IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 28, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

We’re off to a new taping cycle this week and we’ve got a big time TV Title match as Kenny King gets his rematch against Silas Young. If that’s not enough, there’s a new enforcer (General Manager, whether he says he is or not) in the form of Bully Ray. I’m not wild on seeing this take place again but you know you’re going to see it in most wrestling companies these days. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Bully Ray becoming the new enforcer last week. It’s still not great but I’d rather have him than the actual COO.

Ray is in the ring and very please to have this job. This is the best wrestling company in the world and he’s proud to be the enforcer. Tonight is all thriller and no filler. So is he a matchmaker or an enforcer?

Frankie Kazarian/Scorpio Sky vs. Young Bucks

So Cal Uncensored wastes no time in jumping the Bucks, who waste even less time in shrugging it off and taking over. A double hiptoss into a double basement dropkick puts Sky on the floor but here’s Cody to applaud and sit in on commentary. Back from a break with Sky in trouble as we look at Cody multiple times. Kazarian misses a charge in the corner so Nick kicks Sky in the head before giving Kazarian a Backstabber.

It’s Sky back up though and a big flip dive to the floor takes Nick down. Back in and Sky throws Kazarian at Matt for a tornado DDT and a near fall. Matt fights out of a double team, including a spear and kick through the ropes to Sky. Kazarian follows him out with a slingshot hurricanrana but Nick kicks him from the apron.

That earns him a cutter onto the apron from Sky and everyone is down. It’s Matt up first for a flip dive off the stage but both Bucks dive into cutters, followed by stereo dragon sleepers. Naturally those are reversed into double Sharpshooters and we take another break. We come back again with Kazarian hitting a Fameasser over the middle rope, only to have Nick come back with the slingshot X Factor and moonsault to the floor. The Meltzer Driver ends Sky at 13:45. The part after the second break was barely a minute long.

Rating: C+. Nice match here, even with a pretty obvious ending. I get that the Bucks and the Bullet Club are the full on faces now, even if they’re not the most traditional in the world. They’re better in this role than as the popular heels, but I’m still not fans of theirs for the most part. At least it makes more sense now.

Post match Christopher Daniels comes in to attack the Bucks, drawing in Hangman Page with a chair for the save.

We recap King vs. Young, or at least the part since Young won the TV Title. King pinned him in a tag match to earn tonight’s shot.

After last week’s show, Brian Milonas and Beer City Bruiser distracted King so Young could jump him from behind. Didn’t they do the same thing to Jay Lethal a few months back?

The surly Briscoe Brothers still want their Tag Team Titles back and don’t care about what it takes to get there.

Kelly Klein knows she’s the best because no one has ever pinned her or made her tap. The title is hers to win.

Bonesaw Jesse Brooks is the baddest woman in the world and ready to beat Klein.

We see some highlights of Klein vs. Brooks which saw Klein win with a knee to the face.

Deonna Purrazzo wants to be the face of the division and starts crying while talking about it.

Holidead is a bad Rosemary knockoff.

Purrazzo beat Holidead with a Fujiwara armbar with only the ending shown. This REALLY isn’t making the tournament look important.

Cody talks about the Kingdom not having a crown. They can’t steal his ring and get away with it.

Matt Taven calls Cody the American Melvin and is ready to prove it at the 16^th Anniversary Show.

The Briscoe Brothers are going to take their titles back at the 16^th Anniversary Show, but it’s not personal.

The Motor City Machine Guns tell the Briscoes to not worry about their future, because it’s going to be short.

Marty Scurll says the 16^th Anniversary Show won’t be a pleasant night for Punishment Martinez.

Martinez says Scurll is the next victim.

Jay Lethal only needs one shot to get the World Title match.

Dalton Castle is excited to retain the title and can feel it in his belly. Just a bunch of short, to the point promos here, which you don’t get enough anymore.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Silas Young

Young is defending and has Milonas and Bruiser with him. Feeling out process to start with King taking him down off a headlock. That means a headscissor counter and a repeat of the spot, followed by stereo dropkick attempts. Bruiser trips King up but since Bully is a new boss, he’s still competent enough to be watching the match. Cue the boss for a double ejection and we’re down to one on one.

They fight outside with Young sending him into the post and mocking the fans clapping King back up. We take a break and come back with King scoring off a spinning kick to the face for a quick double knockdown. They fight to the apron with King nailing a cartwheel kick before a big flip dive off the stage (I’m sure the Bucks will be thrilled). And let’s stop for a picture with a fan.

Back in and a spinebuster gives King two as the announcers aren’t thrilled with his picture taking strategy earlier. The Royal Flush is broken up twice in a row but Misery is countered into a crucifix for two. Young gets the same off a neckbreaker and he counters the Royal Flush into a small package for the same.

With the big moves not working, King slaps on a Last Chancery to send Young over to the ropes. Young bails to the floor for a breather and catches King with a low blow on the way back in. The springboard moonsault gets two more and now we get the mega angry version of Young. They forearm it out from their knees with King getting the better of it and sunset flipping Young out of the corner for the pin and the title at 14:00.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was just a back and forth match, albeit not a great one. King didn’t sell very much and that’s not the best way to showcase an athlete like him. Instead they were trading offense, which never really gave me a reason to get into the match as there wasn’t a ton of drama or near falls. Not bad, just laid out poorly.

Overall Rating: C-. Oddly enough, the streak of good shows comes to an end when the World Title scene isn’t receiving a ton of focus. Instead it was the not great TV Title match, the pretty weak main event and the still not exactly thrilling Women’s Title tournament. As usual, Ring of Honor is good at one thing but after you get past the top of the card, things go downhill in a hurry. Not a bad show, but really pretty uninteresting. Oh and two matches being reduced to highlights doesn’t say “all thriller and no filler”. It says we don’t have time for a full match and this isn’t important enough.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcagewrestling.com and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: February 21, 2018
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re coming up on the 16^th Anniversary Show and the card is starting to come together. If nothing else there’s a good reason to believe that Dalton Castle will be defending the World Title against Jay Lethal, but there’s also the possibility of Matt Taven, as the Kingdom continues its rise. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show in case you need a recap.

So Cal Uncensored is ready to make their mark by taking the Six Man tag Team Titles from the Bullet Club.

The Bullet Club says they’ll defend the titles and get some revenge. Adam Page promises six broken legs and they sing a song about being drug free.

Opening sequence.

Jay Lethal vs. Flip Gordon

This could be interesting. Gordon flips out of a headlock but his Oklahoma roll is countered into a rollup as well. Jay tries a cutter but Gordon gets his hands up and keeps his head off the mat in a nice counter. Back from an early break with Gordon knocking him into the corner as the announcers compare Flip to a franchise quarterback. Some running corner dropkicks rock Jay again but the third one misses, allowing Jay to hit one of his own.

Lethal starts in on the back with some knee drops and a backbreaker for two each. The reverse chinlock with a knee to the back is broken up and Gordon throws him outside for a suicide dive. Jay isn’t going to stand for this gimmick infringement and runs back in for a boot to the face. That sequence works so well that Gordon does the same thing to Jay, followed by a superkick from the apron. A middle rope corkscrew dive to the floor drops Jay again and we take another break.

Back again with the exchange of forearms and chops until Jay tries the Figure Four. That’s not working just yet so Gordon has to block the Lethal Injection. Instead it’s a springboard spinning Sling Blade to take Lethal down, followed by an enziguri for two. Lethal is sat on top but slips down for a powerbomb. That’s blocked as well and now the Figure Four goes on, sending Gordon bailing to the ropes. Lethal is done with this though and hits a dragon suplex into the Lethal Injection for the pin at 15:13.

Rating: B-. Lethal is the kind of guy that every promotion needs: someone who can have a good match with anyone and make them look better than they are otherwise. Gordon is a little more than a one trick pony but he needs a big win to keep himself from slipping backwards into the midcard pretty soon.

Post match Colt tells Lethal that he’s getting the World Title shot at the 16^th Anniversary Show. Marty Scurll storms out and says it should be his shot. Jay says he’s earned this so Scurll says he should be #1 contender when Lethal wins the title. That’s quite the retreat from a villain but Lethal agrees.

