes long, was the only part that felt like filler and it included one of the Outrunners to make up for it. Good use of TV time here, which has been a problem for Rampage for a long time.

Results
Private Party b. Metalik/Komander – Gin and Juice to Metalik
Rey Fenix b. Turbo Floyd – Frog splash
Lio Rush b. Action Andretti – Final Hour
Shingo Takagi b. AR Fox – Last Of The Dragon
Willow Nightingale b. Serena Deeb – Babe With The Powerbomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 22, 2020

It’s Matt Taven’s week and that could mean a few things. Taven is someone who has done some good things in his time, but as long as we don’t hear him talk, everything should be fine. He has some solid matches on his resume and we might be seeing some of those here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Taven talks about rehabbing from a knee injury in 2016 and knowing he had some goals. He knew he would have to beat Adam Cole because they started at the same time but Cole was already the World Champion. Then he beat Dalton Castle, allowing him to bring in the REAL World Title. The match that gives him the most pride is going an hour with Jay Lethal, even though he didn’t win the World Title. Then he won the World Title in Madison Square Garden, which was all he ever wanted.

From War of the Worlds 2019: Grand Rapids.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Mark Haskins

Taven is defending and tries to hit him with the belt before the bell. That earns him a kick to the face and they head outside with Haskins kicking him in the jaw again. A penalty kick from the apron connects but Taven is back in to run the ropes a bit before getting kicked down again. Haskins hits a shinbreaker and a basement dropkick gets two. Something like an Indian Deathlock stays on the leg, followed by a DDT for two more.

Taven gets to the apron though and snaps the arm across the top to get a breather. They head outside with Taven staying on the arm, including sending it into the post. Back from a break with Haskins being thrown up the steps and onto the stage. Haskins has to dive in to beat the count at nineteen so Taven stomps on the shoulder some more. A Fujiwara armbar has Haskins in major trouble but he gets over to the rope for the break. Taven hits him in the face so Haskins says bring it on and wins a slugout with a leg lariat.

Back up and Taven catches him in a fireman’s carry and drops Haskins throat first on the top rope. We take another break and come back with Taven pulling on the arm again but getting pulled down into a Crossface. Make that the Rings of Saturn as Taven is getting too close to the ropes. A foot on the rope makes the save and Taven is fine enough to hit a running knee to the face for two.

An enziguri into a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Taven two more but he misses the frog splash. The Gibson Driver gets two on Taven and they’re both down again. It’s Haskins up first and kicking at the chest until stereo dropkicks give us another double knockdown. They get up and slug it out with Haskins dropping him and hitting the top rope double stomp for two.

Haskins takes him to the apron but gets caught with the Climax. Back in and Taven hits the frog splash for two and the big shocked face. Haskins is mostly dead but manages to roll into a Sharpshooter….and here’s Bully Ray (Commentary: “NO!!!!”) to ask how Haskins’ wife is. The distraction lets Taven get in a cheap shot and the Climax retains at 25:52.

Rating: B+. Man they had me going there until the Bully Ray ending, which has been done so many times before. As usual, Haskins is one of the most entertaining guys on the roster and Taven can do very well when he drops the talking and just goes in the ring. I liked this one quite a bit and if they had done ANYTHING but the Ray ending, it would have been even better.

Taven talks his feud with Ultimo Guerrero in Mexico. That made him into a bigger deal and they did it again in America.

From ROH TV, July 4, 2018.

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Oh it’s a post pay per view TV show for sure. No Vinny Marseglia with Taven and TK O’Ryan here and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. This is an old rivalry and Guerrero works a top wristlock to start. The fans give that a LUCHA LIBRE chant and it’s time for a standoff, complete with a lack of commentary for some reason. After chasing O’Ryan away, Guerrero sends Taven to the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.

Taven gets thrown into the crowd and O’Ryan goes into the barricade to keep things even. Another whip sends Guerrero into the barricade as well and we take a break. Back with Guerrero fighting out of a chinlock but gets enziguried out to the floor. That sets up Taven’s great looking no hands dive but Guerrero steps to the side. Taven and O’Ryan are set on a chair for a big wipeout, followed by some rapid(ish) fire chops in the corner.

