Rampage
Date: February 16, 2024
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The long road to Revolution continues as things are really starting to come together. At the same time, there are several matches that still need to be set up. While there isn’t much likely to be added to the card on this show, we are in for a twelve man tag, which should be quite the visual. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

No DQ and Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They trade slaps to start and then slug it out with Jeff dropping him. It’s already time for a ladder but Guevara knocks it into Jeff, sending him into the announcers’ table. Jeff sends him into the barricade and hits a clothesline off the apron, only to have Guevara fight back up onto the apron. A middle rope knee to the face drops Jeff and they fight onto the floor again, with Jeff hitting Poetry In Motion against the barricade.

Back in and the ladder is set up and they both climb for no logical reason. They slug it out until Jeff grabs a super Twist of Fate for two and we take a break. Back with Jeff putting Guevara on a table at ringside and climbing a big ladder on the floor. They get back inside with Guevara wrapping a chair around Jeff’s head and hitting a middle rope cutter for two of his own.

Guevara puts him on the table at ringside and there’s the huge Swanton off the bigger ladder through Jeff through the table. Back in and a shooting star press hits raised knees, though Guevara’s knee slams into Jeff’s face for a scary landing. The GTH finishes for Guevara at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Other than the names involved, was there any reason for this to be a No DQ match? They used a bunch of weapons and Guevara’s big spot with the Swanton looked good but there is only so much to be gotten from a match with this much violence and so many weapons without a reason. It had its moments, but I could go for more than a match for the sake of someone saying “wouldn’t it be cool if we did this”.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs comes in to wreck Guevara.

Brian Cage is ready for next week’s six man tag because he gets his hands on Hook.

Private Party wants the Tag Team Titles and have an enforcer/bouncer named Cheesecake.

The Blackpool Combat Club thinks FTR is stupid and Jon Moxley is ready to choke them. Claudio Castagnoli says when you’re great, people tell you, so they’ll see FTR next week.

The Outcasts interrupt Ruby Soho and say they forgive her. Soho knows Saraya was behind everything the whole time and walks off. Harley Cameron is ready to get Soho with her knife, but pulls out a spoon and hits Saraya in the chest with said spoon.

Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi

Rhodes uppercuts Hitt into the corner to start and it’s off to Ross for an armdrag into an armbar. Everything breaks down and Cross Rhodes hits Crews with the other two making the save. The Von Erich’s grab stereo Claws as Dustin hits the Final Reckoning for the pin on Crews at 1:49. Well that was to the point.

Toni Storm snaps over Deonna Purrazzo’s threats and ankle locks Mariah May to blow off some steam.

Video on Sting/Darby Allin vs. the Young Bucks.

Queen Aminata vs. Anna Jay

They shake hands to start and Aminata grabs a wristlock to work on the arm. A headlock takeover has Jay down but she sends Aminata into the corner for a Backstabber. We take a break and come back with Aminata fighting out of a chinlock so they can chop it out. Aminata snapmares her down into a running kick to the chest. Aminata’s running hip attack and running kick to the face in the corner get two but Jay grabs a quick Downward Spiral. The Queenslayer goes on but Aminata flips out and hits a headbutt for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Say it with me: there is only so much you can get out of a match with eight minutes in the ring and a commercial eating up about half. The important thing here is that Aminata got a win over someone who matters. AEW has been trying to push her as someone who matters but that is only going to work if she wins some matches. This might not be a huge win but it’s certainly a place to start.

Respect is shown post match.

Willow Nightingale isn’t happy with Stokely Hathaway cheating to help her win but Kris Statlander plays peacemaker.

Angelo Parker gives Ruby Soho a Valentine’s Day present and talks about everything they’ve been through lately. They’ll have a date next Wednesday.

Bang Bang Scissor Gang vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order

Lethal and White start things off by fighting over a lockup. An exchange of headlocked doesn’t go anywhere so Uno comes in and gets chopped. Colten comes in for a Stinger Splash into a dropkick, setting up Scissor Me Timbers. Everything breaks down and the villains are cleared out as we take a break.

Back with Austin in trouble in the corner and Jarrett hitting a running crotch attack against the ropes. Singh throws Austin into the corner but a missed clothesline allows the tag off to Billy to clean house. Everything breaks down and Singh is knocked outside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until the 3:10 To Yuma finishes Reynolds at 10:47.

Rating: C. This was a spectacle rather than an important match and there is nothing wrong with something like that. The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is certainly an idea but they are going to have to do something at some point. I still think/hope it winds up with the two sets of titles being merged, though we might be waiting a bit before we get to that point. Like Double Or Nothing say.

Overall Rating: C. And now we’re back to Rampage being little more than an extra hour of AEW content with little going on. The big story here was Soho and Parker agreeing to go on a date next week. The matches were good enough and there was nothing bad, making this a show that was more about having an easy week. If you’re not looking for much of anything that matters but is completely watchable, have fun with this one.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Jeff Hardy – GTH
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi – Final Reckoning to Crews
Queen Aminata b. Anna Jay – Headbutt
Bang Bang Scissor Gang b. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order – 3:10 To Yuma to Reynolds

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 28, 2023
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the last show of the year and odds are that isn’t going to mean much. The one change here might be the length, as the lack of a Collision taping this weekend means no Ring Of Honor taping. The Women’s TV Title tournament is on its way and maybe we can get some details on it this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Ring Of Honor related stuff on Dynamite.

Opening sequence.

Nyla Rose vs. Alejandra Lion

Rose powers her down to start but Rose slips out of a suplex and slugs away. That earns her a backbreaker into a backsplash as the beating is on. Rose hits a basement superkick and the Beast Bomb finishes at 2:01.

Peter Avalon vs. Zak Knight

Knight is Saraya’s brother and spears Avalon down to start. Avalon needs a breather on the apron to start so Knight sticks out his chest for some chopping. Knight picks up the pace and hits a hard clothesline but Avalon knees his way out of a suplex. They head outside where Avalon manages a posting, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. Back up and Knight grabs a suplex, setting up a Razor’s Edge buckle bomb. A running forearm to the face finishes Avalon at 4:15.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to get very far here but Knight was aggressive and showed a lot of fire. I’m not sure if it’s good enough to get him a job, but he certainly put in the effort to get noticed here. They packed in a pretty decent amount for a four minute match and Avalon made Knight look good in the process.

Various women want the Women’s TV Title. They couldn’t make this feel more like the “We Can’t Beat Athena” Title if they tried.

Athena is happy with Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair, saying Starkz is going to be the first Women’s TV Champion. Starkz says she’s going to win the TV Title because she couldn’t win the Women’s Title.

Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson vs. Von Erichs/Bryan Keith

Keith headlocks Bronson to start but Bronson knocks him back down. An elbow misses so it’s off to Ross vs. Jameson. After a shot of Savage Sauce, Jameson lets him fire off some forearms so Marshall comes in with a dropkick. The threat of the Iron Claw means it’s Boulder coming in and getting double dropkicked.

We settle down to Ross being shoved into Boulder’s chest and the chinlock goes on. Bronson misses the moonsault though and the rolling tag brings Marshall in to clean house. Marshall manages a slam for two on Bronson but the Claw is broken up. Everything breaks down and stereo Claws give the Von Erichs the win at 8:21.

Rating: C. There is no way around it: the Von Erichs are pretty dull. They’re good enough for a basic match, but aside from them being part of a famous wrestling family and from Texas, there is only so much about them. Keith didn’t get to showcase himself all that much here and the Savages and Jameson were the same as always.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter aren’t happy that Maria isn’t here but here is the Spanish Announce Project to set up a match for next week.

Lady Frost/Trish Adora/Kiera Hogan vs. Renegades/Taya Valkyrie

Hogan takes Taya into the ropes to start and hits a running hip attack so it’s off to Charlette. A superkick sends her into the corner and Hogan hits a running knee. Robyn gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and a pump kick/flapjack combination gets two. The chinlock keeps Hogan down and Taya comes in to take her back into the corner.

Hogan fights up without much trouble and hands it off to Frost to clean house. Taya strikes her straight into the corner though and it’s Adora coming in. Robyn isn’t having that though and plants Adora as everything breaks down. Taya plants Adora though and the curb stomp is good for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C-. Another not so good match here, with no one getting to stand out, save for maybe Hogan. Instead it was a bunch of women not having much time to do much and the biggest name involved getting the pin. There is only so much six women can do with less than a minute apiece and that was apparent here.

Leyla Hirsch and Rachael Ellering don’t care about Maria and want the TV Title. Mercedes Martinez and Diamante come in and a tag match seems set.

Tony Nese vs. Joey Hyder

Mark Sterling is here with Nese and talks about how Nese gave everything at Final Battle and the fans liked seeing him get hurt. Now it’s time for Nese’s rebirth. Nese pounds him down into the corner to start and he shrugs off Hyder’s comeback. Some elbows to the head and a pumphandle driver finish for Nese at 1:57.

Vertvixen vs. Billie Starkz

Starkz grabs a front facelock to start and quickly takes her down. Vertvixen’s suplex is countered into a suplex and a running Blue Thunder Bomb plants Vertvixen again. A kick to the face lets Starkz go up top but Vertvixen catches her on top. That’s broken up as well and the Swanton finishes for Starkz at 3:44.

Rating: C. Another short match with Starkz getting in a win to move her towards the tournament. Starkz needed a win after her loss at Final Battle, though her being here continues to make the tournament feel like it’s as secondary of a title as you can get. Starkz will be a favorite to win the thing, but it’s only going to matter so much until someone beats Athena.

Kyle Fletcher (hey he’s actually here) says he is making the TV Title the most important title in Ring Of Honor. Next week: open challenge. Willie Mack comes in and says the open challenge is already closed.

Ethan Page vs. Johnny TV

TV takes him down to start and hammers away but Page is back up with a right hand. Page’s right hands in the corner keep TV in trouble and Page sends him outside. A kick to the head from the floor slows Page down though and we hit a dragon sleeper. TV cranks on the neck but Page suplexes his way to freedom. Back up and TV hits the Flying Chuck for two and a low blow drops Page again. Starship Pain is loaded up but cue Dalton Castle for the distraction, allowing Page to hit the springboard cutter for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: C+. The best thing here was that it felt like a main event. Maybe not the biggest match ever, but it had two bigger names and played into an established feud. That’s better than nothing and more than you usually get around here. If nothing else, Castle vs. TV feels like a big match whenever we get there, which is quite nice for a change.

Overall Rating: C. Here’s the big thing about this show: it was just over an hour long and they didn’t waste time with anything. It’s amazing how much easier this show is when you don’t get through six matches and have another hour to go. The lack of champions on the show didn’t help, but at least they kept things moving and it made the show so, so much easier to watch. Not a great show here, but FAR easier to watch than usual.

Results
Nyla Rose b. Alejandra Lion – Beast Bomb
Zak Knight b. Peter Avalon – Running forearm
Von Erichs/Bryan Keith b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Stereo Iron Claws
Renegades/Taya Valkyrie b. Lady Frost/Trish Adora/Kiera Hogan – Curb stomp to Adora
Tony Nese b. Joey Hyder – Pumphandle driver
Billie Starkz b. Vertvixen – Swanton
Ethan Page b. Johnny TV – Spring cutter

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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 21, 2023
Location: Curtis Cullwell Center, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Final Battle and that means it’s time to start the build towards I’d assume Supercard Of Honor over Wrestlemania Weekend. Granted that means we have a few months before that comes into play, so odds are we’ll be looking at some run of the mill shows for a long time. Let’s get to it.

Here is Final Battle if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Athena retaining the Women’s Title over Billie Starkz in the Final Battle main event.

Athena is with Lexi Nair, who took a long time to bring her title in at Final Battle. Tonight, Athena is taking out some frustrations.

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down some of the card.

Workhorsemen vs. Von Erichs

Kevin Von Erich is here with the Von Erichs. Before the match, the Workhorsemen promise to prove that they’re great while the former World Class stars were trash. Drake shoulders Ross down to start but Ross is up with a dropkick. Henry comes in and gets armdragged, setting up Marshall’s dropkick to keep him in trouble.