Brandi Rhodes knows she’s the underdog in this tournament but that lets her fly under the radar.

Karen Q says you should be focusing on her and no one else.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Karen Q vs. Brandi Rhodes

Karen jumps Brandi during her posing but Rhodes is up with some knees to the face and a dropkick. Some choking in the corner cuts Brandi off and there’s a running shot to the face as we take a break. Back with Karen scoring with a standing moonsault for two but missing something like a frog splash. Brandi chops away and even hits a Sling Blade (not the worst) for two. A middle rope dropkick misses though and Karen grabs a Boston crab. Back up and Brandi jumps over her in the corner but hurts her ankle. Now if you don’t know what’s coming, I don’t know what to tell you. The small package sends Brandi on at 7:24.

Rating: D+. Brandi was passable here and that’s all she needed to be. There’s no secret to the fact that she’s still very green but it’s easy to see why Ring of Honor wants to push her. With the family collections and a million dollar smile, she’s worth the effort to put some time in. That being said, this is as far as she should go in the tournament as you’re only going to get so far with an offense mainly comprised of chops.

Dalton Castle wants to talk about beanbag chairs and baby bunnies but Scurll interrupts. Marty wants to be Dalton’s next challenger if Castle retains against Cody. It’s a deal.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Young Bucks/Adam Page

The Bucks and Page are defending. Kazarian and Page slug it out to start but So Cal runs in, drops the Bucks, and stomps on Page in the corner. Of course the Bucks are right back in and hitting flashy double team offense, including a wheelbarrow facebuster into a cutter on Scorpio. Page hits a dropsault on Daniels and Kazarian so let’s hit that TOO SWEET chant. Nick dives onto everyone and it’s the triple suicide dives as the champs are in full control.

Back in and Page kicks Sky out of the air, followed by Kazarian clotheslining Daniels by mistake. Daniels and Kazarian finally get in a few shots on Page to put him in trouble and take over. Kazarian chokes on the ropes and we take a break. Back with Page and Kazarian hitting a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Matt gets the hot tag but both Bucks come in because this might as well be their promotion.

A variety of kicks to the challengers’ heads have the Bucks in control and a standing moonsault/top rope splash combination gets two on Daniels. Sky knocks them outside though and it’s a dive to both Bucks. Page is right behind them though with a moonsault off the top onto the pile. Back in and Matt hurricanranas his way out of the Angel’s Wings and we hit the Sharpshooter. Daniels taps but Kazarian has the referee. It’s Sky coming in with a belt shot and Daniels gets the pin….but here’s Bully Ray to interrupt the celebration.

Bully has been watching every show since Final Battle and there’s a lack of honor around here as of late. COO Joe Koff has given him the authority (erg) to enforce the Code of Honor around here so let’s restart this match. Triple superkicks and a Meltzer Driver retain the titles at 11:21 (not counting the break for Bully).

Rating: C+. The Bucks still aren’t my cup of Yoo-Hoo and their near non-existent selling is beyond old. Still though, you can’t deny their level of overness and staying power so this is about as much as you can ask for. Bully coming out for the restart feels like any given wrestling company and that’s not what I want to see in Ring of Honor. Still though, you know what’s what you’re getting in wrestling so just live with it.

Overall Rating: C+. Totally watchable show here with Scurll looking like the smartest man in the room all night. Him getting the World Title shot at Supercard of Honor is pretty much the only way to go and that should be quite the entertaining night. Other than that the show was standard Ring of Honor, albeit with a good opening match.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 24, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Cheeseburger

After last week’s fairly strong show, we’re back in Philadelphia for more fallout from Final Battle and the return of the Young Bucks to ROH TV. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we’re going, though some more information on the Women’s Title tournament would be nice. They’ve talked about the division for so long now but we still need some actual development. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: The Dawgs vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending and it’s Shelley vs. Ferrara to start. Alex runs Ferrara over early on as Cabana wants to know where Cheeseburger is keeping his fries. Hopefully away from any actual matches. Sabin gets in a running kick from the apron and it’s Titus getting caught in the middle of some hard strikes to the face. Sabin adds a dive through the ropes and it’s off to an early break.

Back with the Dawgs actually in control until Shelley kicks Ferrara in the face and sends them into each other. A belly to back suplex looks to set up the tag to Sabin but Titus is there to break it up. An STO sets up a frog splash but Rhett only hits mat, allowing Sabin to kick Ferrara in the face. Ferrara can’t get a tornado DDT and the Dawgs are sent into each other again. The Guns hit the Dream Sequence, followed by a bunch of kicks to Ferrara. A Death Valley Driver/Cradleshock combo finishes Ferrara at 7:38.

Rating: C. Nice quick win for the Guns here but you can tell it’s all about setting up the Briscoes as the next champions. I’m not a fan of the Dawgs whatsoever but they put in an acceptable performance here, which is a lot more than I would have expected from them. Giving the Guns a pretty easy win like this makes sense and that’s all it was supposed to be.

Post match the Briscoes come out to say they’re the next champs. They better be.

So Cal Uncensored pays off Shane Taylor to deal with the Bullet Club later tonight.

Kenny King is ready to get his TV Title back. I could go for that.

Josh Woods vs. Jonathan Gresham

Rematch from the Final Battle pre-show where Gresham won. They hit the mat to start with Gresham getting in a slap to the face as the announcers talk about the old Pure Wrestling Title, which Gresham seems to miss. Back up and Woods throws him into the corner, only to get caught with a running dropkick to the knee. Another kick to the face puts Woods down again and it’s off to a neck hold as we take a break.

Back with Woods blocking a monkey flip but getting pulled out to the floor anyway. Gresham tries to dive back in but lands on a shot to the face, followed by Woods kicking him in the jaw to keep Jonathan in trouble. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes into a powerbomb gives Woods two so he knees Gresham in the face. Back up and Gresham grabs a rollup, knees Woods in the back, and rolls him up even more for the same move he used to win the first match at 8:49.

Rating: C. Gresham has certainly set himself apart with the crazy technical stuff and that’s a good thing. There are a lot of technical guys around Ring of Honor and having someone be the best of the group is one of the best things he could do. Being the wrestler is fine for a gimmick, especially if your name and look are both so basic.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit, this week with Coast 2 Coast, who are splitting up if they don’t win their next match. They don’t want to split but they’re ready to start from the bottom all over again. Neither wants to hold back people who deserve the spot more than they do but Coleman runs his mouth about Ali (who came up with the idea of splitting) being the weak link. Ali gets fired up and does a nice promo, only to be shut down when he finds out their opponents are War Machine. As usual, Coleman added nothing here and was just a person in the scene.

Here’s Cody for his first comments since losing the title. He stripped everything away from Dalton Castle and left him as just a man. That man happened to be better though and he took the title at Final Battle. Cody will get a rematch and still has the official Ring of Honor but here’s Matt Taven to interrupt. Taven says Cody isn’t fooling anyone and he sees Cody for the little blond b**** that he is.

Matt goes to leave but Cody mocks him for actually dropping the mic. Cody talks about his hair, which got a bigger pop at Final Battle than Taven will ever get in his life. That line alone almost turns Cody face and we get a CODY’S HAIR chant. Taven actually agrees to kiss the ring but kicks Cody low. Again, I can live with this kind of Taven instead of the weird unfunny kind. Cody as a face is fine too, though it’s quite the sudden turn, if that’s what they’re going for.

Punishment Martinez vignette.

Dragon Lee/Titan vs. Best Friends vs. Young Bucks

Two in the ring at a time. Titan and Chuckie chop it out to start with the fans enjoying the volume. Chuckie kicks him down but it turns into a battle of flips and spins, which of course goes to Titan. A springboard crossbody is dropkicked out of the air though and it’s off to Barretta for a big hug. The double elbow makes up for it a bit and we hit the BEST FRIENDS chant.

Lee gets in a kick from the apron and Titan adds a hurricanrana, only to have Nick come in for some springboards of his own on Lee. A rope walk into a twisting armdrag puts Lee down but since it’s only an armdrag, he’s right back up with a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Bucks both come in for some Sliced Bread and tosses into a dropkick and hurricanrana. The fans love the Bucks of course and don’t mind a bit as they clear the ring for the Rise of the Terminators pose.

