Ring Of Honor
Date: September 11, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Dylan Hales, Johnny Mosley

This is a special show produced by Ring Of Honor and Action Wrestling under the name “Action Dean 3”. This was previously done back in May and the show was fun enough, though I have no idea what to expect here. There will be a bunch of luchadors included, which could make for an interesting night. Let’s get to it.

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

Hechiero/Xelhua/Dr. Cerebro vs. Blue Panther/Virus/El Panthera

2/3 falls, submission only. Cerebro and Panthera start things off with Panthera taking him down to escape a headlock. Panther and Xelhua come in and they go to the mat for a quickly escaped headscissors. Panther goes after the legs and rides around a bit before getting us to a standoff. Virus and Hechicero come in with more grappling, including Hechicero rolling him around for a cradle but realizing that there are no pins. Hechicero is sent outside so Panther can hit a diving hurricanrana off the apron. Back in and Xelhua ties Virus (almost a reverse cross armbreaker) for the tap and the first fall at 7:35.

Panthera sends Xelhua into the corner and headscissors him down, meaning it’s off to Panther vs. Hechicero. Cerebro has to come in for a save so Panther armdrags him down. Virus dropkicks Cerebro into a frog splash from Panthera and Panthera ties Xelhua’s arms and legs up for the submission at 13:27.

Xelhua comes back in and takes Virus down with an elbow to the face but Virus ties up some limbs. Hechicero makes the save so Panther breaks that up, leaving Cerebro to armbar Panthera. That’s broken up so Hechicero comes off the top with a forearm but quickly lets go of Panthera’s leg. Panther dives onto Hechicero on the floor, leaving Panthera to crawl to the ropes. Back in and Panthera sunset flips Hechicero, which means nothing, so Hechicero ties up all four limbs to make Panthera submit for the win at 19:57.

Rating: B-. I never know what to say about a match like this because I barely know anything about it. That’s the thing with this kind of a show: I need to know a lot more about what I’m seeing and that isn’t being offered. Instead it’s just “here these people are, have fun”. That made for a good enough match, but commentary only offered so much here.

Nicole Matthews vs. Billie Starkz

Commentary points out that Starkz is reckless, even as she grabs a headscissors. Matthews isn’t having any of the mocking offers of a test of strength so Starkz gives her an Alabama Slam into the corner. With that rather scary crash out of the way, Matthews fights up with some clotheslines but Starkz hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee. A brainbuster gets two more but Matthews misses the moonsault. Starkz kicks her in the head and hits an electric chair driver for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C-. Starkz’s reputation for being sloppy in there is becoming her signature thing, which isn’t a good sign for anyone. This match featured two spots where Matthews’ head took a scary bump and that is far from a one off for Starkz. Either that needs to improve or Starkz shouldn’t be in the ring, because the safety thing can’t be ignored.

Sammy Guevara and Rush, with the rest of La Faccion Ingobernable, is ready for everyone.

Matt Mako vs. Wheeler Yuta

Marina Shafir is here with Yuta. Mako takes him down into a kneebar to start, with Yuta going straight to the rope. An armbar is blocked so Mako goes after him, with Yuta having to cover up. Back up and Yuta sends him outside and then knocks him off the apron, allowing Yuta to work on the arm back inside. Cattle Mutilation keeps Mako in trouble, only for him to escape into a slightly better headlock. Back up and Mako sends him into the corner, where Yuta gets a turnbuckle pad off.

We’ll get to that later as they head outside, with Mako grabbing a choke. That’s broken up so Mako tries his cross armbreaker back inside. Yuta fights out of that so Mako sits him on top for a suplex into a powerbomb for two. Mako’s kick to the face is shrugged off and Yuta German suplexes him for two. They go up top, with Mako flipping him into a cross armbreaker. Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Yuta to go to the eyes. A running knee finishes for Yuta at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Nice technical match here, as Mako has shown some skills during his limited appearances. I’m not sure if there is a place for him in AEW either long or short term, but he’s done well in the chances he has received. Yuta might be boring, but he knows how to do this kind of match rather well.

Video on the Premiere Athletes and their newest acquisition, Sori Denali.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Cheeseburger/Rhett Titus/Eli Isom

Mortos and Titus start things off but it’s Guevara coming in without any contact being made. Dralistico comes in to take him into the corner and it’s off to Mortos for a hard clothesline to Cheeseburger. A triple dropkick puts Isom down and everything breaks down, with Titus being sent into the barricade. Guevara drops the Swanton to pin Isom at 3:41.

Rating: C. Total squash here, with La Faccion getting to smash through some people. That’s nice to see after Guevara and Rush (who wasn’t wrestling here) won the Tag Team Titles, as they haven’t been around much since. It didn’t set anything up, but I’ll take something showing me that they’re at least still here.