Since that worked so well, a double dropkick drops Henry again but Drake gets in a cheap shot to put Ross down. Drake comes back in and mocks the Claw, only to miss a middle rope headbutt. It’s back to Marshall to clean house but Henry breaks up the Claw. The Cannonball crushes Marshall but Drake misses a moonsault, allowing Marshall to hit one of his own for the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C+. Having the Von Erichs wrestle around Dallas last week at Final Battle was the biggest layup imaginable, as it made all the sense in the world. Then they’ve done it twice more in the last week and it just kind of shows that the team isn’t very good. They’re not terrible, but they’re the definition of a generic team who rely on one thing to get their reactions. Do this once or twice and it can work, but the third time was going too far with it and my first reaction was “oh, these guys again, how interesting”. Granted the same thing could be said about the Workhorsemen.

Post match Henry goes after Kevin and gets the Claw. Where have I seen this before?

We look at Kyle Fletcher winning Survival Of The Fittest to become the new TV Champion.

Athena vs. Mona World

Proving Ground, meaning non-title but if World lasts the ten minutes or wins, she gets a future title shot. World elbows her down to start and rolls over Athena, who catches her with a quick powerbomb. Athena sends her hard into the corner and hits a knee to the chest for two. World is back up with a Sling Blade and a hurricanrana, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two more. The split legged moonsault misses though and the O Face finishes for Athena at 5:17.

Rating: C. Of all the Proving Ground matches where the champ never feels like they’re in any real danger and then wins in the end without the match coming close to the time limit, this was the most recent. What is anyone supposed to get out of these things? The champ has never lost and it’s very rare to see anyone get close to an upset. Do something with the concept already because otherwise, what’s the point of the gimmick?

Post match Athena shows respect and then attacks World.

Here is Tony Khan for an announcement: the Women’s TV Title. Details to come, including how they crown a Seth Rollins to Athena’s Roman Reigns.

Lee Johnson vs. Dante Martin

Johnson wrestles him to the mat to start but has to flip out of a wristlock. Some armdrags into an armbar have Martin down but he does the same thing to Johnson for some gamesmanship. Martin’s snap suplex gets two and we’re off to the hammerlock. Johnson is back up with a suplex of his own.

We hit the chinlock for a bit before Johnson sends him out outside in a heap. After the big dive, Johnson counters a springboard into a quick powerbomb for two more. A Death Valley Driver and standing moonsault give Martin two but Martin’s spinning full nelson slam is good for the pin at 9:02.

Rating: C+. That was a Ring Of Honor match all right, as you have two young stars having a match without much in the way of stakes. I’m sure the answer will be a possible TV Title shot, but forgive me given the history of title matches around here. Other than that, it’s great to see Martin back in the ring and it’s smart to have him use something other than the double springboard moonsault.

Ethan Page, with Scorpio Sky, is happy with his win and can feel the fear from everyone in the locker room. Sky has seen Page lose more than once but now he’s here to make Page fulfill his promises to be a champion.

Blake Christian/Willie Mack vs. Gates Of Agony

Christian dropkicks Kaun down to start but makes the mistake of following him outside. That means a ram into the announcers’ table, followed by a whip into the barricade. Back in and Christian slips away so Mack can come in and clean house. The swinging slam gets two on Kaun but he’s back up to dropkick a charging Mack. Christian comes back in to send Kaun outside, setting up the dive to drop him again. Back in and Toa pulls Christian out of the air for a swinging release Rock Bottom. Toa Pounces Mack and the double lifting slam finishes Christian at 6:45.

Rating: C. Again I ask why the Mogul Embassy have the Six Man Tag Team Titles when the Gates wrestle as a two man team so often. Other than that, this was another one off match against a makeshift team. The Gates continue to be the resident power team who aren’t going anywhere, which continues to be a waste of what they could do.

Tony Nese rants about what it took to make him say I Quit. Mark Sterling wants to start stacking the deck against Ring Of Honor.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson

Vincent takes over on Bronson to start and chokes him on the ropes. Dutch comes in to send Bronson into the corner before it’s off to Archer for a Pounce. Bronson fights out of the corner and brings in Boulder to clean house, only to have Dutch catch him with a swinging Boss Man Slam. The Black Out into Autumn Sunshine finishes Jameson at 4:55.

Rating: C. As has been the case through a good chunk of this show, this was the same thing we’ve seen before. It’s a group getting a win over a lower level group with little drama and little more than a squash to get there. I have no idea why we need to see some of these guys almost every week but at least their boxes are checked off again.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett credits her music for last week’s win. This week, Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are ready to team in an eight man tag….with the Spanish Announce Project. Maria assures her guys that it’s fine.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Vertvixen

Johnny TV is here with Taya, who gets knocked to the floor to start. Taya drops her face first onto the apron and choking ensues back inside. Running knees in the corner give Taya two and we hit some posing. An STF sends Vertvixen over to the ropes and she hits a springboard kick to the face to cut Taya down. Taya isn’t having that and hits a curb stomp for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. I’m running out of ways to say “we’ve seen this kind of thing already” but here we are again and again. At least Taya is relatively new, but we’ve now seen her have three such matches in eight days. You can stretch some of these things out occasionally instead of just repeating stuff but that’s not the Ring Of Honor way.

Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor are motivated by their losses and EVERYONE IS ON NOTICE.

Charlette Renegade vs. Rachael Ellering

Robyn Renegade is here with Charlette while Ellering has Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Leyla Hirsch. Ellering takes her to the mat to start but can’t tie up the limbs. Charlette fights up and they fight to the floor, where a cheap shot puts Ellering in trouble. Back in and Charlette stomps away, setting up a Muta Lock to keep up the pain. Ellering fights up and hits a Sling Blade into a backsplash, followed by a fall away slam for two. Hirsch and Robyn get into it on the floor….and Maria grabs Ellering’s leg. Then Ellering hits the Boss Woman Slam for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C. Hey look: they’re still making Maria, one of the better managers they have available, do the same stuff that hasn’t been interesting for months. I’m sure this will lead to some big turning point in the story which will in no way be reversed a few weeks later. Other than that, a decent power match here, but the story has been moving in slow motion for months now and this didn’t help things.

Taya Valkyrie is happy with her win and Johnny TV calls Dalton Castle a pigeon instead of a peacock.

We look at Johnny TV costing Dalton Castle his chance at the TV Title at Final Battle.

Castle is crushed at his loss and blames Johnny TV. Vengeance is sworn as this is one of the few moving stories around here right now.

Outrunners vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Infantry

Bravo, Andretti and Magnum start things off with a bit of posing. Some rapid tags give us Floyd vs. Andretti as apparently we’re going one on one here. Everything breaks down and the Outrunners are taken down, with Floyd being sent into Magnum in the corner. Dean misses a top rope splash though and the Outrunners get to stomp away.

A double slam gets two on Dean but Floyd gets crotched on top. That’s enough for Bravo to come in and clean house as everything breaks down. Boot Camp is broken up and Floyd gives Bravo a side slam. Floyd kicks Magnum low by mistake though, allowing Andretti to hit a running shooting star press for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. As has been the case or weeks, this was a multi team match with one team managing to scramble and get a pin. As has been the case for nearly four months now, the Tag Team Titles are nowhere in sight, meaning these wins don’t really mean much. They can keep dangling the carrot of a Tag Team Title shot in front of all of these teams but it doesn’t matter if that carrot never actually comes to pass.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is excited about the Women’s TV Title but Leyla Hirsch and Rachael Ellering come in to yell at her about what happened. Hirsch doesn’t want any part of this so Maria tells her to see how it goes without her help. Ellering and Hirsch both want the new title.

Spanish Announce Project/Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys/Gravity

Gravity and Serpentico start things off with Gravity working on the arm. The Boys come in for a double arm takedown but it’s of to Garrison to take over on Brent’s arm. Garrison gets slammed down though and the diving tag brings in Castle to clean house. A Serpentico cheap shot takes Castle down by the leg and the triple teaming is on. Castle is back up with a broken up Bang A Rang attempt, leaving Gravity and the Boys to hit stereo dives. The Bang A Rang finishes Garrison at 7:02.

Rating: C+. Another fun match as the show is at least picking up a bit near the end. Castle gets a win back after his loss at Final Battle, with the Johnny TV showdown on the way. Other than that, Garrison and Karter continue their up and down run as I continue to try to find out why they’re supposed to be interesting in the slightest.

Jack Cartwheel/Gringo Loco vs. El Hijo de Vikingo/Komander

Loco and Vikingo start things off with Vikingo flipping to his feet off a headscissors. The standoff means it’s of to Komander vs. Cartwheel, with neither being able to get anywhere. Komander sends Cartwheel to the floor but it’s too early for the dive. Instead they kick each other in the face for a double knockdown, meaning the others can come over. Back in and Cartwheel hits a slingshot splash for two, followed by a sliding dropkick into a reverse sitout powerbomb.

Cartwheel’s standing moonsault gets two but Komander is over for the tag off to Vikingo. Everything breaks down down and Vikingo hits the dive to the floor, only to miss a frog splash back inside. Vikingo is right back with a top rope legdrop to knock Cartwheel out of the ropes. Loco is back in with a torture rack faceplant to Vikingo but Komander is back in with a super poisonrana. Cielito Lindo finishes Loco at 9:22.

Rating: B-. They did save the best for last as this was another popcorn match with everyone going 80 miles per hour. Nothing else on the show was going to follow this and it gave the fans a big boost to wrap things up. Vikingo continues to be incredibly entertaining and Komander is good for some big spots while Loco and Cartwheel were fine opponents. Not a memorable match, but nice after the rather dull card leading up to it.

Overall Rating: C-. You might have heard me say this but it was the same stuff we always get. If not for the recaps, there would be no reason to believe that this was the follow up to the biggest show of the year. It was the same bunch of wrestlers trading opponents with most of the matches going longer than they needed to. The problem with this Ring Of Honor is still the same thing that it has been for the better part of ever: there is zero reason for the show to be this long with this many people included.

There were multiple matches that could have been dropped without any significant value being lost. These wrestlers’ careers are not going to fall apart if they’re not here eight out of nine weeks and just having them around again and again doesn’t make them more interesting. This was a very Ring Of Honor show and I mean that about as negatively as I can.

Results
Von Erichs b. Workhorsemen – Moonsault to Drake
Athena b. Mona World – O Face
Dante Martin b. Lee Johnson – Spinning full nelson slam
Lance Archer/Righteous b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Autumn Sunshine to Jameson
Taya Valkyrie b. Vertvixen – Curb stomp
Rachael Ellering b. Charlette Renegade – Boss Woman Slam
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Outrunners and Infantry – Running shooting star press to Floyd
Dalton Castle/The Boys/Gravity b. Spanish Announce Team/Griff Garrison/Cole Karter – Bang A Rang to Garrison
Komander/El Hijo de Vikingo b. Jack Cartwheel/Gringo Loco – Cielito Lindo to Loco

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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Rampage
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Rampage has been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks and that could make things all the more interesting this week. While we probably won’t be having a Continental Classic match this week, we do have the Von Erichs near Dallas and that should be enough for a change of pace. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs vs. Matt Menard/Jake Hager/Angelo Parker

Danhausen is here with Cassidy and company. Parker takes Ross up to the ropes to start but Ross cranks on the wrist. A dropkick and running boot to the face stagger Parker and it’s quickly off to Hager vs. Cassidy. Hager sends him hard into the corner but Cassidy rolls away and puts his hands in his pockets, setting up the tornado DDT.

Menard gets in a running knee to the head though and we take a break. Back with Cassidy rolling away and diving over to bring in Marshall to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Von Erichs dropkick Hager to the floor. Parker rolls Marshall up for two but Marshall rolls him up for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. Much like they did at Final Battle, the Von Erichs being in a match near Dallas is as much of a layup as you can get. They didn’t try anything screwy here and had a quick match to let the fans have a fun moment. I’m not sure if the Von Erichs are ready to be around here full time, but at least they did the basics well here.