There’s a double suicide dive onto the Best Friends, followed by Lee suicide diving onto the Bucks, who just stand there while the luchadors set it up. Titan adds a huge moonsault to the floor but the Friends (after another hug) hit stereo dives onto all four. Barretta takes too long setting up the Two Dog Night though and it’s time for the superkicks. A double Sharpshooter from the Bucks takes us to a break.

Back with Lee blocking a super hurricanrana attempt and catching Nick with the Alberto Del Rio Tree of Woe stomp. It’s off to Barretta so the Best Friends get their own run of double teaming. The Lawn Dirt (reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter) drops Nick but Titan is in with a springboard missile dropkick. Nick is right back up (shocking) with his suicide dive and moonsault, only to have Lee hurricanrana him off the apron.

A springboard frog splash gives Titan two on Barretta but Matt and Chuckie make a save. That means a rather awkward hug, much to Nick’s shock. Of course Chuckie is so MESMERIZED that he can’t avoid the incoming superkick. Lee tries a running hurricanrana but gets powerbombed onto the apron for his efforts. Nick dives onto Barretta before coming back in for the Meltzer Driver on Titan for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. It helps a lot when they’re not trying to do anything more than do a bunch of crazy spots, which is where the Bucks shine more than anything else. The Best Friends aren’t my favorite act in the world but once they drop some of the cuteness, they’re fun enough. At the same time, the CMLL guys were a lot of fun as your standard high flying lucha team and there’s always a place for that in wrestling.

Post match So Cal Uncensored runs in to go after the Bucks but Hangman Page makes the save with a chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring of Honor is at its best when they’re versatile and that’s what they did here. They had a little bit of everything on this show and it made for a fast moving, entertaining hour. The World Title situation is getting hot in a hurry and Castle could have some very fun matches against the top talent in the promotion. Good show here and Ring of Honor is actually getting on a bit of a roll.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 20, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

We’re past Final Battle but we won’t be getting to the fallout from that for at least a few weeks. It’s hard to say what we might be getting tonight but there’s a good chance that we might be having a Best Of show or a bunch of matches taped from other shows. This could range anywhere from a waste of time to something entertaining so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Addiction vs. Coast to Coast

They start fast with Daniels taking a double flipping faceplant as the announcers discuss Final Battle without actually mentioning any specifics in a nice touch. We settle down to Kazarian chopping Ali in the corner until it’s off to Daniels for some face raking of his own. Back from a break with more of the same, including Kazarian’s slingshot legdrop, followed by Daniels’ springboard moonsault.

Ali fights out of the corner and Angle Slams Daniels, finally allowing the hot tag off to LSG. A double front flip clothesline takes Addiction down and a springboard spinning forearm nails Daniels. Ali’s Downward Spiral plants him again but Kazarian breaks up Coast to Coast’s Coast to Coast. Daniels’ Backstabber into the Unprettier takes Ali down, only to have LSG springboard back in with a clothesline. The Best Meltzer Ever finishes LSG at 9:38.

Rating: C+. I like Coast to Coast but would it kill them to A, limiting the Meltzer stuff to one team and B, having a tag match that doesn’t turn into a wild brawl after a few minutes of actual tagging? That was how this stuff went in ECW and it was annoying there too. This is supposed to be the wrestling company and for some reason they can never go even a good chunk of a tag match without this stuff going haywire. It would be nice for a change.

Post match LSG says he’s tired of losing because they haven’t won a single major match in a year. Ali says they’re done if they lose their next match. LSG agrees.

Shane Taylor vs. Eli Isom

The massive Taylor shoves him around to start and hits one of the loudest chops I’ve heard in years. One heck of a clothesline sets up a right hand to knock Isom cold for the referee stoppage at 2:45. Now that’s how you get Taylor over as a killer. I always love the guy who is knocked out with his eyes open, unable to move but basically in shock from the impact. It’s a great visual.

The Young Bucks have brought their best friend for a six man tag. Marty Scurll comes in but they’re talking about Kenny Omega.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with special guest Brandi Rhodes. She plugs being on the cast of WAGS: Atlanta and Coleman compares her to Sapphire. Brandi is ready for the Women’s Title tournament, even though she hasn’t won any matches yet. She used to be a figure skater so she knows about competition. As usual, nothing worth seeing here. Well save for Brandi, who continues to be stunning.

The Elite vs. Best Friends/Rocky Romero

Now you know Omega is getting a superstar pop here. Matt and Romero get things started with Rocky not being able to hit Sliced Bread. It’s off to Omega vs. Chuckie with Kenny asking for silence during the handshake. Barretta jumps Omega from behind though, thankfully just definitely making the Elite the faces for once. The One Winged Angel is broken up and everything breaks down in a hurry. Elite cleans house (well duh) and it’s a triple dive so we can hit the pose.

Back from a break with the Bucks actually in trouble, including the Two Dog Night into a big hug. Matt gets in a springboard spinning cutter to drop Romero and the hot tag brings in Nick to clean house. A Swanton hits knees though and Barretta gets in a running knee. The Dude Buster is broken up and the hot tag brings in Omega for another big reaction. Back to back Snap Dragons have the bad guys (I think?) in trouble but a tornado DDT cuts Omega off.

The V Trigger is broken up but we hit the Superkick Party. Rocky superplexes Nick though and Barretta German superplexes Matt onto him in a moonsault. Barretta’s snap piledriver gets two on Omega and we take a second break. Back again with Omega hitting the V Trigger but Barretta piledrives him onto the apron. Nick German suplexes Barretta onto the apron, only to get caught with Sliced Bread onto the pile at ringside.

Back in and Romero cleans house with running shots in the corner, followed by a kick to Nick’s face. Omega misses a V Trigger and gets caught with something like a running reverse cutter. The Bucks are back up to clean house and Romero is caught in a Sharpshooter/Crossface combo (The Cease and Desist. It’s funny because it makes fun of WWE you see.).

Nick is thrown into them for a break though and it’s time for a triple slugout. Triple superkicks stagger the Friends but triple jumping knees into triple cradle piledrivers get two on the Elite. A super Dudebuster gets two on Nick but Omega breaks up a double Sliced Bread. Matt and Omega load up Tombstones with Nick dropkicking down onto the two of them. A One Winged Meltzer into the Cease and Desist (with a horrible Crossface) ends Romero at 20:53.

Rating: B+. If you can ignore all the pre-planned stuff, this was a heck of a fight with everyone moving at a very fast pace the whole way. They were beating the heck out of each other, but there’s one much more important thing: the Elite wrestled as faces, which takes away one of their biggest issues. It gets very tiresome watching the group wrestle as faces but being presented as heels, especially when they wrestle a face style. Let them do what feels natural and see how much better it works.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is almost half of the show so there’s only so much you can criticize around here. This is the kind of stand alone episode that is always going to work and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can get to the fresh stuff later on and as long as you have a big attraction like Omega or something big in general, things will be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 6, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

Things are starting to pick up with two weeks to go before Final Battle. I’ve been liking the shows more and more as of late, which hopefully keeps up this week. They still need some more build towards some of the matches but they’ve certainly been doing more good than bad as of late. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Marty Scurll

Marty gets tossed outside to start so he gets a bit smarter by going after Bruiser’s fingers. Some forearms against the barricade have Bruiser in even more trouble as this is full on face Marty. Bruiser misses a charge and hits the barricade as we take a break. Back with Bruiser missing a frog splash and Jay Lethal coming out to watch. A superkick to the jaw and another to the leg have Bruiser staggered but a hard clothesline takes Marty back down for two.

Marty’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and Bruiser knocks him outside again. That means another missed dive and both guys are down on the floor. Bruiser dives back in at nineteen and it’s off to an octopus hold. The referee gets bumped (of course he does) and the fans say he deserves it. What a bunch of jerks. Marty hits Bruiser in the head with the umbrella for the pin at 10:16 with Jay teasing coming out for the save but standing his ground instead.