Post match Guevara gets the mic and gets booed out of the building. Guevara talks about how great the team is and they want more titles.

Lee Johnson says Swirl is awesome and they want Blake Christian to get the next title shot against Bandido.

Demus El Demonico vs. Mad Dog Connelly

Hair vs. Hair and Connelly has a bad eye. Connelly misses some right hands to start but elbows Demus in the face. What looks like a shirt is used to choke Demus across the ropes as there are A LOT of empty seats visible. They go outside with Demus being sent into the steps but he whips Connelly in as well. Back in and a spinning middle rope crossbody gives Demus two and he goes after the eye.

Demus bites Connelly’s nipple but Connelly is back with a gutwrench suplex for two. A chair to the back has Demus in trouble but a spear only hits the open chair. Demus chairs him down for a change, only to miss a middle rope backsplash. A cradle piledriver gives Connelly two but he gets caught with a kneeling MuscleBuster for the same. Demus ties a chain around Connelly’s neck and chokes him over the ropes for the win at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I’m sure there’s a big story here but there apparently wasn’t time to tell us what that story was. Commentary mentioned a history but not exactly why they’re fighting. Then again there’s really no explanation for why we’re watching most of this so it fits in with the theme of the night. It was a nice enough power brawl, but I’m going to need a bit more of a reason to care about what I’m seeing.

Post match Demus goes to cut the hair but Connelly does it himself.

Video on the Pure Title.

Pure Title: Josh Woods vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty is defending. Woods takes him down by the leg to start and they trade small packages for two. Moriarty starts in on the arm and the Border City Stretch goes on. They go to the ropes, with Woods using the first break. A kneebar makes Moriarty us his first break and it’s time to trade armbars. Back up and Woods hits a release gordbuster but Moriarty uses the ropes to block a fisherman’s buster.

Woods’ gutwrench suplex is countered with a hurricanrana to the floor, followed by another armbar. Woods uses another rope break but Moriarty is right there with a springboard forearm for two more. The cross armbreaker into a triangle choke has Woods in trouble, until he powerbombs his way to freedom. That lets Woods cover him for three, but Moriarty’s foot was underneath the ropes for his final break. An exchange of rollups goes to Moriarty to retain the title at 10:10.

Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the night as both of them are rather good at this style. At the same time, it’s still Moriarty having the same kind of a match that he’s had for over a year as champion. It was barely built up and came and went, as Moriarty’s record setting reign continues.

Shane Taylor Promotions come out to celebrate and Shane Taylor himself wants a fight with someone from Action Wrestling.

Shane Taylor vs. AR Fox

Fox ducks away from some right hands to start and kicks Taylor in the back. Taylor is sent to the floor for some dives but he pulls one out of the air. Fox gets swung into the barricade and some hard chops give Taylor two. A hard clothesline drops Fox for two and a release Rock Bottom puts him down again.

Fox gets in some enziguris and elbows him down in the corner. The skin the cat dropkick connects but they head to the apron, with Fox being thrown onto the barricade. That just earns Taylor a jumping cutter, followed by a Swanton for two back inside. Taylor punches him out for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: B-. For a match that had very little time, they got something going here and I wanted to see Fox win. That’s a good sign for how far he’s come, but at some point he needs to win one of these featured matches. I get it as Taylor is a fresh champion, but dang it’s frustrating to see Fox lose again.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where it felt like I was dropped into the middle of a book and just expected and figure it out from there. Action Wrestling is hardly some big time promotion but we’re thrown into the middle of a tribute show for someone you might not know. The wrestlers aren’t exactly household names either and that made for a show where it’s rather hard to care about what I’m seeing. I’ll certainly take a break from the dull ROH show, but do a better job of telling me what I’m seeing.

Results
Hechicero/Xelhua/Dr. Cerebro b. Blue Panther/Virus/El Panthera 2-1
Billie Starkz b. Nicole Matthews – Electric chair driver
Wheeler Yuta b. Matt Mako – Running knee
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Cheeseburger/Rhett Titus/Eli Isom – Swanton to Isom
Demus El Demonico b. Mad Dog Connelly – Choke with a chain over the ropes
Lee Moriarty b. Josh Woods – Rollup
Shane Taylor b. AR Fox – Right hand

 

 

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 31, 2025
Location: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have about a month to go before Death Before Dishonor and in theory that should mean we’re getting some of the matches announced. While Bandido vs. Hechicero is likely going to be set for the show, nothing else is officially ready yet. Hopefully that changes in the near future so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

MxM Collection vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Hologram

Johnny TV is with the villains. Mansoor can’t get very far with a running shoulder to Ishii, who screams a lot and wins an exchange of forearms. Hologram comes in to keep Mansoor in the corner before it’s right back to Ishii. The Collection manages to double team him down for a change and it’s a double pose.