A super gordbuster gets two but Taven is right back with a knee to the face. Back again with Taven getting two off a Lionsault but having a super hurricanrana countered into a superbomb. A springboard enziguri drops Guerrero again but he’s right back up to catch Taven on top. Cue the red balloons and Marseglia from underneath the ring for a distraction though, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this. It wasn’t boring and the work was fine but Guerrero is more a treat for the live crowd and he’s not exactly the biggest name in the world. This really felt like a main event on a show you didn’t need to see and while it was fine, it’s really not a match that I need to see or really care about. Taven has gotten a lot better though.

Post match the Kingdom celebrates for a long time before Taven says he respects Guerrero. Just realize that you’re not as good as Taven of course.

Taven talks about how important these matches are but Vincent cuts in and says he left Taven laying at Final Battle. Vincent is the best of Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. That opener is great and is enough to pull the just pretty good main event up. Taven is someone who does not have the best reputation in ROH (fair enough) but things get a lot better when he’s in the ring. This was as good as it was going to get from him and I liked the show well enough. Face Taven could be interesting, and seems like such a natural fit for him. Why did it take until the end of last year to make that happen?

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:

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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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: December 4, 2019
Location: Express Live!, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

It’s time for the final push towards Final Battle but around here it would be nice to have things actually get going on the build towards the show. I’m still not sure why Ring of Honor isn’t interested in promoting their biggest show of the year with any kind of intensity but that is the case aside from one or two matches. 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 Jay Lethal turning heel, setting up the Lethal/Jonathan Gresham vs. Briscoes at Final Battle.

Ian and Quinn hype up the show, including an exclusive match.

Josh Woods tells Silas Young to hang on a second as he’s getting ready. Young doesn’t want to hear it.

Silas Young/Josh Woods vs. Soldiers of Savagery vs. Coast to Coast vs. Bouncers

Woods runs LSG over to start and gets two off a crucifix. LSG headlocks him to little avail so it’s Young coming in to work on the arm. That’s fine with LSG, who brings in Ali for some headlock takeovers. Milonas tags himself in though and sends Ali into the corner for a splash from Bruiser. A spinebuster gets two on Ali as commentary points out the lack of the Soldiers being in so far.

Bruiser is falsely accused of biting to NO reaction and we take a break. Back with the Sons working over the Bruiser in the corner but Moses’ Vader Bomb hits knees. Khan comes back in but misses a charge, allowing the hot tag minus the heat to Milonas. House is cleaned in a hurry using the power of weight moving somewhat fast, including a Samoan drop to Khan. The backwards splash gets two but it’s Coast to Coast coming in for the Complete Shot for two on Bruiser.

Woods’ running knee to the face gets two on LSG and it’s Woods having to fight off the Soldiers on his own. MNM’s old Snapshot hits Woods for two more but it’s Milonas diving off the apron to take out a bunch of people on the floor. LSG is back up and offers a head fake so Ali can flip dive onto the Solders and Milonas. A big dive from LSG takes even more people down but Woods superplexes Bruiser onto everyone else.

Back in and Woods hits Rolling Chaos Theory for two on Khan but Ali comes back in with a lifting Downward Spiral. Bruiser’s swinging DDT hits Moses but LSG is back in with a springboard spinning forearm. The Soldiers plant Bruiser with a double spinebuster but it’s Milonas cleaning house. Back up and Coast to Coast wrecks things, only to have LSG get sent into Woods’ jumping knee for the pin at 15:12.

Rating: C. It was fine but much longer than it needed to be. There were too many people involved here and the spots got no reaction. That’s part of the problem with having the Briscoes as such dominant champions: none of these four are going to be a threat to them, making this nothing more than filler. Woods and Young have a match at Final Battle, even if it wasn’t mentioned here. That being said, they needed to get a third of this show because….well what else were they going to do?

Wrestlers say Happy Thanksgiving.

Shane Taylor is ready to continue being the most dominant champion in Ring of Honor history. He’ll beat Dragon Lee at Final Battle so Lee and his brother Rush aren’t going to be champions at the same time.