Rating: D+. I could go for Scurll as a face actually, even if his name is the Villain. I know it’s a stretch to have a villain as a face, but in a weird way it’s actually working. Bruiser wasn’t the best in the world here but having Lethal tease making the save and then allow Scurll to be the villain makes for an interesting story heading into the pay per view.

We look at Dalton Castle winning the first Soaring Eagle Cup tournament.

Castle talks about being a wrestler his whole life and it being who he is instead of what he does. Then he showed up here and worked his way to the top. It took a long time to get himself noticed and one person to notice him was Cody. They had a match earlier this year where Cody snuck in and attacked him. Cody even shipped the Boys out, which isn’t going to make him weak. Next week: they sign the contract. Castle was a lot more serious here and it worked that much better.

Earlier this week, the Briscoe Brothers went to Bully Ray’s training center but he wasn’t there. The trainees introduced themselves to the Brothers and of course got beaten up. The Brothers went on to break a bunch of pictures with Jay shouting at a picture of Bully, asking what it’s going to take to get in the ring. One of the trainees takes a 3D to wrap this up. Another good segment here for a good story.

It’s Coleman’s Pulpit time and hopefully I can hear him this week. Coleman’s guest is….himself. Coleman is ready for his TV Title shot and thinks Kenny King is just jealous. Kenny isn’t a king, a peasant or a pawn but rather a ho. I still don’t get the point of this show.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Kingdom

The Kingdom (TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia this time) are challenging and this is from a show in Fort Lauderdale. The Guns get jumped from behind to start but come right back with some clotheslines. That means a double dive to the floor, only to have the Kingdom whip the champs into the barricade.

Back in and Marseglia gets punched out of the air, setting up something close to Poetry in Motion in the corner. The champs start in on O’Ryan’s leg and we hit a Figure Four. Marseglia gets one as well but both holds are pretty quickly broken. Everything breaks down with the Kingdom grabbing a spinebuster on Shelley to take over. The Kingdom holds up the titles and we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a high crossbody onto the two of them, only to have O’Ryan grab a Twist of Fate. Marseglia’s Swanton gets two and the assisted Regal Roll gets the same with Sabin driving O’Ryan into the cover for the break. With nothing else working, it’s time for the baseball bat and the ax but TK hits Marseglia by mistake. Since IT WAS A BASEBALL BAT TO THE HEAD, something like a double One Winged Angle is needed to put Vinny away at 11:53.

Rating: C. Hopefully this helps to get rid of the Kingdom being around the Tag Team Title scene. They may not be horrible but I really don’t need to see them near the titles. Watching them wrestling is still better than listening to Matt Taven talk, though that’s not saying much. Good enough match, but they completely lost me after the ball bat to the head. I mean…..really? That’s not even worthy of a cover?

Flip Gordon vs. Adam Page

No transition here as we’re back in Lakeland for the main event. Flip gets shoved away but he backflips to stay on his feet. Page can’t clothesline him due to a series of nipups as the announcers plug the Being the Elite series. They trade flips off the apron and there’s the handstand into a headscissors to put Page on the floor. Another flip dive takes Page down but he’s still able to kick Gordon in the face to take over. It’s chair time with Page launching up into a hard shot to the face as we take a break.

Back with Page getting two off a bridging suplex but Gordon scores with an enziguri. They kind of botch a sunset flip and both guys are down for a bit. A running shooting star gives Gordon two but Page sends him outside for a big moonsault to the floor. Rite of Passage is broken up and the Samoan Pop (a reverse Regal Roll), followed by a springboard spinning Stunner for the pin on Page at 8:44.

Rating: C-. So here’s the problem: Gordon is known for his flips and being all athletic and stuff. They were trying to make him stand out….and then they have Page match him move for move and flip for flip. That just makes me think Page is his equal and a win by a relative newcomer isn’t going to help that. I like the idea of pushing someone new, but they execution didn’t work.

Post match the Young Bucks come in and superkick Gordon down, drawing the big face pop. OH COME ON ALREADY! You just gave Gordon a big, clean win and THIRTY SECONDS LATER you have him getting beaten down again for the sake of ANOTHER YOUNG BUCKS MOMENT! The Bucks didn’t need to be there and it would be nice to have pushed Gordon on his own for a few minutes. But no, let’s push the big stars instead because they’re what matters and they might not get every viewer to their YouTube show if we don’t push them as the biggest deal in the world. My goodness this made me mad and that shouldn’t happen.

Cody says Gordon won’t take the Six Man Tag Team Titles, just like Castle won’t take the World Title.

Overall Rating: C-. That ending just destroyed any good things this show had going for it. I liked the Briscoes segment and the Scurll match was the right idea but none of that matters if we don’t focus on the Bucks AGAIN. Would it be the worst thing in the world to have them leave for a bit? Maybe they could actually have some other names get somewhere and not be so reliant on them all the time. But nah, let’s go with the Bucks every single time because that’s never going to get old.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: October 11, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for a new taping cycle as we’re finally able to talk about what happened at Death Before Dishonor. That could mean a multitude of options around here but hopefully we get some actual stories instead of just doing a bunch of one off matches. To be fair though, the last few weeks of TV haven’t been that bad so hopefully the trend continues here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick highlight package from Death Before Dishonor.

Opening sequence.

Here are Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser for an opening chat. Young takes his shirt off to show the welts from his street fight with Jay Lethal. Those marks are the proof that he walks the walk to back up his talk. As for now though, he and Bruiser have a goal of winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles but they need a partner.

That brings them to Death Before Dishonor, where they saw another real man. They have a partner now though and his name is Minoru Suzuki and the challenge is officially made tot he Young Bucks and Hangman Page. Cue the champs to say they’re annoyed at Young for interrupting their autograph session. Matt dubs the team the Hung Bucks (just kill me now) and the match is on for the main event.

TV Title: Josh Woods vs. Kenny King

Woods is challenging in his official shot for winning the Top Prospect Tournament. King is the new champion and the hometown boy after defeating Kushida at Death Before Dishonor. I’m not wild on the outsiders winning titles but at least Kushida held it for a long time. Woods takes him to the ground to start for an early two before working on the arm.

That’s reversed into an armbar from the champ but he gets suplexed into the corner as we take a break. Back with Woods having to grab a rope to escape something like a Last Chancery. King kicks him out to the floor and hits a dive and Woods is in trouble. That lasts all of ten seconds as Woods scores with some knees to the head and a string of suplexes, followed by a triangle choke. King is perfectly fine though and stacks Woods up for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C+. Nice match here as Woods is growing on me. The MMA stuff works fine as he mixes in enough wrestling to make it work. You know what you’re going to get with him but he does it just fine, which is all you can ask for. King is a bit flashier than he needs to be at times but he should be great in this role.

Josh shakes his hand post match and King grabs the mic to praise him a bit. Woods leaves and King says he’s a fighting champion who will defend his title on every show. This brings out Shane Taylor, Chuck Taylor, Punishment Martinez and Mark Briscoe, all of whom King is more than willing to face for the title.

Marty Scurll invites us to a Bullet Club celebration next week.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Hangman Page/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser/Minoru Suzuki

Page and the Bucks are defending. Suzuki won’t shake his partners’ hands so I don’t see this team lasting long. Bruiser throws Nick into the corner but Matt comes in to throw his brother into a dropkick. Young comes in before too long and it’s a triple basement dropkick to the face so the fans can cheer the Bucks a bit.

Page wants Suzuki for some reason and it’s time for the slugout with the chops making Page cringe. A quick Kimura has Page in more trouble and the Bucks get one each of their own. Everything breaks down and it’s Young and Bruiser putting on Kimuras of their own. The champs all bail to the floor and we take a break. Back with Young slamming Matt down and Suzuki putting on a legbar over the apron.

Some choking in the corner has Matt in more trouble but he finally gets a boot up in the corner. A flipping cutter off the top takes Silas down but Bruiser breaks up the tag attempt. For reasons of general stupidity, Bruiser gets into a chase and lands in a superkick. The hot tag brings in Page to clean house, including a dropsault for two on Young. Everything breaks down and Suzuki’s piledriver is broken up with a double superkick. Bruiser crossbodies the Bucks and Cannonballs onto Page as the fans are WAY into this (with good reason).