The double elbow (not as good as the pose) gets two but Ishii is out without much trouble. Hologram comes back in to clean house and Ishii strikes away at Madden. The superkick sets up an assisted suplex from Ishii, followed by a brainbuster and a rope walk 450 to finish Mansoor at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Normally I would mock the idea that Hologram doesn’t lose matches but then again it’s not like the Collection ever wins anything either. Ishii and Hologram are a thrown together team but they’re doing well enough so let them beat some comedy goofs. I mean, it’s not like they’re going to do anything with Hologram in the first place.

We look at Athena beating up Alex Windsor last week on AEW Collision.

Jon Cruz vs. Gringo Loco

They take turns posing on the ropes to start with the fans being behind Loco (the hometown star). An exchange of flips set up a running headscissors to take Loco down but he sends Cruz into the corner. A gorilla press facebuster gives Loco two but Cruz crotches him on top. Loco strikes away, only to get kicked down so Cruz can go up top. Cruz misses a dive and gets butterfly suplexed down. The spinning moonsault gives Loco the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Let the hometown star get out there and have a fun one. That’s all it needed to be and Loco is someone who can have an entertaining match no matter what. As usual, it isn’t like this feels important in the slightest, but the fans liked seeing Loco so it could have been far worse.

Blake Christian vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Christian takes him down and gets in a slap to a seated Jacobs. Back up and Jacobs sends him to the floor for a change, only for Christian to come back with a spear on the apron. Christian’s running dive takes Jacobs down again and it’s time to look cocky. A tornado suplex drops Christian right back but he’s fine enough to hit a suplex. The Vanilla Choke Zero finishes Jacobs at 6:25.

Rating: C. Heaven help me, I’m starting to like Christian. He’s incredibly dull, but at the same time, his open embrace of that style is amusing. At the same time, it feels like he’s actually coming up the ranks a bit and that is one of the more interesting things going in Ring Of Honor. If he can come after the TV Title, or even Bandido, why not try it out?

We look at actor Paul Walter Hauser talking about QT Marshall and an incident they had back in March.

Xelhua vs. Virus

Pure Rules. Xelhua takes him down into a leglock to start and then ties up the arm to mix it up a bit. That’s broken up and Virus is back with a leglock of his own. Xelhua is out as well and they go to the mat for some grappling. Virus’ rollup gets two and he pulls Xelhua into the leglock, sending Xelhua over for his first rope break.

Back up and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a weird upside down Boston crab, sending Virus to the ropes as well. They trade rollups until Virus grabs a Vertebreaker for two, with Xelhua using another rope break. Back up and Xelhua uses his legs to tie up Virus’ arms and neck for the submission at 7:24.

Rating: C+. Here’s a great example of what is wrong with this kind of match: these people have basically no history in Ring Of Honor. Other than a ten man match at a show ROH co-promoted, they have never appeared around here. Why should I be interested in this match? It’s certainly not bad and they did some very cool looking moves, but with less than a month to go before a pay per view and nothing announced, is this really the best use of the show’s time?

We look back at Dustin Rhodes beating Lee Moriarty to retain the TNT Title but getting challenged by Kyle Fletcher after.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Adam Priest vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending. Feeling out process to start with Bandido getting to put up the gun pose at Priest’s face. The delayed suplex (and I mean really delayed) gives Bandido two but Priest is back up with a dropkick to the back. They had to the floor where Bandido is sent into the barricade, allowing Priest to stay on the back inside.

An exchange of forearms is cut off with another back shot, though said back is fine enough for Bandido to hit the one armed gorilla press. A backbreaker gives Priest another near fall, followed by the half crab to send Bandido to the ropes. Bandido is fine enough to hit a pop up cutter into a Shining Wizard and the frog splash retains at 9:56.

Rating: B-. No story, no build, and a perfectly acceptable match. What exactly was the point of this except for just having the World Champion in the ring? I like having Bandido around, but could it be something actually set up in any way? They had a fine match, but it’s as random as you can get.

Post match respect is eventually shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show isn’t bad at all but at the same time, pretty much absolutely nothing happened here and it was a completely burned off week. The matches were stand alones, nothing was set up for the pay per view, and it was an hour that came and went. It feels like they’re going out of their way to make this feel unimportant and that’s not a good feeling to have week after week.