Buy merch!

Video on Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry, who are doing better. They have a match at Final Battle, though their opponents (Woods and Young) aren’t important enough to mention.

Video on Rush.

Clips of the Allure beating Jenny Rose/Sumie Sakai in a No DQ match at Unauthorized. Post match Angelina Love bragged about winning (in a Hulk Hogan impression for some reason) when Maria Manic came in to say she was going to end Love at Final Battle.

Kenny King vs. Ultimo Guerrero vs. PJ Black vs. Eli Isom

King goes after Isom’s leg to start and it’s time for a wacky four man submission as we take an early break. Back with Guerrero running Isom over as the other two are down on the floor for a breather. King takes Isom’s place for a chop off and you just don’t do that to an older wrestler.

Isom is back in with a springboard missile dropkick to Isom before joining forces with Black on a double backdrop to Guerrero. Black and Isom hit the stereo suicide dives before they both miss kick to each others’ heads. Stereo crossbodies put them both down so King comes back in to stomp away. A spinning enziguri drops Black and it’s a reverse suplex into a Stunner (cool) to give King two on Isom. Guerrero gets his chance to clean some house before it’s Isom doing the same, including a middle rope moonsault to the floor.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a big dive off the stage and over the barricade to take everyone else down. Back in and Amy Rose breaks up Black’s superplex so he sits up to German superplex King and Isom at the same time. Guerrero runs King over but walks into the Air Raid Crash to give Isom two. Black breaks that up as well and hits a middle rope moonsault into a dropkick to the side of the head (cool) to finish Isom at 11:10.

Rating: C. Remember earlier when we had a four way tag match with a bunch of insanity? Well cut it in half here. Black winning is as good as anyone but King winning, as King is the only one with a match on the pay per view. The others could have been any warm bodies and that isn’t exactly inspiring stuff.

A bunch of Final Battle graphics wrap us up. It’s better than nothing.

Overall Rating: D. Another week and another bit of evidence that this company has no idea what they’re doing these days. Final Battle is being treated about the same as some Honor Club event in July and I don’t think they really care. When your highlight is a PJ Black match, it’s almost all the proof you need of how bad things have gotten around here. The show wasn’t horrible, but it was a big, big waste of time.

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:

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 4, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past Best in the World and there was a major moment at the TV tapings the next night, but no one has time for that because we have some one off shows to do first. For the life of me I don’t get why this is the best they can do, but hopefully they can keep it down to just a week or two this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Gresham goes for the arm to start but King actually takes over with an armbar of his own. You wouldn’t expect him to actually win a technical display but he even one ups that by winning on the mat. Back up and Gresham’s top wristlock works a bit better and he flips over into a crucifix for two. King goes back to what works for him with a double shoulder but some headlock takeovers annoy him all over.

We take a break and come back with King flipping Gresham off his back for a big thud. Gresham gets whipped hard into the corner and we hit an arm trap chinlock. King plants him but takes way too long trash talking before missing a springboard legdrop. Back up and Gresham scores with a running kick in the corner, followed by a running delayed dropkick.

A hard spinebuster gives King two but the Royal Flush is countered into a small package. They roll around exchanging small packages for a few near falls each and the fans are way into that, which I think I can get. A standing Lionsault drops King for no cover and they’re both down. King drops him on the back of his head though and the Royal Flush is good for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C+. King played a good heel here and Gresham is someone who can wrestle against anyone so this was a rather nice TV match. They’re playing up the idea that Gresham can’t win the big match (if you consider King the big match) and that means he’s either turning heel soon (not a terrible idea but not needed) or he’s going to keep getting closer until he finally pulls it off. Either way, I’m more interested in Gresham than I was before.

In two weeks, there’s a six man tag team gauntlet for a shot at the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Oh sweet goodness how bad could the lineup be for that?

Josh Woods vs. Facade

Shane Taylor is on commentary. Woods wastes no time in rolling some gutwrench suplexes but the last one is countered with a hurricanrana. Facade kicks him in the face and hits a standing Lionsault (just like in the first match) to send Woods outside. Back in and Woods misses a running knee in the corner and gets kicked in the head again as Facade is moving around fast enough to mess with Woods’ timing.