Back in and Suzuki’s piledriver sets up the frog splash for two on Page with the Bucks making the save. We take another break and come back with more superkicks dropping Bruiser but Nick gets caught in Suzuki’s sleeper. That gives us a showdown with Page, who actually wins a slugout. Young comes back in for the Regal Roll but the moonsault is broken up by more moonsaults. Page hits a huge moonsault to the floor and it’s a shooting star off the apron into the Indytaker to kill Young dead. Back in and the Rite of Passage ends Bruiser to retain the titles at 14:40.

Rating: B. As usual, when the Bucks don’t do all the superkicks, they’re a lot of fun to watch. Hence why the best part of the match was the stuff between the breaks, where there were only a few of the kicks. Suzuki still doesn’t do much for me but Bruiser and Young are growing on me more and more every time they get in the ring. Good match here that was starting to look great at times.

Post match Bruiser and Young blame Suzuki so the brawl is on until the referees make the save.

Here’s Jay Briscoe to address his turning on Bully Ray at the pay per view. Before he gets very far, here’s Tommy Dreamer to cut him off. Dreamer talks about cutting off Bully Ray’s cast the night before Barely Legal (I always thought the ankle was broken during the show) and a variety of bar fights.

One time Chris Jericho accidentally knocked Bully out during a match (I believe that was TLC III in 2002) and he couldn’t remember that his mom had died a few months earlier. Dreamer knows how dangerous head injuries can be and he spent another night with his friend in a hospital because of what Jay did. Jay doesn’t say anything and Dreamer leaves to end the show. I’m not big on Dreamer but this was effective and opens a few more doors for this story to continue.

Overall Rating: B+. Really good show here with a lot of storyline advancement to go with a pair of solid matches. Maybe it’s just the show being fresh after a long layoff or just a good night but I had a much easier time watching this than on most weeks. It also helps to have some top names around instead of people like Cheeseburger and the other interchangeable small guys who aren’t all that thrilling. Solid show here and a very nice surprise.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|btsni|var|u0026u|referrer|dnyht||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: August 30, 2017
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I don’t think we’re up to the newest batch of TV tapings just yet and that means it’s hard to say what to expect from this show. Last week was basically a throw away episode with the focus on the Six Man Tag Team Titles. That means this one could be anywhere really, which isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham/Jay White vs. War Machine

Non-title. Gresham and White jump them during the entrances in a somewhat heelish move. That lasts all of ten seconds though as War Machine slams both guys down, followed by Rowe slamming Hanson onto the pile. Gresham is back up with a dropkick to Hanson as White sends Rowe into the barricade. For some reason Gresham thinks a chop off with Hanson is a good idea, earning himself a battered chest.

White comes in for some more effective chops but Hanson runs him over and brings in Rowe. Everything breaks down and Gresham is LAUNCHED off a t-bone suplex. Rowe misses a dive to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive as we head to a break. Back with Rowe firing off running clotheslines in the corner. After he hits about twenty in a row, it’s a double splash to crush both Gresham and White.

Fallout is broken up so Gresham has to take a springboard clothesline into a German suplex instead. Another Fallout attempt is broken up so Rowe fireman’s carries both of them at once. That goes nowhere though and it’s Gresham enziguring him into a Downward Spiral for a rare near fall.

White’s German suplex gets the same but Rowe comes out of the corner with a seated senton to crush Gresham. Rowe headbutts everyone in sight (save for his partner and the referee of course) until Gresham moonsaults onto Hanson. A 450 is good for two on Hanson but it’s a pop up powerslam (Thor’s Hammer) to put Gresham away at 13:31.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a back and forth match as I don’t think I remember a bad White match. He does his thing very well and makes for some entertaining action. War Machine is better than your average power tag team and while it would be nice to see them get the ROH titles back. Then again that might suggest the Young Bucks aren’t the most amazing things ever and we just can’t have that. Really fun match here though.

Post match Punishment Martinez runs in and chokeslams White as War Machine leaves him to do so.

Caprice Coleman wants to know where his stuff is. He seems to think he’s a preacher and yells at the production staff. We get a nice rant about how he wasn’t respected when he was in the Rebellion and he’s tired of it. They have a week to get this stuff set up.

QT Marshall is out for commentary. Oh yeah he’s a person that exists.

We look back at the Kingdom destroying Jay Briscoe last week.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Taylor attacked Woods a few weeks ago and this is as soon as we can get around to a follow up. Woods goes right after him to start with a flying knee and a kick to the head to put Shane outside. That’s fine with Josh who keeps slugging away, only to be thrown through the barricade to send us to a break.

Back with Woods stopping a corner charge with a raised boot. Taylor switches tactics and kicks him face first into the middle buckle before hitting a running Umaga attack for one. Woods fights up again with another running knee, only to get flattened with a clothesline. For some reason Shane goes after him on the mat and gets pulled into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well so it’s off to an ankle lock and a German suplex for a nice power display. Shane runs him over again but goes outside to grab a chair instead of following up. The referee takes it away though, allowing Woods to roll Taylor up for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C. Taylor still doesn’t do much for me as he’s just another big guy who can do some athletic stuff but nothing that really blows me away. Woods is starting to grow on me though, which is a lot more than I was expecting to after dreading the Top Prospect Tournament for so many weeks. I have a feeling the feud is going to continue though and that’s not the best thing in the world.

Post match Marshall comes to ringside to tell Taylor to beat down Woods. After Josh is destroyed, Marshall pays Taylor off. Oh yeah it’s continuing.

The Young Bucks are ready to defend against the Motor City Machine Guns because it’s not 2009 anymore. Superkicks are promised.

Minoru Suzuki will answer Cody’s challenge for Death Before Dishonor. Yep: another import with no connection to ROH getting the shot because he’s Japanese and therefore awesome. Screw the stories, screw the talent who has worked to get ROH over and screw everything else. Suzuki is a Japanese legend and that’s what Ring of Honor exists for anymore: giving New Japan guys another place to perform and be revered at ROH’s expense. I’m so freaking thrilled.

Cody is livid.

Kenny King talks about being on the Bachelorette and getting his rematch with Kushida at Death Before Dishonor in his hometown of Las Vegas. King was a lot more serious here and it worked a lot better. The Bachelorette could have been cut out though.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Bucks are defending and get straight in the Guns’ faces during the Big Match Intros. Back from a break with the opening bell, meaning Nick can tell Shelley to suck it, which of course makes him the biggest face in the building. The Guns send the champs outside for a suicide dive to both of them as things pick up. Back in and Nick is put on Matt’s shoulders for a Downward Spiral from Sabin and a missile dropkick to the back from Shelley.

That’s a great example of the way too choreographed style that rubs me the wrong way in most Guns matches. There comes a point where I can’t buy that something is natural and the Guns blow past it every match. Shelly dives into a kick to the head though and the Bucks clean house while making sure to soak in some cheers. A flip dive takes out the Guns again and it’s time for Matt to say SUCK IT over and over.

It’s off to a double Sharpshooter with the Bucks throwing in some TOO SWEET’s at the same time. Back from a break with some miscommunication from the champs as everything breaks down. Sabin kicks Matt in the face and dives onto Nick as the Bucks are in some rare trouble. The champs are sent into the corner with Shelley suplexing Matt into Nick. Skull and Bones is broken up and the wheelbarrow facebuster plants Sabin.

Nick comes in off the hot tag to speed things up with the kicks in the corner. The slingshot X-Factor drops Shelley and the moonsault from the apron does the same to Sabin. Shelley is back up with a high crossbody to a seated Nick and the Guns fire off their running dropkick sequence to Matt. It’s superkick time with the Bucks firing off about ten in a row until Shelley takes them down with a double clothesline. And never mind as here’s Addiction for the no contest at 14:27.

Rating: C+. I’m still not much of a Guns fan. I loved their TNA stuff but now it feels so much more forced, which really does hold them back. The ending doesn’t help either as we’re pretty clearly setting up ANOTHER three way title match because we haven’t had anything like that in….oh at least a month or two.