Results
Tomohiro Ishii/Hologram b. MxM Collection – Rope walk 450 to Mansoor
Gringo Loco b. Jon Cruz – Spinning moonsault
Blake Christian b. Jimmy Jacobs – Vanilla Choke Zero
Xelhua b. Virus – Leg tieup hold
Bandido b. Adam Priest – Frog splash

 

 

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 29, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re finally getting closer to Supercard To Honor and that means we might actually get a big story around here for once. Then again you never know what you’re going to see around here as ROH tends to take its sweet time setting up the big events. In this case we’re also getting closer to the Women’s Pure Wrestling Title being a thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Trish Adora vs. La Catalina

The Infantry is here with Adora. They take turns shoving each other down until Catalina grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Catalina snaps off some armdrags, followed by a running dropkick. Adora is right back up with a knockdown and starts cranking on the arm. The Air Raid Crash stretch is broken up and Catalina is back with a running boot. A Pedigree gives Catalina two and a bridging German suplex gives Adora the same. They go up top and Catalina slips down into an electric chair, followed by a top rope splash for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Catalina continues to be someone who works well when given the chance, but she hasn’t had all that much success against bigger names. Until that comes, this is about all she’s likely to do, though hopefully we get to see her doing more. The division needs some fresh blood and Catalina could be part of that.

Post match respect is shown.

Taya Valkyrie brags about her star power and calls the tournament a casting call for the main character. Which is her you see.

Lance Archer vs. Diego Hill

Hill’s springboard high crossbody is knocked out of the air and a swinging Rock Bottom puts him down again. Archer’s nose is busted open somewhere in there and he grabs something like a standing Sharpshooter for the tap at 2:10. The blood dripping off Archer’s face is eerie.

Post match Archer gives him the Blackout for a bonus.

Athena is back next week. In person I’m assuming.

We go to this weekend’s Dean Rasmussen tribute show, co-promoted with Action Wrestling.

Ring Of Honor Pure Title: Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako

Moriarty is defending. Mako, who is known for his cross armbreaker, grabs a cross armbreaker and Moriarty uses his first rope break about 40 seconds in. Back up and Moriarty runs the ropes to grab the Border City Stretch, making it a rope break each. A springboard clothesline sets up something like a seated Octopus to keep Mako in trouble.

Mako belly to back suplexes his way to freedom and a spinwheel kick cuts Moriarty off. They fight over a suplex until Moriarty gets in another Border City Stretch to make Mako use another rope break. Mako superplexes him into a Falcon Arrow and the cross armbreaker sends Moriarty over for another rope break of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Moriarty pulls him into another Border City Stretch, this time with a foot on Mako’s face for the tap to retain at 10:04.

Rating: C+. I haven’t seen much of Mako, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen in him so far. That being said, there is only so much that you’re going to get out of being in a Pure Rules match. The whole thing continues to feel like something that is tacked on I’m really not sure why it needs to be its own championship.

Post match, respect is shown.

Also from the Rasmussen show:

Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Valiente/Virus vs. Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr./Xelhua

So this is a Torneo Cibernetico, which is a ten man survival match. Panther wrestles Xelhua down to the floor to start but Xelhua is right back with a leglock and we stop for a standoff. Cerebro and Virus come in to continue the grappling until Virus takes him down by the leg. Virus’ armbar is broken up and they go to another standoff. They shake hands and it’s off to Valiente vs. the much bigger Euforia. A running hurricanrana sends Euforia outside and we get Neon vs. Volador.

That means a single running hurricanrana and Volador is outside, so it’s Hologram vs. Averno to complete the first run through. Hologram spins around and grabs an anklescissors out to the floor for the big dive. Back in and we get some rapid fire tags until Virus suplexes Xelhua a few times for two each. Virus ties up the arms and neck and Xelhua taps for the first elimination at 9:10.

It’s off to Cerebro but Volador pulls Virus outside. The brawl doesn’t last long until it’s Euforia super press slams Virus. A powerbomb gives Euforia the pin on Virus to tie it up at 11:04. Panther comes in and gets double stomped down but fights up to clean house anyway. It’s off to Valiente, who tries to take Volador down but gets caught with a Backstabber for the pin at 13:21.

Neon gets triple teamed and pulled out to the floor, with Hologram getting the same treatment. A running dropkick takes Hologram down but Panther is back in with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Neon and Hologram hit back to back high crossbodies to take Euforia down, only for Hologram to superkick Neon by mistake. Euforia wrecks the two of them until a super hurricanrana takes him down. A moonsault into a top rope double stomp gives Hologram the pin on Euforia and we’re tied up at 16:33.

Panther comes in and gets rolled up by Cerebro but Panther stacks him up for the pin at 17:25. It’s off to Neon vs. Averno with the latter getting his boots up to block a moonsault. Neon runs the corner for a rather spinning armdrag but Averno is back with a super Pedigree (ouch) for the pin at 19:02.