Post match the villains jump the Von Erichs but Danhausen (with purple hat) comes in but Kevin Von Erich comes in to Claw Hager. Again: give the fans something to cheer about.

Mark Briscoe is out of the Continental Classic but this is like his rookie season as a singles wrestler. Jay Lethal and company come up, with Briscoe saying he and Lethal face off next week. They agree to fight for honor and everything is cool.

Don Callis Family vs. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan

Grey and Titan look like crosses between the Barbarian and the Missing Link. Hobbs hits the World’s Most Dangerous Slam to pin Grey at 47 seconds.

Post match Don Callis rants about the Golden Jets, who came together out of fear of the Don Callis Family. Callis introduces the Don Callis Family Rules, which mean…any members of his Family can come after the Golden Jets. That needed a rule?

Ruby Soho is upset by her loss when Saraya comes in to yell at her. Saraya says Soho needs her, but Soho tells her to go beat Riho by herself.

Anna Jay vs. Red Velvet

Jay offers her a left handshake to start before they trade rollups for two each. Jay bows in front of her and gets kicked in the face for her efforts, only to send Velvet to the apron. A running hip attack puts Velvet on the floor as we take a break. Back with Jay cranking on both arms and snapping of a suplex. Velvet blocks another suplex though and strikes away before checking her watch. The running knees to the back rock Jay again but she’s right back with a Gory Bomb for two. Cue Matt Menard to distract Jay though and a discus lariat gives Velvet two. Not that it matters as the Queenslayer finishes Velvet at 8:34.

Rating: C. Jay continues to feel like someone that AEW wants to push and if she can take it to just one level higher, that could very easily take place. For now, she is doing well enough and getting in more and more reps should only help her. Velvet is doing well enough too, but she is only going to be able to go so far with the whole cooking deal.

We recap all of the Devil stuff from Dynamite, capped of by Hangman Page being laid out.

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo

Dante and Komader fight over arm control to start until Komander pulls him into something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up so Dante is sent to the apron, where he avoids a running dive from Komander, who of course sticks the landing on the floor. Back in and it’s off to Vikingo and Andretti to flip around each other, with Andretti flipping out of a headscissors.

Vikingo misses a kick to the face and we have a standoff, with even Jericho applauding. Penta and Darius come in to chop it out until Penta scores with some Sling Blades. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and the triple dives drop Andretti and Top Flight as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo caught in the wrong corner but he gets in a springboard armdrag to both Martins. Penta comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down again. Komander hits a springboard Swanton but Dante knees him in the face. Vikingo is back in with a very springboardy legdrop to Dante in the ropes. Penta hits a Big Bang Catastrophe of all things on Darius but Dante is back in to run Komander over.

Penta Codebreakers Dante, only to get hit with an AA onto the apron. Back up and Komander hits a running dive, followed by a monkey flip to send Vikingo onto the apron. Everyone needs a breather until Penta and Andretti chop it out back inside. The other four join them in the chop off until Andretti and Top Flight hit stereo superkicks.

The other three hit superkicks of their own and a triple clothesline puts everyone down. All six nip up and hit kicks to the face to put them all down again. Back up and Darius and Andretti cut off Penta and Vikingo with Spanish Flys, followed by a spinning half nelson slam to pin Komander at 16:06. Justin Roberts refers to it as a “spectacular match” because he has to be different.

Rating: A-. Yeah that was awesome, with all six of them going nuts for a long time and never really slowing down for more than a bit at a time. I had a great time with this and they didn’t bother trying to do anything but tear the house down. It’s a bunch of flips and dives and everything is all over the place, but dang it was a fun ride. It isn’t some technical masterpiece full of psychology and logic and it’s not supposed to be. Incredibly entertaining match that will probably make your eyes pop more than once.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event alone carries the show, even with the rest of it just being ok. This was a show built around one match and little else, which works rather well for an hour long show. Obviously check out the main event, but there isn’t much else to see on here. Nothing is bad, but one match blew away the rest without looking back.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager – Rollup to Parker
Don Callis Family b. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan – World’s Most Dangerous Slam to Grey
Anna Jay b. Red Velvet – Queenslayer
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Hal nelson slam to Komander

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Final Battle 2023
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the biggest Ring Of Honor show of the year and that could mean all kinds of things. The main event is again about the Women’s Title, as Athena, in her hometown, defends against Billie Starkz. Other than that, we’ll be getting a new TV Champion in a six way match with five wrestlers announced. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jazmin Allure

Bonus match and Johnny TV is with Valkyrie. A hard shot to the face puts Allure down to start and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Allure’s right hand doesn’t get her very far as Valkyrie hits the sliding German suplex. The running knees in the corner hit Allure for two and we hit the chinlock. Allure fights up and slugs away but gets caught up top, meaning it’s a top rope superplex. The curb stomp finishes Allure at 4:26.

Rating: C. So this week on Ring Of Honor, Valkyrie won a match over a bigger name but on the pay per view Kickoff Show, she beats someone who has only popped up here and there. Not much to see with this one but having Valkyrie around is a good thing. She’s a talented veteran and that adds a lot to the division. I’m not sure why this needed to be on the show, but at least Valkyrie was pretty dominant.

Zero Hour: Von Erichs vs. Outrunners

The Von Erichs in Dallas and you don’t advertise it better than this? Ross (which I know because commentary is smart enough to say which Von Erich is which since they aren’t known in Ring Of Honor) takes Magnum down to start and hits a dropkick, followed by a standing hurricanrana for two. Marshall comes in and clears the Outrunners out, meaning it’s time for a meeting on the floor.

Back in and Ross scares the Outrunners back to the floor where they hit…something on Ross that the camera misses. The beating is on back inside but Floyd has to cut off a hot tag. Ross kicks his way to freedom anyway though and it’s Marshall coming in to clean house. Monkey flips have the Outrunners flying and stereo Claws make the Outrunners tap at 6:11.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t very good but this was as much of a layup as you could get. You have the most famous family in the history of Dallas wrestling in a match close enough to Dallas and they won with their family’s signature move. This couldn’t have been an easier idea and they went exactly as they should have with it. Aside from the Outrunners losing of course, because that should never happen.

Zero Hour: Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Bryan Keith vs. Jack Cartwheel

Keith grabs a headlock to start and grinds away until Cartwheel reverses into one of his own. Cartwheel cartwheels away but a headscissors is broken up so Keith can kick him down for two. An enziguri staggers Keith, who boots Cartwheel in the face for his efforts. Back up and a cartwheel into a dragon screw legwhip drops Keith and a slingshot spinning elbow gets two.

A cartwheel into a powerslam plants Keith and a cartwheel Death Valley Driver is good for another near fall. With Keith on the floor, Cartwheel hits the big rolling flip dive but misses a shooting star press back inside. Keith avoids a shooting star press though and hits a Tiger Driver 97 for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. Having something on the line here helped a lot as that hasn’t been the case with the other two so far. I’m not sure why Johnny TV didn’t get this spot as he’s been feuding with Dalton Castle and is named TV but I guess we needed some Texas flavor to it instead. Keith has done well in the appearances I’ve seen from him over the years while Cartwheel is incredibly athletic, even if it seems like he’s just adding stuff to moves that would already be good on their own.

Tony Khan comes out to talk about his history around here and Jay Briscoe’s legacy at this event. For now though, we have one more bonus match.

Zero Hour: Daniel Garcia vs. Blake Christian

Feeling out process to start and they take turns driving each other into the corner for some dancing. They strike it out a bit until a butterfly suplex gives Garcia two. One heck of a chop puts Christian down again and the fans want it one more time. Christian motions for Garcia to bring it and then hits a basement dropkick.

Something like stereo kicks to the back keep Garcia down but he fights out of a rear naked choke. Garcia gets knocked into the corner and kicked in the face but he’s fine enough to suplex Christian into the corner. A backbreaker gets Christian out of trouble so he does it again and hits Garcia in the back of the neck.

They trade kicks to the face until Christian hits a running Spanish Fly for two more. Garcia is right back with a leglock into an ankle lock but Christian sends him outside for a big flip dive. A springboard 450 gives Christian two but Garcia pulls him into the Dragon Tamer for the tap at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, which might be due to the amount of time they received. It made the match feel a bit more important, but at the same time, there is only so much that you can get out of this kind of a match. There was no story and it was added with no notice, meaning it was only going to be so interesting, especially with a newcomer like Christian.

Tony Khan has another announcement but Ring Of Honor World Champion comes in to say he wants to be on the card. Anthony Henry comes in to say he’ll fight so the Proving Ground match is on. That’s how the World Champion is booked for the biggest show of the year, less than two minutes before the show starts.

And now, the show proper.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Black Taurus

Taurus is challenging and isn’t interested in the Code Of Honor. The much smaller Vikingo is sent flying to start and Taurus knocks him out of the air. Back up and Taurus misses a running knee in the corner but the big running flip dive is countered into a powerbomb. They head back inside where Taurus hits a ripcord powerslam for two as the pace slows down again.

A clothesline puts Vikingo over the top, with his head bouncing off the apron on the way down. Taurus follows with the rather large flip dive and a reverse Sling Blade back inside. One heck of a pop up Samoan drop plants Vikingo but he avoids a big dive. Vikingo gets two fight back with a big flip to send Taurus outside.

Vikingo loads up two springboard flip dives but has to bail out and hits a standard dive, with Taurus standing there waiting the entire time (my goodness people just don’t do the dive if it takes that long). Back in and Taurus runs him over and they go upside, with Vikingo snapping off a super hurricanrana. They strike it out on the apron until Vikingo hits a not great looking running sunset bomb. Vikingo springboard dropkicks him into the corner but misses a charge into the corner.

A top rope gorilla press plants Vikingo (geez) but Vikingo kicks him in the face a few times. Vikingo hits a moonsault Samoan driver (because someone can do that) but Taurus spears him down for a double knockdown. Taurus is sent outside for a 720 (yes a 720), which thankfully doesn’t land on his head. Back in and one heck of a backbreaker plants Vikingo but he’s able to knock Taurus into the corner. The running knees and the 630 retain the title at 16:30.

Rating: B. Yes they botched quite a bit and it went a bit long, but my goodness I wanted to see Vikingo beat the monster put in front of him. This was a heck of an opener and Vikingo, despite being rather small, can get a crowd behind him like few others. This was about the entertainment value rather than the quality (which wasn’t exactly terrible) and I had a heck of a time with it. Just don’t stand there waiting on a dive like that again. Ever. That was terrible.

Commentary runs down the card.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. TMDK

TMDK (Shane Haste/Bad Dude Tito/Kosei Fujita) is challenging. Kaun and Fujita start things off with Kaun taking over and dropping him with a kick to the chest. Fujita is back up with a spinning kick to the face, allowing the tag off to Tito to take over on Kaun. It’s back to Fujita, who gets taken into the corner for the tag to Cage.

One heck of a powerslam plants Fujita for two and his right hands don’t do much good. Fujita does manage to punch his way out of trouble and everything breaks down. Haste kicks Toa into the corner and Haste nails a running kick to the face for two. The Gates aren’t having any of this and run Fujita over but Tito makes the save. Haste knees his way out of trouble but Toa cuts him in half with a spear for two.

Tito counters Cage’s discus lariat into a Death Valley Driver for two and Fujita springboard dropkicks Kaun for the same. Cage grabs the apron superplex to plant Fujita for two more with Tito making the save this time. Open The Gates hits Haste, leaving Fujita all alone against the champs. Running shots in the corner set up a toss sitout powerbomb to give Cage the retaining pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Nice match here as everything went nuts in a smart move. At the same time, and much like earlier, there is only so much you can get out of the champs defending against a team that got their build in a tournament in Japan which was only mentioned before the match. It wasn’t a bad match, but this really could have been dropped from the card without much being lost.

We recap Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page in an I Quit match. Page was on a winning streak but Nese and his friends cut it off and then got on Page’s nerves. Now it’s time for an I Quit match, which is quite the escalation after one match. Also of note, commentary calls them former friends, which certainly hasn’t been a major part of the story.

Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page

I Quit match and Mark Sterling is here with Nese but is handcuffed to the ring. Well he is eventually that is, complete with Mark Henry coming out to make sure it happens. Nese jumps Page from behind to start fast and hammers away, only to get elbowed in the face to cut him off. They head outside where a Sterling distraction lets Nese get in another cheap shot to take over again. Hold on though as Sterling grabs some protein powder, which is thrown into Nese’s eyes by mistake.

They fight outside again, where Page is sent face first into the handcuffs for a fairly creative spot. Nese grabs the mic and tells Page to quit on behalf of the people. That’s not happening so Nese stomps away at the bloody Page, who fights back again. That means Nese is knocked over the barricade but comes back with a weight (as in the kind you put on a bench press).

The big shot misses but Nese sends him into the barricade to take over. Back in and Nese grabs a jump rope for some whipping, only to have Page fight back without much trouble. Nese teases quitting but uses the distraction to hit page with the microphone. That sets up the big flip dive to the floor, meaning some tables can be set up. Page gets in a shot to break things up and heads to the top, where he is knocked back down.

Not that it matters as Page grabs the slingshot cutter to send Nese through the tables. Back in and some chairs are set up with Nese hurricanranaing Page….completely over the chairs. Thankfully commentary acknowledges that it didn’t make contact and Page doesn’t quit. Nese goes to grab the keys to the handcuffs and, after taking out the referee, unlocks Sterling.

The stomping is on and then it’s time to handcuff Page so Nese can smash him with the weight, with Sterling promising to show the tape to Page’s daughter. Well that’s the plan at least as Sterling explains the idea without actually doing anything, allowing Scorpio Sky to come in for the save. Page is able to stomp Nese’s fingers underneath the plate and then DDT him into it.

Sterling gets hit in the face with the plate (probably should have killed him) and the Ego’s Edge drops him again. Sky takes Sterling to the back but Nese is back up with a chair to the head, meaning Page can indeed be handcuffed. Nese gives him one last chance to quit but Page shouts “F*** YOU” and makes the no hands comeback. The referee uncuffs Page, who hits Nese with the chair and chokes him with the handcuffs for the win at 20:01.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to think of this, but the thing that stands out the most is how overbooked this was. It felt like they weren’t sure if they wanted to have the violent, bloody brawl or some kind of goofy match with all of the exercise equipment. While I wouldn’t call it bad, they could have cut out a lot of this and had a tighter match. It never felt like the biggest match ever as Nese has never been more than a midcard star at best, but at least Page gets a signature win over someone other than a jobber.

Nyla Rose vs. Vertvixen

Another bonus match. Rose starts fast and loads up the Beast Bomb in less than a minute but Vertvixen punches her way to freedom. Another hard shot drops Vertvixen but Rose pulls her up at two. The top rope knee to the back and the Beast Bomb finish for Rose at 2:39. Well that happened.

We recap the TV Title match, which is the result of Samoa Joe vacating the title. Therefore Survival Of The Fittest was brought back with the winner being the new champion.

TV Title: Survival Of The Fittest Finals

Dalton Castle, Lee Moriarty, Kyle Fletcher, Lee Johnson, Bryan Keith, Komander

Elimination rules but only two are in the ring at once. Castle and Moriarty start things off with a handshake before going to the mat. Fletcher comes in and gets beaten up without much effort, meaning it’s off to Johnson vs. Moriarty. It’s Johnson cleaning house and sending Castle outside but getting headscissored by Komander. Keith comes in and cuts off Komander, meaning it’s time for a showdown with Castle. That’s broken up by Fletcher, who tells Castle to bring it.

The fans are way behind Castle as he throws Fletcher outside, much to the fans’ delight. Komander and Fletcher both go up and stare at each other until Komander walks the ropes to dive onto everyone else. Back in and Johnson takes over on Keith but Moriarty slips out of a powerbomb attempt. Moriarty pulls Johnson into the Border City Stretch for the tap and the elimination at 8:47.

The Boys warm Castle up so he can take Moriarty down, followed by a suplex. Cue Johnny TV to drop…someone the camera misses on the floor. Apparently he dropped the Boys, which distracts Castle enough for Moriarty to hit a suplex Downward Spiral for the elimination at 11:17.

The fans are NOT happy, even as Moriarty, Keith and Fletcher slug it out. Komander is back in as a mini tag match breaks out, resulting in the Tower Of Doom leaving all four down. Keith is up with a fireman’s carry backbreaker for one on Moriarty, followed by a tiger driver to get rid of Moriarty for the pin at 15:39. That leaves Fletcher, Keith and Komander, with Keith kneeing Fletcher down. The tiger driver is blocked though and Fletcher Tombstones Keith for the pin at 16:54.

Fletcher and Komander slug it out with Fletcher getting rocked up against the ropes. The spinning Tombstone is broken up and Komander kicks the leg out, setting up a poisonrana. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor is countered as well and Fletcher hits the jumping Tombstone on the apron to leave them both on the floor. Komander barely beats the count and it’s a brainbuster to give Fletcher two.

Fletcher puts him on top but Komander kicks the leg out and hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer for a rather near fall. A rope walk 450 onto the apron sets up a regular 450 for two and they’re both down. Komander goes up again but gets caught, setting up a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle for another near fall. Another jumping Tombstone gives Fletcher the pin and the title at 26:03.

Rating: B. The big positive here was they got the Survival part right. Fletcher felt like he survived against the others and that was a heck of a finishing sequence. That being said, it was another long match on a show that is going to go late into the night and it features another heel champion. Ring Of Honor needs to give us something more to cheer about and that is rarely the case when it comes to titles. Very energetic match, but dang some of those kickouts were a bit ridiculous.

Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Tom Lawlor

Lawlor is challenging in his ROH debut. They go to the mat to start with Lawlor getting the better of things and leaving Yuta a bit shaken. Lawlor’s armbreaker has Yuta going to the ropes for his first break and Lawlor seems pleased. Yuta gets in a right hand behind the referee’s back so Lawlor punches him back, earning his official warning.

Yuta takes over again and goes for the leg, sending Lawlor over to the ropes for his first break. They strike it out, with Lawlor favoring his leg, including as they trade discus forearms. Lawlor is back with a spear but Yuta goes straight back to the knee to take over again. An Octopus Hold into an abdominal stretch into a rollup gives Yuta two but Lawler suplex slams him down for the same.

A monkey flip breaks up another leglock attempt and Lawlor starts in on the arm, including a hammerlock piledriver for another near fall. Something like an Anaconda Vice sends Yuta to the ropes for another break, followed by a right hand to drop Lawlor again. They go up top with Lawlor grabbing a Kimura, which he holds while superplexing Yuta back down.

Another Kimura has Yuta using his final rope break so Lawlor goes with Becky Lynch’s Disarm-Her. Yuta reverses that into an ankle lock, which is reversed into another Kimura. That’s escaped as well and Yuta grabs the seatbelt for the…..pin at 13:12, despite Lawlor’s shoulder being a good foot off the mat and his feet being in the ropes.

Rating: B-. This was a technical battle between two rather skilled technical wrestlers and it worked well, aside from the terribly screwed up ending. The Pure Rules thing can work very well and it was good enough here, but this was another match with no backstory and an outsider getting a random title match. Hook is already feuding with Yuta, but here is Lawlor instead. That can get old fast and I wasn’t a fan of it here.

Post match Yuta stays on Lawlor but Hook makes the save. Yuta low blows Hook before leaving.

We recap Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee. They were a monster team back in the original ROH but Lee went on to WWE and left Taylor to start over. Now Taylor wants revenge. That’s an actual story and I could have gone for it getting some more development than it received.

Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee

They stare each other down to start before going to the test of strength. Taylor’s headlock has Lee in some trouble but he breaks out so they can run the ropes. One heck of a shoulder drops Taylor and he’s more than a bit stunned. Lee chops away and hits a slingshot crossbody for one.

Taylor is back with a Tower Of London for two and the apron legdrop crushes Lee again. We hit the chinlock back inside, followed by a knee to the face to give Taylor two. Back up and the forearm exchange goes to Lee, who hits a splash in the corner. Taylor knocks him back down and hits a middle rope splash for two more.

Lee knocks him down again and goes to the corner, only to have Lee Moriarty pop up for a distraction. The sitout powerbomb drops Moriarty but Taylor gets in a knee to the back of the head for two. Taylor goes up top and hits a super Canadian Destroyer….for two more. Back up and Keith grabs the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin out of nowhere at 14:33.

Rating: B-. It was a good hoss fight with some big heavy shots, but again it ran longer than it needed to. There were too many times where they were slowing way down and it would have been better with a few minutes less. I’m not sure how much sense it makes for Keith to win here, but it won’t matter if he doesn’t get a stronger push than he has had in recent months.

Post match Keith pulls Taylor up and Taylor acknowledges the crowd.

Bryan Keith wants gold so Orange Cassidy comes in to say come collect the International Title on Collision.

We recap the Blackpool Combat Club vs. Mark Briscoe/FTR, which is a big tribute to Jay Briscoe and little more.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Mark Briscoe/FTR

After Dax Harwood goes over to glare at a fan on her phone, we start with Harwood vs. Moxley with neither getting very far. Castagnoli comes in to drive Harwood into the corner before it’s off to Danielson to strike it out with Wheeler. Briscoe gets to come in to a rather strong reaction and hammers away in the corner. It’s back to Harwood, who gets caught by the arm (now bleeding) with Danielson cranking away.

Castagnoli’s Swing has Harwood in more trouble but he German suplexes his way out of trouble. Wheeler gets the tag to clean house, including Redneck Boogie for two on Danielson. Back up and Danielson loads up the Swan Dive but gets caught with the PowerPlex into the Froggy Bow. The Doomsday Device is broken up so Danielson loads up a superplex on Briscoe. That’s broken up as well but Briscoe’s second Doomsday Device attempt lands on Castagnoli’s uppercut.

Moxley is back in with a cutter but Wheeler brainbusters him down. The Shatter Machine is broken up and it’s the running knee to Wheeler. Briscoe fights up to slug away at Moxley and Danielson but Castagnoli comes in with a Neutralizer for two. FTR is back in and a triple Shatter Machine gets the same on Castagnoli. The Jay Driller is broken up and the triple stomping has Briscoe down again.

The Club tries its own Doomsday Device but it gets broken up, meaning the brawl heads to the floor….where it’s a double countout at 19:17. Briscoe is NOT having that though and yeah we’re restarting it….as a Fight Without Honor (street fight, which I believe it was advertised as in advance). The fight is on in the crowd until Briscoe and Moxley head inside. The bloody Briscoe sends him outside and uses a chair for a step up flip dive. FTR loads up a table but let’s bring out a barbed wire ladder instead.

Moxley uses a fork on Harwood’s eye, followed by a curb stomp onto a chair back inside. Danielson is back in for a LeBell Lock to Wheeler, with Moxley adding barbed wire across the eyes. Briscoe makes the save but Moxley grabs a choke. Harwood makes the save this time so let’s throw in a bunch of chairs. A spike piledriver onto the chairs is broken up so Moxley is piledriven off the apron through a board covered in tacks. Danielson kicks away at Briscoe, who isn’t overly impressed. Briscoe fights up and hits a Jay Driller onto the chairs to finish Danielson at about 31:15 overall.

Rating: B. Yeah it was a mess and I’m not sure what was going on with the rules, but my goodness this was an entertaining fight. Much like the opener, they weren’t going for some classic match here as this was more about people beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. At the very least, it’s great to see Briscoe getting a big win and I’m sure Danielson was more than happy to let him get something that big. Heck of a fight here, which was what they were trying to do.

Eddie Kingston vs. Anthony Henry

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Henry wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. They start fast and fight out to the floor, where Henry hits a running boot against the barricade. Back in and a double stomp gives Henry two, followed by another kick for two. Kingston gets up and they chop it out, with Kingston snapping o the rapid fire corner chops. Henry is right back with an enziguri into a German suplex for two and they both need a breather. A top rope double stomp misses though and Kingston hits the spinning backfist. The stretch plum finishes Henry at 5:42.