A rope walk dropkick puts Woods on the floor again and a double springboard flip dive (with Woods waiting in one place way too long) drops him again. There’s a springboard bulldog for two and that’s enough for Woods, who comes back with Rolling Chaos Theory. A reverse AA is enough for the pin on Facade at 4:11.

Rating: C. Facade looked good for a high flier and his springboards were solid enough. He was a bit sloppy though and that’s not the best thing in the world. I do however like the way Ring of Honor gives people a shot like this and Facade made something of it. Woods is still trying to figure things out and get back on track after the Top Prospect Tournament but this wasn’t the best way in the world.

Post match Woods calls out Taylor and Shane agrees to fight here in New York. Actually hang on because Taylor isn’t fighting in front of these people for free. Wait Taylor is a heel? That seems to change far too often.

Earlier today, the Dawgs tried to get Taylor on their team for the gauntlet. They don’t knock though and offer an IOU, which doesn’t work for Taylor.

Cheeseburger is ready for a No DQ/No Countout match against Ray next week.

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Oh it’s a post pay per view TV show for sure. No Vinny Marseglia with Taven and TK O’Ryan here and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. This is an old rivalry and Guerrero works a top wristlock to start. The fans give that a LUCHA LIBRE chant and it’s time for a standoff, complete with a lack of commentary for some reason. After chasing O’Ryan away, Guerrero sends Taven to the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.

Taven gets thrown into the crowd and O’Ryan goes into the barricade to keep things even. Another whip sends Guerrero into the barricade as well and we take a break. Back with Guerrero fighting out of a chinlock but gets enziguried out to the floor. That sets up Taven’s great looking no hands dive but Guerrero steps to the side. Taven and O’Ryan are set on a chair for a big wipeout, followed by some rapid(ish) fire chops in the corner.

A super gordbuster gets two but Taven is right back with a knee to the face. Back again with Taven getting two off a Lionsault but having a super hurricanrana countered into a superbomb. A springboard enziguri drops Guerrero again but he’s right back up to catch Taven on top. Cue the red balloons and Marseglia from underneath the ring for a distraction though, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this. It wasn’t boring and the work was fine but Guerrero is more a treat for the live crowd and he’s not exactly the biggest name in the world. This really felt like a main event on a show you didn’t need to see and while it was fine, it’s really not a match that I need to see or really care about. Taven has gotten a lot better though.

Post match the Kingdom celebrates for a long time before Taven says he respects Guerrero. Just realize that you’re not as good as Taven of course.

Overall Rating: C. Oh yeah this was a post pay per view show. No major stars (Taven is close but I’m not seeing him as a top guy), no major stories, and a “big” main event that will mean nothing in about a week and isn’t likely to be referenced again. The worst part is we’ll do this again next week because we might be looking at the second half of the month before we FINALLY get something storyline driven. You get used to it, but that doesn’t make it any better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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Date: July 12, 2017
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Unless I’m missing it, there isn’t exactly anything huge set up for this show. Part of the problem with Ring of Honor is how little anything sticks out and that’s really being showcased here. So many shows feel like they stand alone instead of leading anywhere else, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

Cody reminds us that he and Christopher Daniels brawled last week. Next week though, we have the rematch from Best in the World.

This is from Lowell, which would be after Best in the World. So did we see stuff from these tapings mixed with the Chicago tapings? It wouldn’t be the first time but it’s a bit confusing.

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Flip Gordon/Coast to Coast

Non-title. Castle freaks Flip out a bit with the chest thrust before stopping for some exercise. Everything breaks down for a big brawl and the announcers actually try to tell the Boys apart. The Boys both hit dives but Castle walks across the ring instead of diving, as Cabana knew would be the case.

Gordon kicks the Boys outside again, only to have Boy #2 cut him off with a hurricanrana. Now it’s Coast to Coast with their own dives until everyone but Gordon is on the floor, setting up a run up the corner into a springboard 450 to put everyone down. Back from a break with Boy #1 getting stomped in the corner and kicked in the head to give LSG (Leo St. Giovanni) two.