Daniels and Kazarian clean house post match, including shoving a referee and a plant in a Bullet Club shirt (not acknowledge by commentary, who is likely reading their cards instead of paying attention).

Overall Rating: B-. This show was entertaining but it felt really, really long. I’m still not a fan of the tag division (to put it mildly) but Woods is growing on me and the opener was a lot of fun. Basically just keep me away from the Bucks, the Guns and the worship of all things New Japan and I’m a lot better with the show. Good effort this week though as usual, it feels like they’re running with an anchor and without a map.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nnesd|var|u0026u|referrer|dzfyt||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of the World UK 2017
Date: August 19, 2017
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

So this is a show that exists. I mean, you would have almost no idea about it if you just watched the regular TV show because they only mentioned it halfway through the go home show but it does in fact exist. There is such little effort being put into this show and I’m worried about how bad it’s going to be as a result. Let’s get to it.

The version I’m watching includes the announcers’ introductions (and them asking if they can hear each other in a quick sound check) and the pre-show match.

Pre-Show: The Boys vs. CCK

CCK (Chris Brookes/Travis Banks, the Commonwealth Catch Kings) are from the UK based Rev Pro promotion and their Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. It’s a brawl to start with the Boys taking down the giant Brookes (probably a foot taller than anyone else in the match) down by the legs. It’s Banks and we’ll say Boy #1 starting things off with #1 being tossed over the corner to land on the apron.

Some double teaming drops Banks though as the announcers aren’t sure which Boy is which. Back in and Brookes puts Banks on his shoulders and launches him at #2 for a Codebreaker in a sweet spot. Brookes even drops a backsplash onto #2 for good measure as the beating begins. In what must be British humor, Chris puts #2 in a camel clutch and both members of CCK stick their fingers in Chris’ mouth and then into #2’s ears.

Some Twin Magic allows #1 to come in and grab a suplex as everything breaks down. The Boys hit stereo dives but Brookes catches #1 in a hanging swinging neckbreaker for two. #1 sends CCK into each other and brings in #2 for a Backstabber. Not that it matters as Banks grabs a fisherman’s driver for the pin on #2 at 6:36.

Rating: C-. Just a tag match here for the sake of firing up the crowd. I’m not sure how smart it is to have your champions lose to some outsiders but then again ROH has never really cared all that much about protecting its titles. I mean, why bother worrying about your own talent when you can put over someone else’s talent? The match was watchable with some nice spots but there’s a reason it was just a dark match.

Opening sequence.

Adam Page vs. Kenny King

Fallout from Page costing King his TV Title shot. They hit the ropes to start until Page misses a standing shooting star and King misses a spinwheel kick to give us a standoff. Both of them wind up on the floor with Page running him over before taking him back inside for Old School, capped off by a thumb to the eye instead of anything else. See he’s in the Bullet Club and needs to do “cute” stuff like that. A sunset flip out of the corner gives King two and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch.

That goes nowhere so King grabs a spinebuster for two more. Since selling isn’t a thing in ROH, Page is back up with a neckbreaker over the ropes and a tabletop suplex for two. King kicks him in the head again and hits a flip dive out to the floor. The springboard Blockbuster gives King two but he gets caught with the slingshot clothesline for the same. The Rite of Passage is broken up and it’s another kick to the head to set up the Royal Flush to pin Page at 8:43.

Rating: C-. This was the Ring of Honor “style” in a nutshell: no psychology, no storytelling, no transitions between moves and little more than “I do a spot and then you do a spot”. It completely felt like getting their stuff in and leaving, which isn’t what I’m really wanting to see. Some of the spots were good but it felt like just a bunch of stuff instead of a match and that’s not good.

Ultimo Guerrero/Rey Buccanero vs. Titan/Mistico

Under lucha rules of course. I don’t know if ROH brings in these teams because they think it’s more interesting than their roster or if they don’t have enough talent to fill out a show on their own. The more I watch their stuff, the more I think it’s the latter and that’s not good. Mistico and Buccanero start things off and it’s a LUCHA LIBRE chant to spice things up a bit.

The much bigger Rey turns Mistico inside out with a shot to the mask and it’s a quick exchange of near falls. Guerrero and Titan come in with Titan hand walking away from a clothesline and headscissoring Guerrero to the floor. Titan’s flip dive is countered into a powerbomb on the floor though, leaving Buccanero to go after Mistico’s mask.

Everyone heads to the floor with Guerrero jumping over Rey to crash onto both smaller guys at once. Back in and Buccanero moonsaults onto Titan, whose back is over Guerrero’s ribs. A slingshot dropkick in the corner has Titan in trouble but he pops back up with a double handspring elbow.

It’s off to Mistico for a hurricanrana each as everything breaks down. Guerrero superbombs Mistico but gets kicked in the head, allowing Titan to come back in. Why things settled back down isn’t clear but lucha matches aren’t exactly built on enforcing structure (not a bad thing). Titan springboards in with a dropkick to Buccanero before sending him outside for an Asai moonsault. Mistico moonsaults onto Rey as well, leaving Guerrero to hit the Guerrero Special (reverse superplex) to put Titan away at 11:34.

Rating: C+. Better match than I was expecting here though the fans cheering all four guys when Guerrero and Buccanero were trying to play heel was odd. The other problem, and I’m sure you’ve heard me say this many times (and I’ll keep at it as long as it’s a problem): I don’t know who these people are and I have no reason to care.

The background I received here: Buccanero and Guerrero were the Observer’s Tag Team of the Decade for 2000-2009. Uh, great, and what have they done in Ring of Honor? Or in the last eight years for that matter? As usual, it feels like I need to have a lot of outside knowledge coming in to get a lot of this stuff and when the show is barely advertised in the first place, that’s hardly a good way to expand your product.

The announcers talk about Sanada’s vertical leap.

Jay Lethal vs. Josh Bodom

Bodom’s British Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. I’ve seen Bodom’s work before and wasn’t that impressed but maybe a better opponent will help. They exchange wristlock counters to start until Lethal blocks a hiptoss and grabs a swinging neckbreaker. A springboard dropkick puts Bodom on the floor but he comes back in with a hurricanrana. There’s a dropkick to really stagger Lethal, though not enough that he can’t hit his cartwheel into a dropkick of his own.

A missile dropkick misses and Bodom knees him in the head. Bodom grabs a reverse hurricanrana to put him outside, followed by a middle rope moonsault. Back in and a top rope double stomp to the back of Jay’s head, followed by a standing shooting star, gives Josh a near fall. The Lethal Combination gets Jay out of trouble and Hail to the King gets two. We hit the Figure Four but cue Silas Young for a distraction. Not that it matters as the Lethal Injection is good enough to pin Bodom at 9:18.

Rating: C-. Ok so maybe it is Bodom. This did nothing for me, again, and that’s not a positive sign when we’re only on the third match. Lethal shrugged off the distraction and won anyway, making me think that Lethal vs. Young was the right move here. You know, a match between two people with a story and who happen to actually WORK FOR RING OF HONOR. There were some moments here but it didn’t work, again.

Young beats Lethal down post match.

Bully Ray/Briscoe Brothers vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Bushi/Evil/Tetsuya Naito for Los Ingobernables here. The fans are just CRAZY for Naito but he brings in Bushi to start with Mark instead. An early hurricanrana sends Mark into the corner so it’s already off to Jay for some harder hitting offense. Evil comes in to rake his eyes and shoulder Jay down, only to get kicked in the face. Bushi gets sent into the wrong corner and actually calls out Bully Ray. Well he certainly has guts.

Ray comes in and rips Bushi’s shirt open for some chops before calling in Naito. They take turns sidestepping each others’ lockup attempts as there’s no contact for over a minute. Even the lockup gets a cheer and Naito grabs a headlock with a fist going into the eye. It’s back to Jay for some stomping but Naito rips at his eye too. Bushi comes in with a missile dropkick and we finally hit a heat segment.