Rating: C. It was a fine match but it’s a Proving Ground match, which has so far been a guaranteed win for the champion. I like the idea of Kingston being on the show, but it would have been nice to have something better for him than a midcard tag wrestler. It wasn’t exactly must see either, but at least they kept it short.

We recap the main event, with Athena defending the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. Athena was training her as a minion but Starkz rebelled, setting up the title match. Athena has also added that she’s gone if she loses.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena, the hometown star with a broken nose, is defending. Starkz knocks her fast into the corner and they fight out to the floor. Athena sends Starkz face first into the barricade a few times, with Starkz coming up bleeding. Back in and Athena keeps up the beating, including a neck crank as the blood continues to flow. Starkz gets sent to the floor as this has been much more of a brawl than a match so far.

Athena cuts off a comeback attempt but Starkz fights out of the Tree of Woe and suplexes her into the corner. They both mix kicks to the face before Starkz grabs a dragon suplex. Starkz spears her down and pulls off the mask, setting up some less than great looking forearms. The Swanton connects for two so Athena goes outside, with Starkz hitting a suicide dive into the barricade.

Athena gets in a shot of her own and loads up the announcers’ table but Starkz suplexes her down to the floor. A fireman’s carry is escaped and Starkz pulls her down by the hair. They fight onto the barricade again and it’s a reverse Sling Blade to send Starkz face first onto the floor. It’s time to really try something new so they head back inside for a top rope German superplex for two on Starkz. Back up and the ref gets bumped so Athena asks guest ring announcer (and head Minion) Lexi Nair to hand her the title.

Starkz dropkicks Athena into Nair and Starkz’s End gets two. Back up again and they fight to the apron, where Starkz hits an electric chair driver to knock Athena silly on the floor. The Swanton misses back inside and Athena punches her in the face for a double knockdown. Athena wins a slugout and hits Despicable Knee for two. They trade some rollups for two each until Athena ties her up in something like a modified Octopus hold for the tap to retain at 28:21.

Rating: B. I would bet that this had to be more of a brawl than a match due to the injury, as the style let Athena take a few long breaks in there. Other than that….my goodness who is left to take the title from Athena? This is the match that has been built up for months now and, again, Athena just retains. I’m not sure who in the world is supposed to take the title from her, but it might not be happening for a bit. It’s cool to see a milestone like the women headlining, but it would also be cool to see a heel lose a major title match around here.

Post match Starkz goes to leave but Athena pulls her back. Starkz shows respect and poses with Athena and Nair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Wow indeed. This show, counting the Zero Hour (which I do as it was advertised and played a role in the show, plus it’s playing if you go to watch Final Battle on Honor Club), was over five hours and, as tends to be the case, the good guys/women didn’t do very well in title matches. Ring Of Honor has a really bad record of pulling the trigger on a big title change (the biggest they’ve had in months, with Eddie Kingston, wasn’t even in ROH) and that was the case again here. There were some nice moments like the six man and Lee/Taylor making up, but those were pretty few and far between.

As has been the case for months, the wrestling is far from the problem around here. Instead, the problem is in how everything is thrown together with SO MUCH CONTENT included. This show had five matches added the day of the show and even more that were only added within the last two days. That doesn’t leave me wanting to see more ROH, but rather hoping that they never do that again. The weekly show continues to feel mostly disconnected to the PPVs and there is no reason to believe that will change.

Overall, it’s a good show because the wrestlers are so talented, but this was another pay per view that felt like it was thrown together at the last minute, with Tony Khan adding whatever came to his head in the car that morning. Ring Of Honor isn’t enjoyable to watch most of the time and a lot of the reasons why were on display here. As usual it isn’t about the action, which is strong, but the way that action is presented. Fix that and you have a heck of a show, but otherwise, you have a big mess which just keeps going.

Results
Taya Valkyrie b. Jazmin Allure – Curb Stomp
Von Erichs b. Outrunners – Double Iron Claws
Bryan Keith b. Jack Cartwheel – Tiger driver
Daniel Garcia b. Blake Christian – Dragon Tamer
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Black Taurus – 630
Mogul Embassy b. TMDK – Toss sitout powerbomb to Fujita
Ethan Page b. Tony Nese – Choke with handcuffs
Nyla Rose b. Vertvixen – Beast Bomb
Kyle Fletcher won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Komander
Wheeler Yuta b. Tom Lawlor – Seat belt
Keith Lee b. Shane Taylor – Big Bang Catastrophe
Mark Briscoe/FTR b. Blackpool Combat Club – Jay Driller to Danielson on a pile of chairs
Eddie Kingston b. Anthony Henry – Stretch plum
Athena b. Billie Starkz – Octopus hold

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

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

AND

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Dynamite
Date: December 13, 2023
Location: College Park Station, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re about two and a half weeks away from Worlds End and that means the card should start coming together tonight. We have whatever the finals of the Continental Classic will be, plus MJF defending the World Title against Samoa Joe and nothing more at the moment. Now we need to get something else added and maybe that is the case this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Samoa Joe to get things going. After last week with the Devil and his henchmen, Joe wants answers on his way to becoming the AEW World Champion. First up, he wants an answer about the broken beer bottle near MJF’s head last week. He went looking for answers last week and a certain Hangman was missing.

Cue Hangman Page to interrupt, saying he doesn’t care about the Devil and asking Joe to accuse him to his face. Joe says he might be out here as an executioner but here are Roderick Strong and the Kingdom to interrupt. Strong brings up a bunch of recent attacks by the Devil and his henchmen…but we’ve never seen MJF being attacked. Strong insists that it’s MJF but Page decks him.

Hangman Page vs. Roderick Strong

Page punches him into the corner and hits the all away slam as Excalibur runs down the rest of the card. A running shooting star press gives Page two but Strong is back up with some stomps in the corner. That’s broken up and Page starts the comeback, including clotheslining him to the floor for the slingshot dive.

Back in and the Kingdom distraction lets Strong get in a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle as we take a break. We come back with Strong working on the arm until Page fights up for stereo discus forearms. Page is up first and gets two off a Death Valley Driver before biting away at the head.

The moonsault press misses for Page, who sticks the landing and grabs a pop up sitout powerbomb for two more. Strong’s flapjack into an Angle Slam gets the same but Page is back up again. The Kingdom’s distraction earns them a big moonsault to the floor, followed by the Deadeye to finish Strong at 14:47.

Rating: B. This was a rather solid match with Strong putting in his usual good performance. Page is a lot more interesting in this more serious style and the promo before the match was the same. Having matches like this as a tie in to the Devil stuff is a nice benefit and this was a rather impressive opener.

Continental Classic Blue League: Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade grabs a headlock to start and King actually can’t power out. That’s broken up so King hammers away, only to get knocked back again. Andrade hits a top rope moonsault to send King outside, followed by another one out to the floor. Back in and King knocks him hard out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with El Idolo fighting out of a chinlock and chopping away. Andrade knocks him into the corner and manages a slam of all things, setting up a split legged moonsault for two. The running knees misses in the corner though and King blasts him with a clothesline for two.

King’s cannonball gets two and they strike it out until Andrade hits a spinning back elbow. Andrade goes up but King catches him on top. Andrade manages to expose part of the turnbuckle though and King is dropped face first, setting up El Idolo (the hammerlock DDT) for the pin at 14:45.

Rating: B-. King’s winning streak wasn’t going to go through the entire tournament but Andrade is on a heck of a roll. That’s more than a bit of a surprise but at least he is getting tot he top of the Blue League. They beat the fire out of each other here and it was a good showdown, though I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea of Andrade as a hero.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (2 matches left)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches left)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches left)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (3 matches left)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (2 matches left)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (3 matches left, Eliminated)

The Von Erichs are here when Orange Cassidy, Danhausen and Trent Beretta interrupt. Cassidy asks the Von Erichs to team with him on Rampage and of course they’re in. Danhausen is also assured that Cassidy isn’t turning on him.

Here are Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, who want Big Bill and Ricky Starks out here right now. Cue Starks and Bill, with the latter suggesting that Jericho is going to turn on Omega….who wouldn’t be surprised. Omega brings up Bill being part of the Firm, which was rather, uh, sawft.

The title match is set for Worlds End, with Starks and Bill bringing up Starks beating Jericho twice. Jericho thinks Bill and Starks need a name, so Jericho suggests….some things that have to be censored. The eventual solution is Big Billy Starks, which doesn’t go over that well either. Jericho calls Starks a better dressed Enzo Amore, with Omega saying Enzo wouldn’t take all of Bill’s spotlight. Omega gives his catchphrase to wrap up a really, really bad segment which involved some people who know how to talk.

Riho vs. Ruby Soho

Toni Storm is on commentary, but isn’t sure about doing color. Soho stomps away in the corner but Riho is back with a suplex for two. They go up top with Riho hitting a top rope double stomp and we take a break. Back with Riho hitting a high crossbody for two, setting up a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. A crucifix bomb gives Riho two, followed by No Future to give Soho the same. Riho suplexes her down and hits some running knees for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C. This is a match that happened as Riho is being slotted into the title picture out of almost nowhere. I know she has a history of success in AEW but having her run in and get a title match after months of not being around is a bit much. Riho vs. Storm doesn’t feel like a pay per view title match but odds are that is where this is heading, even as several other women have been running in circles in AEW as of late.

Video on Wardlow, who needs a haircut.

Continental Classic Gold League: Rush vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal picks up the pace to start and knocks Rush to the mat, setting up the basement dropkick. There’s the strut, allowing Rush to come back with a snap German suplex. They head outside with Rush beating him up again, followed by some chops back inside. The tranquilo pose lets Lethal get a breather before he charges into a powerslam for two. Lethal is back with the Lethal Combination but Rush runs him over again. A superkick cuts off the Bull’s Horns but Rush blocks the Lethal Injection. Rush chokes Lethal out for the win at 4:18.

Rating: C+. That’s pretty much exactly what it should have been. There was no reason to believe that Lethal was going to be a threat here so they kept it short and to the point. It’s ok to have some of these tournament matches go short as not everything needs to be some epic showdown. That ending almost has to be setting up another Rush vs. Moxley match and I’m really not sure how much I need to see that happen.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay White – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Rush – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, Eliminated)

Post match Jeff Jarrett and company come out but Lethal is annoyed.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe

They start fast with Briscoe getting the better of things and hitting a Death Valley Driver. The Froggy Bow sends White rolling to the barricade but he’s back in with a shot of his own. Briscoe is knocked outside for a ram into the barricade but Red Neck Kung Fu breaks up the Blade Runner. White knocks him down again though and we take a break.

Back with Briscoe fighting out of trouble with a heck of a clothesline. Briscoe sends him outside for the Bang Bang Elbow and puts White on top for some shots to the back. The belly to back superplex brings White back down but he grabs a sleeper suplex. The Blade Runner is countered into a heck of a suplex but another Froggy Bow hits raised knees. White hits the Blade Runner for the pin at 11:40. As a result, Rush is officially eliminated.

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure I get why Briscoe needed to be this League’s designated jobber as there should be some more options out there given the size of AEW’s roster. White is still in play to win the League though and it makes good sense to move him forward. The match was quite good, but Briscoe losing so much is more than a bit deflating.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (2 matches remaining)
Jay White – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Rush – 6 points (1 match remaining – Eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (1 remaining, Eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, Eliminated)

Video on the Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR/Mark Briscoe this Friday at Ring Of Honor Final Battle. The only match at a Ring Of Honor show is the one featuring all AEW stars.

Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland

The fans are very interested in this to start as things start off slowly. Moxley gets taken into the ropes and kissed on the head, allowing Swerve to knock him outside. Back in and Swerve knocks him down again, setting up a middle rope DDT for a nasty crash. Moxley gets up and is knocked to the apron, where he manages to crotch Swerve onto the ring skirt.