So it’s Hologram/Panther vs. Averno/Volador with Panther clotheslining Averno but getting sat on the top. A double superplex drops Panther, with Hologram having to make a save. Panther cuts off a double monkey flip, allowing Hologram to get a double cover for two in a clever move. Back up and a superbomb/Backstabber get stereo near falls on Hologram and Panther but they’re back with a cradle/torture rack bomb for the double pin at 23:56.

Rating: B-. This is the definition of not something I’m overly familiar with, as I’ve only heard a few of the names before. I did like what I was seeing though as the concept wasn’t hard to understand and the action was good. It’s not something I’d like to watch week after week, but it was more than fun enough to work for a week.

We look at the Hurt Syndicate beating the Sons Of Texas at Double Or Nothing.

Satnam Singh vs. Facade

Facade tries some kicks to the legs to start and is loudly chopped for his efforts. Some big beals send Facade flying and the comeback is cut off by a chokeslam to give Singh the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was a slightly extended version of the usual Singh match and that means it was….well it was a giant squashing a non-giant. They’ve figured out that Singh is basically the ROH version of an attraction and that’s as good of a use as he has at the moment. Let him go out there and have the fans go ooooo at him. It’s something that has worked for giants over the years and it’s working again now.

We look at Hologram and Bandido’s team winning an eight man tag at Double Or Nothing.

Frat House vs. Rhino/Hologram

Hologram and Garrison start things off with an exchange of dives over the other. Hologram sends him into the corner and it’s off to Karter, with Rhino coming in as well. For some reason Karter slaps him in the face, earning a running shoulder in the corner. Everything breaks down and Jakked Jameson offers a distraction so Preston Vance can send Hologram into the barricade. A double flapjack plants Hologram but he strikes his way to freedom. Hologram gets over for the tag to Rhino, who snaps off the belly to belly for two on Garrison. Hologram hits a dive and Rhino hits the Gore for the pin on Garrison at 7:29.

Rating: C. This was a perfect example of “send them home happy” and it went fine. Rhino is a hometown star and he came in to help a popular wrestler against some goofs. It’s a story that works well for a one off, with the assist coming from Rhino still being able to carry his own in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t a show you needed to see or a show with much going on, but it was also a very different kind of show than you usually see from Ring Of Honor. I’ll definitely take that over what we tend to get, as it at least had me wondering what I was going to see. Now just start talking about Supercard Of Honor, because it’s getting close.

Results
La Catalina b. Trish Adora – Top rope splash
Lance Archer b. Diego Hill – Standing leglock
Lee Moriarty b. Matt Mako – Border City Stretch
Blue Panther/Hologram/Neon/Virus/Xelhua b. Valiente/Averno/Dr. Cerebro/Euforia/Volador Jr. – Double pin
Satnam Singh b. Facade – Chokeslam
Rhino/Hologram b. Frat House – Gore to Garrison

 

 

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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Shiima Xion: From A To DJZ
Date: 2015
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, Various
Host: Joe Dombrowski

So this is a rather random DVD I got in a grab bag sale a good while ago and I can see why I haven’t wanted to jump into it. What we have here is a look at the Pro Wrestling Ohio/Prime Wrestling career of Shimma Xion, who would go on to be Zema Ion/DJZ in Impact and Joaquin Wilde in NXT/WWE. I’m really not sure that warrants a DVD but I’ve been surprised before. Let’s get to it.

Joe Dombrowski narrates an opening, which is mainly an intro to the first match.

There’s no date given for this but I believe it’s from Pro Wrestling Ohio TV in Lakewood, Ohio on December 15, 2007.

Morty Rackem/Shiima Xion vs. V-Squared

Hobo Joe is with Rackem and Xion while V-Squared is Virus/Virus Grande. V-Squared jump them to start and are quickly knocked outside. Stereo dives take out V-Squared again as we hear about Rackem’s pirate enthusiasm. We settle down to Xion kicking Grande in the face and headscissoring him into Virus. Rackem comes in for a double elbow and a monkey flip out of the corner as this is one sided so far.

It’s back to Xion for two off a dropkick but Grande manages a quick suplex for the tag to Virus. A quickly broken Muta Lock has Xion In more trouble and Grande comes back in for a basement dropkick between the shoulders. Xion fights up and hits a reverse DDT to drop Virus, allowing the hot tag off to Rackem for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Rackem grabs some near falls but Grande hits a half nelson backbreaker. Xion gets in a tornado DDT though and Rackem rolls up Virus for the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C. If there was a story behind this one, I wasn’t exactly seeing it. Instead we had a pretty run of the mill match with Rackem and Xion flying around while V-Squared were generic villains. I’m not sure how much this was for a Xion showcase but it shows him early in his career, even if he didn’t do much here.