That lasts all of a few seconds as Jay dropkicks Evil and brings Mark back in to speed things up. Everything breaks down with Bully coming back in to clean house. Evil is in line for What’s Up but Naito dives onto the mat with his signature pose to block Mark’s dive. Ok that was clever. It’s Bully taking something like What’s Up (Ray: “OW MY BALLS!” Ian: “I didn’t know Bushi was a baller!”) but Bushi mists Evil by mistake. The 3D ends Evil at 13:35.

Rating: B-. This was starting to look really good but they spent a bit too much time with the goofiness instead of the actual match. Los Ingobernables are growing on me every time I see them and Naito is clearly one of the top stars in New Japan. Giving the Briscoes and Bully the win was a nice surprise as I would have bet on them going with the New Japan guys in one of the bigger matches so it was a nice twist.

Post match, Bully and Naito have a pose off for some reason. I’m not sure if Ring of Honor thinks Bully is on Naito’s level but that’s not quite the case….I don’t think.

Intermission eats up about twenty minutes.

The announcers talk about what’s left on the card.

Silas Young vs. Mark Haskins

Mark is a British high flier and the referee is taller than both guys in a weird visual. A drop toehold just annoys Silas (like it’s so hard) and they slug it out with Haskins actually getting the better of it off a kick to the face. Young bails to the floor and gets faked out off a dive, setting up the regular version on the adjacent side of the ring. Nice little sequence there.

Silas is right back with an apron powerbomb to take over for the first time but we slow down for the trash talk. A middle rope jumping back rake (that’s a new one) sets up a lariat (that’s an old one) for two. Haskins gets sick of being slapped in the face and comes back with some rapid fire forearms before rolling into a modified Fujiwara armbar.

It’s off to a Sharpshooter instead but Silas is way too close to the ropes. An electric chair faceplant and a short DDT give Young two and the short lariat is good for the same. Misery is loaded up but here’s Lethal for a distraction, allowing Haskins to roll into a Samoan driver for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C+. The ending was fine as it helps to play up the Lethal vs. Young feud, which has been one of the better things in Ring of Honor as of late. Haskins was a fan favorite though he didn’t really show me anything that I haven’t seen from a lot of other wrestlers. Still though, good match as the show continues to pick up a bit.

Referees break up Silas vs. Jay.

TV Title: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dalton Castle vs. Marty Scurll vs. Kushida

Kushida is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Scurll is of course beloved in his home country. Kushida and Scurll head outside, leaving Takahashi and Castle to play with the former’s doll Daryl (who is apparently a big thing). Takahashi gets caught between the peacock pose and the bird pose, allowing Kushida to springboard in with an elbow to the head. Now Daryl is on commentary and the announcers ask him questions because the idea of being serious around here is just not happening.

Takahashi comes back in to take out Kushida’s knee, only to stop to meow at Castle. Dalton stops for his strut but gets superkicked by Scurll. Kushida grabs the cross armbreaker to make Takahashi tap on the floor but gets suplexed into the corner back inside. With Kushida down, Takahashi tries a sunset bomb to send Castle to the floor but the Boys make a save.

Back inside and Scurll hits a modified piledriver and a running knee for two on Takahashi. Castle breaks up the chickenwing attempt with a German suplex before Kushida comes back in for a pinfall reversal sequence with Scurll. It’s Castle suplexing everyone in sight but getting sent to the floor.

Scurll misses a moonsault and takes one from Kushida for two. Kushida flips into the chickenwing but slips out into the Hoverboard Lock. Castle and Takahashi grab stereo German suplexes for the save and everyone is down. Cue Adam Page for a distraction so Scurll can hit Castle with the umbrella, only to have Kushida punch him down. Back to the Future on Castle retains the title at 11:28.

Rating: B-. Fun match if you ignore all the nonsense with Daryl (which to be fair wasn’t all that much). Castle losing via shenanigans helps a bit though he needs to actually win something at some point. Scurll continues to grow on me a lot, even if his in-ring stuff isn’t anything great. Takahashi is just kind of there, though maybe he’s just one of those characters that I don’t get.

Kushida shakes Castle’s hand. You know, just after dropping him on his head to beat him.

Tag Team Titles: Addiction vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending because Heaven forbid they’re not holding titles. Addiction jumps them during the Big Match Intros to Ian’s annoyance, which I guess means the Bucks are faces tonight. The Bucks easily fight them off with dropkicks so we hit the Rise of the Terminator pose. Matt gets sent to the apron where Daniels pulls him face first down as the champs are in some trouble. Eh I give it thirty seconds.

Back in and Matt gets stomped down in the corner, followed by a low bridge to the floor. The beating continues with a face to the knee and an STO to give Daniels two. Daniels’ Lionsault hits knees though and it’s off to Nick off the hot tag. The Bucks speed things up with the double kicks to Daniels in the corner and a Backstabber for no cover. It’s off to the Sharpshooter because the Bucks needed another finisher.

Everything breaks down and it’s an Unprettier to Nick but Matt hurricanranas his way out of Angel’s Wings. Kazarian breaks up a Sharpshooter on Daniels and it’s time for everyone to punch everyone. The Bucks get the better of it but More Bang For Your Buck is broken up. Daniels hits the BME for two on Nick, followed by a sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combo for the same. Back up and Daniels goes up top, only to get caught in the Tree of Woe. That leaves Kazarian in trouble, meaning it’s the Meltzer Driver to retain the titles at 13:30.

Rating: B. As is almost always the case, whenever the Bucks don’t just spam superkicks, they’re far more competitive. The problem though continues to be that there’s no reason to believe they’ll win. Even if they drop the titles, you know full well that they’ll be getting them back anytime because that’s just how Ring of Honor and New Japan roll. I’m starting to like their work better, but then they’ll just do thirty five superkicks in a match again to mess that up.

ROH World Title: Sanada vs. Cody

Cody is defending and won’t shake hands to start. Jerk. We hit the long form stall to start as Cody isn’t cool with the fans being behind Sanada. No contact in the first two minutes. A nice little technical sequence really gets us going with both guys trying headlock takeovers but getting reversed into a headscissors before they try dropkicks at the same time for a standoff.

Now it’s Sanada who won’t shake hands as they’re mirroring each other so far. The Beautiful Disaster is countered with a dropkick and Cody takes another breather on the floor. Cue Naito to cut off an escape attempt so Cody throws Ian into Sanada. Did England not get the notice about Cody turning face? Back in and Cody flips off the fans before getting two off a delayed gordbuster.

An armdrag pulls Sanada off the top but Cody would rather channel his inner Scott Steiner with some push-ups. After more stalling (WAY too much of that so far), Cody grabs a quickly broken half crab. Instead it’s that modified Indian Deathlock to send Sanada slowly crawling to the ropes and then the floor. Cody switches places with him but gets knocked off the apron and into the announcers.

Back in and Sanada ties him up for the dropkick to the hip, only to get caught with the Beautiful Disaster. Cody misses the moonsault press though and la majistral gives Sanada two. A TKO gives him the same but Cody spits at him. That just earns the champ some right hands to the jaw and we have a ref bump.

Cross Rhodes gets no count but Sanada’s rollup gets two, only to be countered into a LeBell Lock. With that broken up, Cody shouts that he’s waiting on Brian Danielson. Cody loads up a superplex but gets countered into a powerbomb for two. Back up and Sanada grabs the dragon sleeper, only to have Cody flip over into Cross Rhodes to retain at 20:02.

Rating: D+. This was WAY too long and felt like a televised midcard title match instead of a pay per view World Title defense. The ref bump didn’t need to be there and Cody looked like he was more interested in wasting time than defending the title. Not a good match at all, even with Sanada doing whatever he could to make it work.