Swerve goes arm first into the steps and we take a break. Back with Swerve hitting an elbow to the back and dancing. Swerve goes up but dives into a cutter, allowing Moxley to hit a Gotch style piledriver for two. A suplex drops Moxley, who pops right back up, earning himself a running boot to the face to give Swerve two more.

Swerve hits his own hammer and anvil elbows before going up goes up top but gets shoved down hard to the floor. The count is beaten so Moxley goes for a cross armbreaker, sending Swerve to the ropes. Swerve fights back and his the Swerve Stomp for a rather near fall, only to have Moxley roll him up for the pin at 16:25, complete with a handful of tights.

Rating: B. That ending is likely setting up a rematch in the League semifinals where Swerve gets his win back and that’s not the worst thing. While Swerve losing doesn’t feel like the best result, they did seem to leave a door open or him to make a comeback later. It felt like a main event though, which is a very positive sign for Swerve’s future.

Gold League Standings
Jon Moxley – 12 points (1 match remaining)
Swerve Strickland – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Jay White – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Rush – 6 points (1 match remaining – Eliminated)
Mark Briscoe – 0 points (2 matches remaining, Eliminated)
Jay Lethal – 0 points (1 match remaining, Eliminated)

The Devil’s Henchmen attack Hangman Page in the parking lot and put him through the windshield of a car driven by the Devil.

Overall Rating: B. If you like the Continental Classic run out and….well there is nothing to buy here so come back home and watch the show on repeat until Collision. The action ranged from good to rather good, with only the women’s match not being a hit. I could go for having more than just the Devil stuff and the tournament getting so much focus, but if I have to live with two hours of strong wrestling, I think I’ll be fine.

Results
Hangman Page b. Roderick Strong – Deadeye
Andrade El Idolo b. Brody King – El Idolo
Riho b. Ruby Soho – Running knees
Rush b. Jay Lethal – Rear naked choke
Jay White b. Mark Briscoe – Blade Runner
Jon Moxley b. Swerve Strickland – Rollup with a handful of tights

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Ric Flair’s Last Match
Date: July 31, 2022
Location: Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, David Crockett, Ian Riccaboni

We had to get here eventually and I’m not that happy about it. This is a show that I haven’t really wanted to watch since it was announced and that hasn’t changed since. While I absolutely respect what he did in the ring, I’m not the biggest Flair fan and seeing him do something this risky isn’t something I particularly needed to see. The good thing is that this is a full show and the undercard looks pretty awesome, but it’s all leading to one thing and that has me dreading the show. Let’s get to it.

This is billed as a Jim Crockett Promotions event for old times’ sake.

Pre-Show: Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura

They go with the grappling to start and get to a standoff as Crockett seemingly has no idea who either of them are. Tony doesn’t either, but at least he seems more interested. Narita gets the better of a chop off (Crockett: “They wish they could be Ric Flair.”) and kicks him in the back a few times, only to run into a dropkick.

A running clothesline in the corner sets up a running bulldog out of the corner before starting in on the arm. Something close to Antonio Inoki’s cobra twist has Narita in trouble but he comes back with a German suplex for two. Back up and they slug it out until Narita counters a charge into a belly to belly suplex with a bridge for the pin at 5:58.

Rating: C. This isn’t designed to be a great match or anything close to it but they were able to go out there and do their moves until one of them got the pin. That isn’t a bad thing and it works very well for a spot like this. Good enough match here as Narita and Uemura continue to showcase themselves well and grow in front of your eyes.

Bunkhouse Battle Royal

Sinn Bodhi, James Storm, Bully Ray, Mance Warner, 1 Called Manders, Gringo Loco, Kommander, Joey Janela, Kal Herro, Big Damo, Blake Christian, Crimson, Jordan Oliver, Rickey Shane Page, Wolfie D, Effy, Matthew Justice, Crowbar

It’s a brawl to start (of course) but after about a minute, here is Nick Gage to lead a GCW invasion, as he promised last night at a GCW show. Storm hits Herro with the Eye of the Storm and tosses him out and there goes Damo as well. Some double teaming takes Crimson out and Loco moonsaults out onto Damo to eliminate himself. Kommander runs the top rope and eliminates himself as well and Janela tosses Wolfie D.

Bodhi whips out a spare ring rope for some choking but gets kicked out. Effy crotches Crowbar on top and plays D-Von in an old What’s Up. The Ray tosses him, as well as Justice, Manders and Oliver in a roll. We’re down to Warner, Ray, Storm and Janela, with the latter two being knocked out. Ray drops Warner and loads up a table, with Warner being powerbombed through. Then Warner tosses him to win at 11:23.

Rating: D+. You’re only going to be able to get so much out of this as it was a pretty fast battle royal with an invasion angle going on in the middle. Warner winning is fine, and it was nice to see them go that route instead of the expected way with Storm or Ray. Not much to see here, but you know what you’re getting with a battle royal.

Warner wins a cowboy boot and belt buckle because of course he does.

Bob Caudle (92 years old on Tuesday) welcomes us to the show and sends us to ringside.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. American Wolves

Scott D’Amore is on commentary and Chris Sabin works on Davey Richards’ wrist to start. Richards spins out and kicks the arm for the break, only to get armdragged into the corner. Edwards comes in but Shelley tags himself in and slaps on a sleeper. The Guns start taking over in the corner with the alternating kicks but Richards comes back in for a cheap shot. Some alternating kicks put Shelley down and commentary starts making Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Express comparisons.

Richards puts Shelley down and gets a running start to kick Sabin off the apron. The Wolves grab stereo submissions but Sabin Edwards away and into the other two for the double break. Richards dragon screw legwhips Shelley’s knee onto the ropes but misses a top rope double stomp. Shelley takes both Wolves down at once and the hot tag brings in Sabin to clean house.

The missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination drops Richards for two but Edwards is back in with a superkick. Edwards’ backpack Stunner sets up the top rope double stomp with Sabin having to make a save. Sabin cutters Edwards and it’s the Dream Sequence for Richards. Skull and Crossbones finishes Edwards at 10:49.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of hot opening match you want to have and it worked well. These teams are going to have a solid match against each other through talent alone and that was on display here. The Guns are one of the best teams of their generation and the Wolves were good if you can handle Richards, making this a fast paced opener, as it was designed to be.

Video on some great moments of Jim Crockett Promotions.

Various wrestlers are here, including Vickie Guerrero, Santino Marella, Al Snow and Mick Foley.

Killer Kross vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

This is an MLW showcase. Scarlett Bordeaux is here with Kross, who has hair for a weird look. Smith drives him into the corner for a clean break to start so Kross takes it to the mat. The headscissors is escaped with a nip up and Smith cranks on the arm. The hammerlock goes on and we go to a wide shot for no apparent reason. They trade belly to back suplexes before a slugout goes to Smith. Back up and Kross pulls him into the Krossjacket but Smith flips back to escape. A t-bone suplex drops Bulldog again and it’s the Quickening (running forearm to the back of the head) to finish for Kross at 5:25.

Rating: C. They kept this one quick but the only thing that mattered was the belly to back suplexes. Smith is someone who should have all of the tools to be a top star but the lack of charisma hurts him a good bit. Then you have Kross, who feels like a killer (appropriately enough) and just isn’t that great in the ring. Mix those two together and you have something, but for now it’s two people missing something important.

More legends (Booker T., Shawn Michaels), plus Will Sasso, talk about what Ric Flair means.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne

The winner gets a future Progress World Title shot and I’ve never actually seen Wayne. He gets A LOT of praise though but I’ve never seen a match. Ian Riccaboni joins commentary to spruce things up a bit. Gresham seems a bit more enthusiastic here than he did at Death Before Dishonor. Angels and Gresham start things off but Gresham is sent outside and since lucha rules (because of course it is), Wayne comes in and sends Angels outside. Takeshita comes in with a running clothesline to put Wayne on the floor but it’s too early for the dive.

Gresham is back in to kick Takeshita down but Angels takes Takeshita’s place. Back in and Takeshita forearms Angels down before blasting him with a clothesline. Wayne grabs a Code Red for two on Angels but has to flip out of Takeshita’s German suplex. The Blue Thunder Bomb drops Wayne for two and everything breaks down. Angels and Wayne moonsault off the top and out to the floor for the big crash. Back in and Gresham drops Takeshita and Wayne, setting up the suicide dive to Angels. Gresham takes Angels back in and, after shrugging off the cradle attempt, tied Angels up for the rollup pin at 5:38.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match with so much crammed in that it felt like it could have been twice that long. Gresham is the most successful star here and him going on to the title match makes sense, though Wayne was looking smooth while he was in there. Takeshita was good as usual, with Angels continuing to be fast but small, which leaves him as just kind of a person.

Cody Rhodes sends in a video talking about how great he and his dad both think Flair is.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Brian Pillman Jr./Brock Anderson

That would be Ricky and Kerry Morton with Robert Gibson in their corner to counter Arn Anderson. Pillman and Brock have the 1990s Horsemen shirts to make things extra awesome. Nick Aldis joins commentary as the revolving door continues. I’m not sure if the bell rang but Pillman and Kerry start things off with Pillman taking him down without much trouble. They trade wristlock reversals until Kerry kicks him in the face to take over.

Pillman gets caught between the Mortons and pingponged back and forth with right hands. Brock comes in and wants Ricky, who kicks him into the corner and hammers away. It’s back to Kerry for the double dropkick but Brock takes Kerry into the corner for the tag off to Pillman. Kerry manages to send Brock into Pillman in the corner for a breather and the hot tag brings in Ricky. Everything breaks down and a Pillman cheap shot sends Ricky into a gordbuster to give Brock the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C. I get what they were going for here and the Express vs. Horsemen theme was a good idea, but Ricky and Kerry doesn’t have the same ring as Ricky and Robert. Pillman is someone else who seems to have a bunch of the tools but it hasn’t quite clicked yet. The match was another case where it wasn’t bad, but nothing I’ll remember in about five minutes.

JJ Dillon is here.

Bandido vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix

It’s a brawl to start with Taurus clearing the ring early on. Fenix and Kid are left alone with Kid shrugging off a chop and hitting a tornado DDT. A tiger driver plants Fenix but Kid misses a dive. Taurus comes back in and gets kicked in the face in the corner. Bandido is back in as well and gets caught with a rolling cutter from Fenix. Bandido sends Fenix outside and hits the one armed gorilla press on Kid.

There’s the running headscissors on Taurus but Kid knocks Bandido outside. Taurus dives onto everyone at ringside and then beats them up back inside as well. Bandido catches Taurus up top but he’s fine enough to super gorilla press Kid back down. Everyone is staggered and Taurus is sent outside, where Bandido nearly breaks his neck on a dive but manages to turn it into a Destroyer on the floor.

Bandido takes Kid up top for a super backflip fall away slam down onto Taurus and Fenix and everyone is down on the floor again. Back in and Taurus plants Bandido but Fenix makes the save with a top rope double stomp. Fenix’s Samoan driver finishes Taurus at 11:50.

Rating: B. When you put these four on the card, you do it so they can have a match like this. They had a very entertaining match with all kinds of high spots and fast paced action, which is all you would have needed here. It’s not about making sense or having any logic behind it, but rather about popping the crowd every chance they can. As usual, it worked.

Jim Ross wishes Flair well and thanks him for everything.

We recap Impact Wrestling World Champion Josh Alexander defending against Jacob Fatu. This is the match that got my attention more than anything else so this should be a heck of a fight.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander vs. Jacob Fatu

Alexander is defending and Fatu is part of the Anoa’i family with the nickname of the Samoan Werewolf. Tom Hannifan joins commentary this time around. Fatu charges at him to start and Alexander hammers away in the corner. Back up and Fatu uppercuts his way out of trouble, only to get elbowed in the face. Alexander starts cranking on the ankle but Fatu, who is built like Umaga, is back up with a running hurricanrana.

Fatu goes up but gets superplexed right back down. That doesn’t slow Fatu down, as he runs the corner and hits the Whisper In The Wind into a handspring moonsault, because he can do that. The running hip attack misses in the corner though and Alexander is back to the ankle. A powerbomb onto the knee gets two on Fatu, who is sent out to the apron.