From January 24, 2010 in Niles, Ohio at a Pro Wrestling Ohio/Championship Wrestling Extreme joint show.

CWE Undisputed Title: Michael Facade vs. Hallowicked vs. Jigsaw vs. Shiima Xion

Facade (The Suburban Terrorist) is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Xion and Jigsaw start things off as apparently this has tags. They go to the mat to start with Xion’s headlocks not getting him very far early on. Xion works on the arm but Jigsaw is right back up as they’re still firmly in the “let’s flip around and not do much” gear. Facade comes in for a high crossbody on Jigsaw before Facade and Xion hit stereo running dives to the other two.

Back in and Facade kicks Hallowicked in the face but Jigsaw drops Facade with a clothesline. Hallowicked takes over on Facade before handing it back to Jigsaw as this has turned into something of a tag match. We hit the chinlock on Facade for a bit, followed by wheelbarrow into a gutbuster to give Hallowicked two. As expected, Jigsaw and Hallowicked get in an argument over the cover as commentary reminds us that Xion is in fact in this match. facade grabs a double DDT to escape and it’s back to Xion.

Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, leaving Facade to suplex Xion for two. Jigsaw rolls Hallowicked up for two but Facade takes them both down. A running STO gives facade two on Xion but Jigsaw tries to superkick Hallowicked. With that broken up, Xion superkicks Jigsaw into a German suplex, allowing Facade to get two off a rollup. Facade finally grabs la majistral to pin Hallowicked and retain at 11:39.

Rating: B-. It got better near the end as everyone just started doing stuff and Facade won. Sure it’s cliched, but I’ll take it over a pretty dull tag match. Facade always feels a little bit different than most stars and he did it again here. The villains did their thing well enough, but this really felt like a tag match over a four way. Much like the opener though, you would have almost no idea that this was on a Xion DVD as he was the least important of all four involved.

Xion is now rather heelish and brags about his Filipino looks and physique, complete with hairspray. He’s coming to us from “the finest sweatshops, straight out of Manila.” Obey the spray.

From Pro Wrestling Ohio TV, possibly sometime in mid-2011.

Shiima Xion vs. Ben Fruith

Fruith seems to be quite the nerd. Xion applies some hairspray and they fight over wrist control to start. Fruith is sent into the corner but avoids a charge and comes out with an armdrag into an armbar. Back up Fruith has to slip out of a bell to back suplex and gets a rollup (yes, it’s called the Fruith Rollup) for two. Not that it matters as Xion pulls him into a crossface for the tap at 3:47.

Rating: C. This was at least something of a showcase for Xion, which is what this has been needing so far. Fruith was little more than a guy who seems to be a bit out there and having Xion squash him made more sense. There wasn’t much to the match, but at least it was about Xion this time. This was also a much more interesting Xion, who was showing some more personality and charisma.

Post match Xion hair sprays Fruith’s eyes.

No date given on this one,

Shiima Xion vs. Michael Facade

Xion bails to the floor to start before coming back in for Facade to crank on his arm. Xion reverses that into a headlock takeover but Facade is right back up with a dropkick into the corner. The armdrag into an armbar has Facade in control, only to have Xion fight up and hit a dropkick. A middle rope moonsault gives Xion two and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and Facade misses a charge and falls out to the floor but comes back in with a rope walk dropkick. Back in and the Arabian moonsault hits Xion’s raised knees, meaning Xion can grab the crossface. Facade rolls out for the escape and grabs a rollup for the quick pin at 8:17.

Rating: C+. Facade is someone who can move around in a different way than a lot of people and it makes him easy to watch. That was the case in the four way earlier and it’s the same thing here. What’s also the same thing here is Xion not having much success, as this continues to be one of the stranger DVDs I’ve ever seen.

Post match Xion hits him with the can of hair spray before grabbing Facade’s spray paint. Two other guys run in to break up the blinding.

From some point after that match, Facade talks about losing a triple threat match with Xion jumps him. Xion loads up the spray paint, which his kids like to use on walls. He would be mad at that if he knew his kids’ names and then sprays the paint into Facade’s eyes.

From another Pro Wrestling Ohio/Championship Wrestling Extreme show in Niles, Ohio on May 2, 2010.

Championship Wrestling Extreme Undisputed Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Shiima Xion vs. Louis Lyndon

Lyndon is also Facade’s friend and is fighting for his honor. Feeling out process to start until Lyndon kicks at the leg and scares Xion away. A German suplex gives Lyndon a fast two and some armdrags put Xion on the floor. That’s fine with Xion, who sends him face first into the apron and drops a leg back inside.