Post match Cody grabs the mic and insults the Liverpool fans for being so poor. He’ll defend the title against anyone so here’s Dalton Castle (thankfully with his title) to interrupt. Dalton doesn’t understand why Cody doesn’t like these people because he loves them. Castle is no silly goose and the only reason he’s not the TV Champion is Cody sending Page out during their match. If Cody wants to know who’s left, Dalton Castle is left. Cody bails and Castle thanks the fans for coming out to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This did not need to be a pay per view and it was clear that there wasn’t a ton of effort put into it (into the build, not the wrestlers/wrestling). There was almost nothing in the way of story advancement outside of the ending with the wrestling not being enough to carry things. Things got better in the second half but I really wasn’t feeling most of the show. The fact that I didn’t know about the pay per view until less than a week before the show tells you almost everything you need to know about the card and that’s really not a good thing. There are worse shows, but few more lifeless ones, which is a lot worse.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|atezk|var|u0026u|referrer|tryrb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: July 5, 2017
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re still in Chicago and still getting ready to deal with the fallout from Best in the World, which should start in another two weeks if we’re lucky. I’m really running out of ways to complain about how messed up the schedule is and I still don’t understand why we have to wait so long. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s new World Champion Cody in the ring so apparently we’re already on the new taping cycle. THEN WHY DIDN’T WE HAVE THIS LAST WEEK??? Anyway before he can say much of anything, Christopher Daniels shows up and beats the heck out of the new champ. A referee gets tossed and the brawl continues with Cody hitting a Disaster Kick. Daniels gets in a moonsault to the floor though and security breaks it up. The fans want to see them fight and didn’t seem to favor one over the other. Good opener here and I have no idea why this didn’t follow the pay per view last week if it was already filmed.

Jay Briscoe says this is different than the Top Prospect Tournament and Josh Woods is in way over his head.

Jay Briscoe vs. Josh Woods

They adhere to the Code of Honor in a bit of a surprise. Feeling out process to start with Josh tripping him to the mat and chuckling a bit. A cross armbreaker doesn’t last long so it’s another trip to take Briscoe down. Josh knees him in the head and this is one sided in the first few minutes.

Jay comes right back with a big boot to knock Josh outside and there’s a suicide dive. Well done there with having Josh get the better of it when there are rules and structure but Briscoe takes over when things get a little more violent and intense. Back with Jay throwing him outside for a whip into the barricade as the brawling continues to go Briscoe’s way.

There’s a ton of room on the floor too, which makes me think they could have easily fit another row or even two of fans in there. I can’t imagine sales were that weak in Chicago of all places. Back in and Josh blocks a suplex for one of his own, followed by the TKO into a knee to the face. A springboard spinning knee/kick to the face gets two on Jay, who shrugs it off and lariats Woods for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this match as Briscoe continues to give the younger guys a rub, just like he did with Jay White. It’s not like he has anything else going on right now so give these guys something that they’re not going to be able to get from anyone else. Good match too with Woods showing off because he found out he was in over his head.

We look at Will Ferrara splitting with Cheeseburger because he’s sick of dealing with a charity case like Cheeseburger. Haven’t these guys split like three times now?

Tempura Boyz vs. Coast to Coast

Actually hang on as here are the Young Bucks who offer to add themselves to the match with the titles on the line under tornado rules.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Tempura Boyz vs. Coast to Coast

The Bucks are defending under tornado rules and the champs waste no time cleaning house. It’s immediately time to fire off the kicks to send all four challengers outside, followed by the Rise of the Terminators. The double dives are broken up though with the Boyz hitting stereo German suplexes on the floor.

Coast to Coast dives on everyone and we take a break. Back with Nick firing off running knees in the corner to both Boyz, only to get caught in something like a 3D with a Flatliner instead of a cutter. There’s the big flip dive to the floor to take out Coast to Coast but the Meltzer Diver is broken up.

Coast to Coast comes back in and breaks up the Superkick Party (Colt: “Everybody knows they’re just going to do superkicks so it’s not that hard to figure out.). A double Indytaker sets up double superkicks to retain the titles at 8:27. That’s the EXACT same ending as the match in Long Beach.

Rating: C+. I can’t believe I’m saying this but thank goodness for the Bucks here. Coast to Coast and the Tempura Boyz are completely worthless tag teams so throw the Bucks in there and turn it into a glorified squashed. The match wasn’t great but this could have been very boring so the Bucks really did help things out.

Highlights of Adam Cole vs. Marty Scurll in an anything goes match.

Mark Briscoe vs. Beer City Bruiser vs. Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a TV Title shot. Mark says he has to win because he has four kids. I wonder if he has an above ground pool. Mark and Kenny start things off and apparently this is under lucha rules, meaning Bruiser can come in and toss people to the floor.

Sabin dives into a side slam and for some reason Bruiser tags out. Why would you do that in a one fall match where you have to be legal to win? King’s Muta Lock is broken up and it’s Mark coming in to clean house. A moonsault to the floor takes out Bruiser and King, followed by Sabin firing off the kicks from the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bruiser running Mark over as the tags have been completely abandoned, as is the custom in these matches. Mark gets crushed against Sabin in the corner for a good looking crash, followed by a running flip dive to the floor to take out Mark and Chris. Kenny dives onto everyone but Mark is smart enough to walk away. Back in and Mark hits the brainbuster on Kenny, setting up the Froggy Bow at the same time the Bruiser splashes Chris. Both guys get up to avoid leaving is as a three way but King actually manages a Royal Flush on the Bruiser for the pin and the title shot at 10:59.

Rating: C. Pretty standard chaos match here with everyone flying all over the place and little in the way of storytelling, though that’s kind of the point to something like this. King winning is an interesting way to go as the Rebellion was such a waste of time but King’s natural athleticism should be more than enough to give him a good match with Kushida.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a good time with this show as there were three solid matches and a strong angle to open things up. They should be fine head into the next few weeks but above all else I’m VERY happy that we’re already on the pay per view fallout and don’t have to sit around waiting through weeks of one off filler shows. Good show this week and one of the more entertaining editions in a long time.

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

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tkarz|var|u0026u|referrer|tznrh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) in the World 2017
Date: June 23, 2017
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Attendance: 2,500
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

The announcers preview the card that we already paid for.

Kingdom vs. Ultimo Guerrero/El Terrible

Guerrero comes off the top with a dive of his own but the Kingdom pops up for two more dives. Ultimo fights them off back inside though and hits his reverse superplex, only to take a Swanton from Marseglia. The Kingdom loads up the Supernova but Guerrero grabs a rollup out of nowhere for the pin at 11:09.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Adam Page

Search and Destroy vs. Rebellion

Back in and the huge Taylor crushes Gresham with a splash and Coleman makes things worse by rolling some northern lights suplexes. Titus hits Coleman by mistake though and a headscissors allows the hot tag to White to pick the pace up again. Jay hits a bunch of running elbows in the corner and everything breaks down. The Guns come in for the fast paced precision offense but White gets tossed into the corner.

Post match Punishment Martinez comes in to lay White out.

Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young

Back in and neither finisher can hit so Lethal settles for a superkick and the top rope elbow. Young gets in a Saito suplex and a knee to the face, followed by his bouncing moonsault out of the corner. With that not working, Silas grabs his keg but, as you might expect, the referee says not so fast. Instead Silas tries Misery but gets rolled up for the pin at 16:23.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Bully Ray/Briscoe Brothers

The former champs are livid as Ian wants to know what the celebration is going to be like in the hotel room.

We recap Marty Scurll vs. Kushida in a rematch for the TV Title that Kushida recently took from Scurll. Marty is even angrier than usual and has promised to break a lot of fingers.

TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Kushida

Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Young Bucks

War Machine is challenging. Actually hang on a second here because cue the Best Friends to say they beat the Young Bucks back in Philadelphia so they should be added to this match. Sure why not.

Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Young Bucks vs. Best Friends

The Bucks are back in with superkicks and a flip dive but the Meltzer Driver is broken up and Chuck hits the Awful Waffle (spinning piledriver) for two on Matt. Rowe gets kneed in the face and both Friends roll him up at the same time for two. Superkicks continue to abound and a double Indytaker, followed by MORE superkicks retain the titles at 12:27.

Rating: B. You know, I watched the NJPW Dominion show and called the Bucks match their best ever. I also pointed out that they used by far the least amount of superkicks I ever saw from them. Here, I stopped counting at around twenty and I lost a lot of interest about halfway through the match. It really does get tiring, as does adding teams with no build for the sake of adding them in. True there was a story, but did we really need them there when you had a perfectly good title match already?

ROH World Title: Christopher Daniels vs. Cody

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

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

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