Fatu’s slingshot is broken up and the running crossbody to the back puts him on the floor. Fatu is fine enough to run Alexander over and the top rope moonsault gets two back inside. Alexander manages to roll some German suplexes, only to walk into a pop up Samoan drop. Then Mark Sterling and the Major Players run in to jump them both for the DQ at 10:30.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked and the ending was about all they could have done. You don’t want one of the top stars of either promotion losing so doing the run-in is as logical as it gets. I could still go for Fatu to get a spot on a major roster at some point in the future because he is one of those freak athletes you do not find very often. Alexander continues to be one of the best stars going today and having him as the centerpiece of Impact is a great idea. Good match here and I expected nothing less.

Post match the beatdown is on but Diamond Dallas Page of all people runs in and Diamond Cutters Matt Cardona for the save.

An attempt at an interview with Jeff Jarrett finds his father Jerry Jarrett….and Jerry Lawler too. Lawler helped train Jeff so he’s ready to see Flair lose in his last match. Flair stole the strut from Jackie Fargo and ran out of Memphis the first time he faced Lawler, so it’s time to get rid of him for good. Lawler can still cut a fine enough heel promo.

Briscoes vs. Von Erichs

That would be Marshall and Ross Von Erich, Kevin’s sons. Ian Riccaboni is back on commentary as Mark takes Ross down to start. Marshall comes in to slam Mark but it’s off to Jay for a running clothesline. The Briscoes take over on Ross in the corner and the Von Erichs are sent outside for a big dive from Jay.

Back in and Jay hammers on Ross but a shot from Marshall puts the Briscoes in trouble for a change. That doesn’t last long as Jay gets over for the tag off to Mark and house is cleaned in a hurry. A shotgun dropkick sends Marshall into the corner as everything breaks down. Redneck Boogie is broken up and Marshall’s claw slam only gets two. Jay’s neckbreaker sets up the Froggy Bow to finish Marshall at 7:48.

Rating: C+. I haven’t seen the Von Erichs in a bit and they have gotten a bit better since then. It’s nice to see them looking more polished in the ring, which comes with experience. That being said, the Briscoes are one of the best teams of this generation and there is no shame in losing to a team that good. Nice enough match here, but the Von Erichs were overmatched.

Sting is grateful for Ric Flair.

We recap Jordynne Grace defending the Impact Knockouts Title against Rachael Ellering and Deonna Purrazzo. Not much of a story here but we need a women’s match on the show.

Impact Wrestling Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rachael Ellering

Grace is defending. They trade the rapid fire rollups to start with no one being able to get anywhere. Purrazzo is sent outside so Grace and Ellering shake hands before starting up as well. Grace sends her into the corner and hits the running knees to the back, with Ellering seems to have hurt her ankle. Purrazzo is back up and sent right back to the floor, leaving Ellering to hit an STO into a middle rope spinning legdrop for two on Grace.

Back in and Purrazzo can’t get the Queen’s Gambit on Grace so Ellering comes in to beat on both of them. Grace spinebusters Ellering, who gets caught in a Fujiwara armbar from Purrazzo. With that being a problem, Grace grabs a choke on Purrazzo for the break. Back up and the Grace Driver plants Purrazzo and a rear naked choke makes Ellering tap to retain Grace’s title at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Another match that was fairly fast paced but without a ton of drama for the main event. Grace is a heck of a powerhouse and a good champion while Purrazzo has been the star of the division for a good chunk of the year. That left Ellering there to take the fall and it came at the end of a perfectly decent match.

We recap the main event, which is Ric Flair having his last match because he wanted to do it one more time. Then Jay Lethal no showed a podcast so Flair ripped into him, despite the two of them being friends. Jeff Jarrett wasn’t pleased so he and Lethal beat Flair down, drawing blood, because of course they did. Flair got Andrade El Idolo, his son-in-law, and the tag match is set. If this sounds not so great, it’s because it isn’t.

Undertaker and Michelle McCool are sitting next to Mick Foley.

Ric Flair/Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett

Karen Jarrett is here with Jeff and Jay. Jeff even shoves Conrad Thompson during his entrance so you know it’s serious. Flair, wearing the Big Gold Belt (looks to be the original too), uses the WWE version of his theme with the WOO to start. Kid Rock is at ringside (because of course he is) and Flair is wrestling in a sleeveless shirt, which is probably best for everyone at the moment. Flair and Jarrett start things off but it’s off to Lethal before anything big happens.

Lethal takes him down without much trouble and we’re at an early standoff. A headlock takeover takes Lethal over but he’s back up for an exchange of slaps in the corner. Lethal wants Andrade, who springboards in, making this a pretty run of the mill match instead of what we’re here to see. Some elbows to the face put Andrade in trouble but he’s fine enough to hiptoss Jarrett.

Flair comes in so Jarrett bails before hitting that strut. An Irish whip is blocked and Flair does his own strut, plus a crotch chop for fun. Flair chops away and kicks an interfering Lethal low, which is enough to send Jarrett up the aisle for a breather. Back in and Andrade gets in some kicks to Lethal’s ribs, allowing Flair to choke away in the corner. Some chops put Lethal down and Andrade comes back in, only to get taken down as well.

Now Jarrett can come in to stomp away, setting up another strut. Lethal’s Black Machismo (a name that has Crockett VERY confused) ax handle gets two on Andrade and the basement dropkick gets the same. Andrade counters a belly to back suplex from Jarrett but they bump heads for a double knockdown. The tag brings in Flair, who gets a Figure Four on Lethal but Jeff makes the save.

Karen slips in a high heel to bust Flair open, meaning Megan Flair (Ric’s daughter/Conrad’s wife) goes after her for the catfight over the barricade. Flair pokes Lethal in the eye to escape but gets taken back inside, where you can see him being VERY blown up. Lethal hits a suplex with Andrade having to make a save, leaving Lethal to hammer away even more. Hail To The King misses though and the tag brings in Andrade to clean house. A middle rope DDT gets two on Jarrett and Lethal superkicks Jarrett by mistake.

Andrade poisonranas Lethal and the ref is bumped, which is all this match needed. Flair tags in, despite laying on the apron at the time. Flair literally crawls over to Lethal for a cover but there’s no referee, so Jarrett brings in the guitar. That hits Lethal by mistake (duh) so Conrad throws Andrade some brass knuckles. Flair uses them on Jarrett and the Figure Four goes on. Cue another referee so Flair can pin the unconscious Jarrett (in the Figure Four) at 26:48.

Rating: D+. That’s about as generous as I can go as this was one of the hardest things I’ve sat through in a good while. Flair looked every bit of 73 years old out there and that was one of the worst possible outcomes. Seeing him laying on the apron and barely able to move was sad and the match was overbooked beyond belief in ways it didn’t need to be. If this is a ten minute match and they keep things as quick as they can go, it could have worked, but trying for some epic deal was a horrible idea.

The other problem is who was in there with him. I know there is a history/connection with most of them, but you would have go to pretty far down the list of Flair’s history to find Lethal and Jarrett. It comes off more like “here’s the best we can get to say yes” rather than someone special. The other problem is that needing them to be in the ring so long so Flair can recover left us with an only so interesting handicap match.

All in all, this is about what you had to expect: Flair talking up the match rather well and not being able to deliver in the ring. It was a passable match with the other guys in there, but this was all about Flair and at the end of the day, he wasn’t able to make it work. Cut this down to about 10-15 minutes and it could have worked, but it felt like Flair was dragged through this rather than going out on a happy note.

Post match Flair goes to ringside to thank some legends (Undertaker, Foley and Bret Hart, who are sitting together) before talking to Tony Schiavone. Flair talks about how he can’t believe how great this was and he’s in one of the best wrestling towns in the world. Then Kid Rock told him he was here to be entertained, just in case Flair didn’t have enough pressure on him. They’re hitting the town tonight, which isn’t quite how I was expecting such a speech to go.

Andrade hands Flair the Big Gold Belt and Flair hugs Lethal to end the show.

We get some credits, including a montage of Flair photos and Bob Caudle giving us the signoff (as he did back in the day).

Overall Rating: B-. This is a weird one as the main event is awful but that’s the only thing on the show that matters. I’ve heard this compared to a big boxing pay per view where no one watches anything but the last fight and that makes a lot of sense. The rest of the show was quite good and works as a heck of an indy show, but the main event didn’t work and dragged everything else down.

The other problem is the feeling of the show, as it might have been nice to have one more match, but it felt forced in a way. It’s like Flair decided it was time to praise him again and everyone had to line up with their nice things to say. The problem is they did that fourteen years ago on a bigger stage and after a better match. It didn’t feel fun or special, but rather “ok, he got what he wanted so let’s try to have a good time”. The Flair stuff was sad, and as good as the rest was, that’s all that mattered.

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Fusion #129
Date: March 24, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jared St. Laurent, Rich Bocchini

It’s the go home show for Never Say Never and that means very little for this week. I’m still not sure how many things there are to get excited about around here, but maybe they can have some kind of energy going into the big show. We have a chain match this week, but somehow even that doesn’t sound exciting. Let’s get to it.

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

Josef Samael rants about Injustice causing problems for Contra so next week, things will be settled. Then there is Calvin Tankman, who has been talking about coming after Fatu. So many have said that and then fallen, just like Tankman. That’s next week though, because he has to survive tonight.

Opening sequence.

Gino Medina vs. Zenshi

Zenshi takes him down to start so Gino bails into the corner. They trade some quickly broken holds and counters until Gino is sent outside. A quick switch lets Zenshi sweep the legs from the floor but Gino is back up for the stomping in the corner. Zenshi snaps off a hurricanrana and hits a standing moonsault for two but Gino is back with a chop for two.

An abdominal stretch lasts for about two seconds before it’s off to a double arm crank instead. It’s time for the tried and true going for the mask but Zenshi elbows him down and gets two off a Spanish Fly. A handspring seated crossbody gives Zenshi two more but Gino kicks him in the head for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. It was another just kind of there match from Medina, which tends to be the norm for him. I’m not sure what is missing from him but nothing ever really seems to click. Maybe a gimmick of some sort would help, but he just kind of comes and goes without making an impact. Zenshi is good, but it isn’t like he stands head and shoulders above everyone else.

Tom Lawlor is claiming an injury before tonight’s main event.

Myron Reed talks about how he lost everything at Kings of Colosseum and then got attacked by Contra. Next week, he has Daivari.

Gringo Loco vs. Mil Muertes

Salina de la Renta is here with Muertes, who does not think much of Loco’s dancing. A spear and some right hands put Loco down as the dominance begins. Another right hand puts Loco on the floor and Muertes rams him into various things. Muertes chops the post but catches Loco in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Back in and a catapult sends Loco throat first into the bottom rope, followed by a spinning chokeslam for two. A powerslam is good for the same and Salina gets in some choking on the ropes. Loco gets up to the middle rope but spins into the Downward Spiral to give Muertes the pin at 7:30.

Rating: C-. Muertes’ offense is rather devastating looking but at the same time, it is a little bit obvious that he doesn’t really move. He is one of those monsters who just kind of waits for you to come get to him, which is one of the more interesting versions. I’m not sure where he is going, but the presentation alone is one of the best things in MLW.

Alex Hammerstone isn’t happy with Mil Muertes taking the National Openweight Title. The challenge is on for April 14.

Tom Lawlor is out but we’ll make it 2-2 instead of 3-3.

Video on Calvin Tankman.

Here are the tag team rankings:

5. Dirty Blonds

4. Contra

3. Injustice

2. Violence Is Forever

1. Von Erichs

Bu Ku Dao is out 2-3 weeks and TJP has been fined.

Calvin Tankman vs. Zad

Zad is from the Sentai Death Squad. Tankman Pounces him to start and hits a spinebuster, followed by a backfist to the back of the head for the fast pin at 1:02.

Post match Contra comes in but Injustice runs in for the save to help Tankman clean house.

The Von Erichs are ready for Violence Is Forever without or without Tom Lawlor.