Xion crotches him on top and gets in the crossface in the corner (that’s a new one). A high crossbody gives Xion two but Lyndon is back with a jumping knee to the face, followed by a pump kick for two. Xion is right back to the (non-corner) crossface, which is stacked up for two and the escape. The hair spray is loaded up but the referee takes it away, allowing Lyndon to grab a dragon suplex for the pin at 6:51.

Rating: C+. Another completely decent match but I have to wonder what in the world is up with Xion losing almost every match on the set. We’re coming up on the halfway mark and unless Xion comes up with a heck of a winning streak, he’s going to come out of his own DVD with a losing record. Lyndon was just another guy who was fine enough but didn’t quite stand out, leaving me wondering why this was included.

From….apparently the same day, at an outdoor Pro Wrestling Ohio show this time in Berea, Ohio.

Pro Wrestling Ohio TV Title: Shiima Xion vs. Aaron Draven

Draven is defending (apparently having won the title at the same show from the previous match) and grabs a headlock to start. They go to the mat and fight over some hammerlocks until Draven gets a wristlock. Draven pulls him into an armbar as commentary ignores the match to talk about the main event. Xion kicks a standing moonsault out of the air, allowing him to get in some hair spray (to his own hair for once).

The chinlock goes on for a bit before Xion switches to choking on the ropes. Draven manages a Rocker Dropper for a breather and a high crossbody gets two. A missile dropkick gives Draven two more but Xion drops him face first onto the turnbuckle. Xion goes up but cue Michael Facade for a distraction, allowing Draven to hit a super Spanish Fly to retain (Maybe? The intro said it was for the title but commentary said it was non-title.) at 6:49.

Rating: C. My goodness this is already beyond ridiculous and it just keeps happening. Are we supposed to think of Xion as a loser after watching this thing? Anyway, another completely fine match and at least Xion lost via interference, but it would be nice to see him winning something on his own special.

Post match Facade runs back in and spray paints Xion’s eyes.

The voiceover talks about how Xion left for six months before returning to Prime Wrestling. Haven’t heard of Prime Wrestling? It’s the renamed Pro Wrestling Ohio, but that isn’t mentioned here as this DVD somehow gets worse and worse.

From Pro Wrestling Ohio TV (because it’s Pro Wrestling Ohio again) in Niles, Ohio, sometime around November 2010.

Shiima Xion vs. Jason Gory

Before the match, Xion talks about how he hasn’t been around for a bit and wants Michael Facade but can’t find him. Therefore, he wants anyone out here now and gets….Gory, who was mentioned by the voiceover. Xion takes him down with a headlock to start and grinds away. Back up and a running hurricanrana takes Gory down again but he grabs his own to send Xion onto the entrance ramp.

There’s the big running flip dive to take him down but Xion takes over again back inside. Gory slugs away though and grabs a Code Red for two. Xion hits a belly to back suplex flipped into a facebuster and they chop it out. Lust To Dust (forward Diamond Cutter) out of nowhere finishes Gory at 6:42.

Rating: C+. Well at least he won. It was against a guy in his second match in the promotion and didn’t last long but it’s better than another loss. If nothing else, it’s nice to see that Xion actually has a finishing move, even if it’s not one of the better options. Good enough match here, as Xion gets ready for his next match with Facade.

From Pro Wrestling Ohio: Pressure Rising.

Shiima Xion vs. Michael Facade

This is the big showdown after the exchange of eye attacks. Facade goes after him to start and Xion bails into the corner. After a chase on the floor, Facade grabs a springboard armdrag back inside and gets to hammer away. Xion misses a clothesline and gets caught with a springboard moonsault press for two. Some shots to the face finally slow Facade down and we hit the double arm crank.

Back up and Xion gets sent into the corner, setting up a Samoan drop for two. Facade gets his knees up to block a moonsault though and a bulldog drops Xion again. A superkick rocks Xion but Facade dropkicks the referee down (thanks to Xion pulling him in the way). They both grab their spray cans but miss the blasts to the face. Xion sends Facade into the corner, only to come back and reverse the hair spray into Xion’s face instead. A sitout Tombstone finishes for Facade at 7:02.

Rating: C+. We spent the better part of the last hour building up this match and it’s seven minutes long? I liked the ending and it was about as perfect of a way to wrap it up as they could have gone but I was expecting more from this showdown. The match itself was good, but not exactly a classic.

From some time after March 12, 2011 on Pro Wrestling Ohio TV.

Shiima Xion vs. Matthew Justice

Justice starts with an armbar as this show appears to be in a flea market or something similar, with customers walking around behind the crowd. An armdrag sets up another armbar to cut Xion off before a crucifix gets two. Xion grabs an atomic drop into a pair of boots to the face for two of his own.