Gordon gets the same off a standing moonsault, followed by a Stroke/Flatliner combo. For no logical reason, Gordon and Coast to Coast yell at the crowd, allowing the Boys to switch places. The hot tag brings in Castle to clean house and catch Gordon in a German suplex. Everything breaks down and something like an F5 gets two on #1. LSG dives onto all three champs but gets suplexes for his efforts back inside. Bang a Rang puts LSG away at 11:18.

Rating: B-. This was a lot better than I was expecting with both teams looking great. The Boys have greatly improved and are actual wrestlers instead of just people who are there to fill in spots. Fun match here with the flips making sense and Castle being miles ahead of everyone else, which is exactly what he should have been.

We look back at Beer City Bruiser and Silas Young injuring Jay Lethal’s ribs.

Young is at the hospital Lethal spent the night at and promises that the war is far from over.

Ultimo Guerrero vs. Matt Taven

Feeling out process to start with Guerrero being sent into the corner and thankfully the announcers explain why these two started feuding in the first place. During the entrances they mentioned that it started in Mexico and they dropped the whole thing. Guerrero takes him to the mat but stops to yell at the Kingdom.

That means nothing as Taven gets clotheslined down for two but avoids a baseball slide. The Kingdom offers a distraction so Taven can take over but TK O’Ryan’s chop has no effect. Guerrero knocks Taven into the crowd and there’s a running dive for good measure. Back from a break with Guerrero down and Taven doing that smile of his.

Not that it matters as Guerrero comes right back with the slingshot Bronco Buster. A second attempt is countered into a Sharpshooter which doesn’t last all that long. Guerrero is right back up with a super gordbuster for two, only to have his reverse superplex broken up. Taven’s frog splash gets two but he grabs the referee and gets in a low blow. The Climax (arm trap bulldog driver) gives Taven the pin at 13:03.

Rating: C+. I still don’t care about the Kingdom or any of its members and I’m not wild on bringing in these legends and telling us to care about them because they’re famous elsewhere (which Guerrero certainly is). That being said, they did have a good match here and that’s what helps quite a bit, but not having Taven around would help even more.

The Young Bucks and Adam Page blame Bully Ray and the Briscoes for losing the Six Man Tag Team Titles before they had a chance to win them.

Silas Young says it’s been fifteen days without an accident but Lethal will never be safe no matter what. Did we really need to do this twice in one show?

Motor City Machine Guns vs. War Machine

Hanson and Sabin start things up with Chris’ modified Octopus Hold having as minimal effect as possible. Sabin gets thrown away and we have an early standoff. A double tag allows Rowe to Superman Punch Shelley as everything breaks down in a hurry. War Machine takes over and we take an early break. Back with Shelley in trouble in the corner as War Machine seems to be the de facto heels.

Hanson slams Rowe onto Shelley for two but Alex pops up and brings in Sabin as everything breaks down again. The Guns take over with the rapid fire offense, including double dives called Crossing the Streams. Back in and Rowe gets choked in the corner and more precision offense. Shelley misses a charge though and it’s back to Hanson for the running clotheslines in the corner.

Back from another break with Rowe throwing Hanson onto both Guns. A springboard clothesline into a German suplex gets two on Sabin but Fallout is broken up. Hanson suplexes both Guns down without much effort but an assisted standing Sliced Bread takes him down. Skull and Bones is broken up but Hanson misses a suicide dive and it’s time for the Guns to fire off the kicks. Sabin dives through Shelley’s legs to take Hanson down again and it’s Made in Detroit (powerbomb/Sliced Bread #2 combo) to put Rowe away at 14:13.

Rating: B. That’s the best Guns match I’ve seen in a long time as it felt like they were having a match instead of just doing all of their choreographed looking spots. War Machine is great as the power team which you don’t get around here too often. Good match here and that’s the kind of thing you can always go for.

Overall Rating: B. That’s one of the best episodes they’ve put together in a long time, despite me having issues caring about almost anyone on the show. They put on solid matches with the lower half of the roster and that makes for a pretty easy hour of wrestling to sit through.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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