Salina de la Renta accepts Alex Hammerstone’s challenge for April 14 but yells at a question about Azteca Underground. Someone from Azteca Underground comes up though and Salina seems to be in trouble.

Tom Lawlor says Violence Is Forever is ready for the Von Erichs.

Here’s what’s coming at Never Say Never.

Von Erichs vs. Violence Is Forever

The ring ropes have been replaced by chains and Tom Lawlor is here too. It’s a brawl to start with the Von Erichs taking over early on. Violence Is Forever is sent into the chains but a Lawlor distraction lets Violence Is Forever take over. An Indian Deathlock into an STF has Marshall in trouble but Ross is back up to clean house.

Dominic pulls Marshall into a heel hook but Ross makes a save. The Von Erichs are sent into the chains and something like a GTS into a dragon suplex gets two. Lawlor tries to throw in some brass knuckles but an interception allows Marshall to knock Ku out. The claw slam/belly to back suplex combination finishes Garrini at 7:30.

Rating: D+. This was a weird one because the chains really didn’t have much involvement here. They were more of a detail than a feature, as this was hardly the kind of violent match you would expect when there are chains instead of ropes. The action itself was fine, but there is only so much you can do with this kind of a gimmick.

A Never Say Never ad wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C-. Yeah this was the MLW show that I have come to dread: uninteresting stories, just ok wrestling and almost nothing I’m going to remember. Never Say Never is just about a guaranteed finale for me as the show isn’t all that entertaining. You might get something decent every now and then, but overall things just are not all that great. Next week is going to be another Contra show, which has been the case for a very long time now. The show needs something fresh, but it seems less and less likely every week.

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Fusion #117
Date: January 13, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jared St. Laurent, Rich Bocchini

We’re done with Kings of Colosseum and while the Middleweight Title did change hands, the show did not exactly feel like a big deal. This week’s show could be though as Salina de la Renta is in charge and the Tag Team Titles are on the line. You can’t really tell in recent months though as the relaunch hasn’t gone so well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, featuring a lot of de la Renta.

Salina is at the commentary booth and orders Bocchini to put on a mask because he is too early for television. She runs down the card and we’re ready to go.

Low Ki vs. Budd Heavy

A running forearm knocks Heavy cold in 7 seconds. Well that worked.

Post match Low Ki says Tom Lawlor got away with one and he isn’t done.

We look at Lio Rush winning the Middleweight Title.

Rush says his catchphrases to celebrate.

Konnan isn’t here to do commentary but Salina knows what happened.

We go to a clip from San Diego, with Salina in a dark room and holding a candle. Apparently Mil Muertes may have killed Konnan, whose name Salina won’t use.

Filthy Island is coming on February 17.

We look at Mads Krugger vs. Alex Hammerstone going to a double countout last week.

Krugger says he saw fear in Hammerstone’s eyes last week. If Hammerstone is man enough, bring the Openweight Title to Contra’s lair.

Mil Muertes vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Salina is here with Muertes and Pillman bails straight to the floor. Back in and Pillman rolls around to grab a headlock, only to be scared out to the floor again. A clothesline lets Muertes hammer away and a belly to back suplex drops Pillman again. The chinlock goes on before Muertes hits some clotheslines in the corner. A Downward Spiral finishes Pillman at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was the kind of squash that Muertes needed to have for his debut and he looked like a monster. I’m curious to see where things go with the mini Lucha Underground crossover, but it isn’t likely to be anything more than one or two people. What we got here worked, though it would seem that Pillman won’t be around long as he was treated like a complete jobber here.

Richard Holliday doesn’t like the lack of respect he is receiving as Caribbean Champion. Anytime Savio Vega wants one more shot, come and get it so we can settle this.

Tom Lawlor insists that he will call the Tag Team Title match down the line. He doesn’t know why ACH is getting a World Title shot before him after he beat ACH in the Opera Cup tournament. Fair point.

Injustice isn’t happy with what Contra did to them last week.

We get some news that Promociones Dorado has been sold but Salina storms off.

Alex Hammerstone is playing the long game to become the new World Champion so he’s ready for another match with Mads Krugger. Sure he’ll come to the Contra lair.

Here’s the Top 10.

10. Laredo Kid

9. ACH

8. Myron Reed

7. Mads Krugger

6. Richard Holliday

5. Lio Rush

4. LA Park

3. Low Ki

2. Tom Lawlor

1. Alex Hammerstone

Tag Team Titles: Von Erichs vs. LA Park/Hijo de LA Park

The Von Erichs are defending and Tom Lawlor is guest referee. Salina is here with the Parks and has a new bodyguard with her. The Parks jump them to start and we’re off in a hurry with the champs in trouble. The stomping ensues in the corner, including Park hitting a belt shot to Ross’ back. Now a medal stool is brought in for some more shots to put the champs down. The Von Erichs manage a double dropkick to the floor to set up a double dive for their first burst of offense.

Back in and Marshall chops away at Park in the corner, setting up an exchange of running clotheslines in the corner. Ross comes back in and superkicks Hijo into a Falcon Arrow for a very slow two. Some superkicks drop Ross and a Code Red gets two as we are suddenly having tags after seven minutes of anarchy. A clothesline gives Park two and Marshall is knocked to the floor for the huge suicide dive.

Everything breaks down again and Lawlor goes down, clutching his knee. As a result, the champs get a rather delayed two, and then Lawlor’s arm seizes up as well. The Parks’ stereo rollups get very fast two counts but Lawlor is low bridged to the floor. Back in and the Claw Slam hits Hijo for no count. Instead Salina comes in to mace Marshall and it’s a pair spear to drop him again. Cue LA Park Jr. to deck Ross and Park adds another spear for the pin and titles at 10:36.

Rating: C. This was much more of an angle instead of a match but it was also a good way to get the titles off of the Von Erichs. They had held the titles for over a year (with an asterisk) and managing to get the belts on the Parks while keeping the Von Erichs strong was a heck of a trick. It was nice to see them paying attention here and you can set up the Von Erichs vs. Team Filthy from here.

Of note: the Promociones Dorado logo appears at the end, with a statement saying “a subsidiary of Azteca Underground Inc.”. Oh my indeed.

Overall Rating: C. I think I liked this one more than Kings of Colosseum and it almost felt even bigger. The title change feels more important and the Lucha Underground tease is certainly intriguing. MLW has been hit or miss at best since the return and while this wasn’t a great show, it made me a little more curious about what is coming and that hasn’t been the case very often lately.

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Kings of Colosseum 2021
Date: January 6, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jared St. Laurent, Rich Bocchini

It’s a special show this time around as we’re getting to look at one of the company’s big events for free. There are three title matches tonight as things are indeed feeling stacked. The Tag Team, Middleweight and National Openweight Titles are all on the line, meaning this is going to be a big show. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Alexander Hammerstone wanting the World Title and needing to go through Mads Krugger to get there. Krugger is ready for him.

Tag Team Titles: Von Erichs vs. Dirty Blondes

The Blondes, with Ariya Blake, are challenging and this is a Bunkhouse (country themed street fight) match. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Marshall Von Erich being sent outside in a hurry. Ross Von Erich hits a quick dropkick though and everyone heads to the floor for the brawl. They waste no time in brawling to the back and then outside with Marshall being sent into a plastic table. Back inside and a cowbell to the head drops Leo Brien. Blake gets in a cheap shot and chokes Ross a bit, which has absolutely no effect. The Claw/belly to back suplex combination finishes Brien at 3:53.

Rating: C-. Where’s the other ten minutes of this? They had no time here and when you spend so much time brawling outside on the floor/outside, there isn’t exactly much time to set up your finish. What we got was good enough but they needed way more time for this to go anywhere.

The Von Erichs say anyone can come get a shot.

Simon Gotch isn’t here to face Jordan Oliver for some reason.

We look at Tom Lawlor defeating Low Ki to win the Opera Cup.

Lawlor talks about taking the cup everywhere, from the bathroom to the filthiest clubs in Vegas. He’s so proud that he has even had another cup made. This is the first time that he has been sober since winning the tournament and now they’re heading to FILTHY ISLAND.

Lio Rush has heard Myron Reed call himself Mr. Hot Fire but no one is hotter than him.

Reed is ready to show Rush what he’s all about.

Here’s the top ten:

10. Mads Krugger

9. Calvin Tankman

8. Laredo Kid

7. ACH

6. Richard Holliday

5. Myron Reed

4. LA Park

3. Low Ki

2. Tom Lawlor

1. Alex Hammerstone

Gotch vs. Oliver is officially postponed.

Middleweight Title: Lio Rush vs. Myron Reed

Reed is defending and has Jordan Oliver with him. Rush goes for the ankle to start but gets caught in a wristlock. That’s broken up in a hurry too and it’s time to run the ropes, with Reed hitting a slingshot belly to back drop. A legdrop gets two on Rush, who is right back with an elbow to the face. Rush starts doing his running dodges (those are always great) and Reed is sent to the floor for a suicide dive.

Back in and Rush takes his back with a chinlock to keep Reed in trouble. That’s broken up and Reed’s springboard cutter is blocked. A 540 kick to the face drops Reed again and Rush kicks at the chest. We’re back to the chinlock for a bit more but this time Reed fights up with a clothesline. That sends Rush outside so Reed hits a big running dive over the top. Back in and a springboard uppercut connects as commentary puts over Reed’s comeback skills. A fireman’s carry slam into a low superkick gets two on Rush so he rolls outside.

That’s enough for Rush to pop up and switch places with Reed, setting up a bottom rope Asai moonsault from Rush. A twisting Unprettier gives Rush two back inside and a clothesline cuts off the crisscross attempt. Reed gets in some shots to the face and they slug it out until Reed enziguris him to the apron. The always cool looking running over the top cutter takes Rush down to the floor but the frog splash misses back inside. Rush’s springboard Stunner connects, setting up the Final Hour for the pin and the title at 14:19.

Rating: B. Rush winning here is the right move as he’s a far bigger star than a good chunk of the entire roster, but they did a good job of keeping Reed from looking like a loser. You can’t have Rush win without breaking a sweat and what you got here was a solid back and forth match. Rush can hold the title for a good while and put someone over whenever he loses the title.

Rush says he’s awesome and no one is stopping him.

Alex Hammerstone is asked about his title match but Contra hacks the feed and promises a new soldier.

Tom Lawlor’s Filthy Island is coming soon.

Salina de la Renta promises her own show next week and the main event will be Los Parks challenging for the Tag Team Titles, in exchange for rejoining Promociones Dorado. Tom Lawlor will be the guest referee to make it completely fair.

Myron Reed says Lio Rush was the better man tonight but he’ll get the title back. Contra jumps Reed and Jordan Oliver, with Daivari joining in as the new soldier.

National Openweight Title: Alex Hammerstone vs. Mads Krugger

Krugger is challenging. They don’t waste time and start the brawl on the floor, with Hammerstone getting in a belt shot to the head. Hammerstone’s clothesline out of the corner doesn’t do much good inside and a big boot puts him on the floor. Krugger drops him face first onto the apron and they’re back inside with Hammerstone managing a belly to belly.

A running clothesline takes Krugger down this time and there’s a pump kick to the face in the corner. Another suplex gives Hammerstone one but it’s way too early for the Nightmare Pendulum. They take turns hammering away in the corner and brawl to the floor again for the double countout at 6:24.

Rating: C. This was just the teaser as it seems that they are going to have some kind of gimmick rematch, which makes sense given the nature of this one. Krugger should be winning the title soon so Hammerstone can move onto the World Title, which could make for an interesting showdown. Good stuff here, with Krugger dominating but not destroying Hammerstone, meaning there is enough of a reason to do this again.

Overall Rating: C+. The Middleweight Title match carried this show as there was almost nothing else worth seeing on the whole thing. It was the only match that got any significant kind of time and while it was good, it was barely enough to make the show worthwhile. I was expecting something a little longer overall here, but this was shorter than most regular episodes of Fusion. It’s fine enough because of Rush vs. Reed, but that’s all that’s here.

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