We get the pose including the hair spray to the hair but Justice knocks him away and hits a middle rope sunset flip for another near fall. There’s a powerslam to plant Xion but he’s right back with the crossface. Justice is able to power up for a Death Valley Driver and a near fall so Justice heads to the apron. The springboard clothesline is pulled into the crossface though and Justice taps at 7:08.

Rating: C+. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Justice before and he did well enough here, though Xion seemed to be a bigger star and the more logical pick to win. If nothing else, Xion needed a win coming off the loss to Facade and he did well enough here. It would be nice if Xion evolved a bit, but that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.

Post match Xion hair sprays Justice.

From some other unspecified show.

Shiima Xion vs. Gory

Crimson, seemingly some kind of an evil force, leads Gory to the ring on a leash. Xion takes him to the mat to start before armdragging him into a front facelock (he’s wrestling much less evil here so we might have missed a change). Gory knocks him outside for a beating from Crimson and the choking is on back inside.

A slingshot elbow gets two for Gory, who shrugs off a middle rope crossbody and chokes away some more. Xion jawbreaks his way to freedom and slugs away before hitting a rather hard clothesline. Crimson’s distraction lets Gory Codebreaker him out of the air for two but cue Facade to distract Gory. Xion is able to grab a small package for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: C. This was a slightly different Xion and after watching him do the same thing for so long, it’s nice to see him getting to mix it up a bit. At the same time, this was another short match that didn’t get the chance to do anything. Anyway, at least it was something out of the ordinary, which is one of the best possible options.

Post match Facade and Xion stare each other down and don’t seem to like each other.

Another undated match from Niles, Ohio.

Shiima Xion vs. Gory vs. Michael Facade

For a future Pro Wrestling Ohio TV Title shot. Facade and Xion go at it to start but Gory quickly takes Facade’s name to go after Xion. With that not working, Xion is sent to the floor for a change, leaving Facade to send Gory outside. The rope walk dive hits Gory but Xion takes Facade down. Back in and Gory hits some rapid fire legdrops for two on Xion but Facade hits a springboard spinwheel kick for his own two on Gory.

Back up and Gory serves as the base for a Tower Of Doom, followed by the exchange of rollups for two each. Gory Backstabs Xion for two, with Facade making the save and taking him down as well. A sitout Alabama Slam gives Xion two on Facade, who is right back up with a springboard bulldog to Gory. Cue TV Champion Bobby Beverly to jump Facade for the DQ at 8:54.

Rating: B-. This is another match that was starting to get good before they wrapped it up out of nowhere. There is a good chance that this is going to result in a four way for the title anyway, which is not the worst idea as they were doing some good stuff. That being said, can we get another match to break ten minutes already?

Post match the beatdown stays on until Beverly finally leaves.

From another unspecified date in 2011 in Niles, Ohio.

Michael Facade/Shiima Xion vs. Bobby Beverly/Gory

Beverly grabs Facade’s wrist to start and shoves him down, only to have Facade tie up the leg on the mat. Gory comes in but gets shouldered down as Beverly has a seat at ringside. It’s off to Xion for a running boot to the face so Facade can come back in for a front facelock. Facade chops Xion for a tag so Xion chops Gory, saying that’s how Facade did it. A slap tag brings Facade back in but the argument lets Gory get in a shot to take over.

As commentary talks about Kevin Nash coming in for an upcoming show, Beverly comes back in for two off a suplex. Facade scores with a spinwheel kick and it’s back to a less than enthusiastic Xion. A springboard DDT hits Beverly but Xion superkicks Facade by mistake. Xion’s middle rope moonsault hits raised knees and Gory spikes Xion with a kneeling Tombstone. Facade takes Gory out by Beverly pins Xion at 8:04.

Rating: B-. And Xion losses again. Yeah it was to the champion, but they couldn’t make Xion feel less important if they were trying to with this set. This was your standard way to set up a multiman match and the action went well. Just come up with something better for Xion on the DVD ABOUT XION.

Then Xion signed with Impact Wrestling (as Zema Ion and later DJZ) and didn’t get to wrestle in the four way title match.

About eight minutes of trailers for other DVDs wrap us up.

Overall Rating: D+. What was that? There were 12 matches on here, Xion lost about half of them, and wasn’t even the focal point in more than a few of them. It was more a look at Xion’s feud with Facade than anything else and even then it didn’t feel like a special story. I’m not sure why this needed to exist as it’s basically a look at a short stretch of time for a midcarder in a middle of the road independent promotion.

On top of that, even the best matches were only decent at best. It didn’t make Xion look like a star and feels like nothing more than a cash-in on someone who became a bigger deal elsewhere. Pretty lame here, with one of the weakest DVD collections I’ve seen from just about anywhere.

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