ROH Border Wars 2013 Review

Some fresh faces in the main event and some special guest talents highlight Ring of Honor's return to the Great White North!

ROH Border Wars 2013

Toronto, Ontario, Canada 5/4/13

1.) ACH & Tadarius Thomas vs. C & C Wrestle Factory: ***1/2

Very fun opening match. This was exactly what you would expect from these two teams. Lots of great action in this one, but it would be C & C who would pick up the win.

2.) "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett (with Maria Kanellis) vs. Roderick Strong: ***1/4

This was originally scheduled to be a Triple Threat Match also involving Mike Mondo, but he suffered some type of "training injury" and had to pull out. This was actually a solid match. Probably one of Bennett's best matches in a while. Just shows that Strong can bring out the best in anyone.

3.) I Quit Match - Rhett Titus vs. BJ Whitmer: *3/4

This....was not fun. It was the exact opposite of what one has come to expect out of these I Quit Matches. They really did nothing to event warrant someone to say those two words. No Hardcore Stuff, no brutal spots, nothing of the sort. Plus Todd Sinclair kept putting the mic in the guys faces asking them if they want to quit after every other move, which is the exact opposite way these matches go. At some point BJ ties Rhett in the ropes with zip-ties. He punches Titus in the face repeatedly but Titus says "Hell Naw Daaawwwg!!!" BJ then gets a chair but Steve Corino comes out. He then turns his back to Whitmer and gets on his knees leaving himself open for a potential chair shot. BJ stands their like an idiot for what seems like forever and looks like he's going to finally hit Corino but Titus frantically says I Quit, thus sacrificing the match for his leader. I'm sorry but what the hell was this? I liked the idea of the finish but they did it really poorly and the rest of the match was just awful. F**k this match!!

Jimmy Jacobs & Cliff Compton immediately attacked Whitmer after the match for his stupidity. Lethal & Elgin come out and here we go for our next match!

4.) S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs & Cliff Compton with Steve Corino) vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin & Jay Lethal/Kevin Steen: ***1/4

If S.C.U.M. wins, Steve Corino becomes the new color commentator and a S.C.U.M. Member gets a World Title Match, but if ROH wins, then Corino is gone. This was a fine match. They went for a little bit before Lethal "injured" his knee on a dive and had to be taken out of the match. Then it was 2-on-1 for a bit which saw Elgin dominate the S.C.U.M. guys and look really good, but Jacobs & Compton got the upper hand. Kevin Steen then shows up, gets on the apron, and begs Nigel McGuinness to put him in as Lethal's replacement. Nigel agrees, Steen gets the tag and goes to town on S.C.U.M., but Jacobs would get Steen in a roll up and pin him for the win, which is a huge one for S.C.U.M.! Not a lot of must see action, but from a storytelling perspective, this was fantastic.

During intermission, they show highlights from past matches involving Ishimori & London.

5.) "Die Hard" Eddie Edwards vs. Taiji Ishimori: ****1/2

This is my first time seeing Taiji Ishimori. I loved this match. Coming into this, I had no idea what to expect and these two guys just blew me away. Fantastic Match...definitely my MOTN.

6.) ROH World TV Title - Matt Taven (with Truth Martini) vs. Mark Briscoe: **3/4

"Chicken" won a Five Way Match on ROH TV to earn this title shot. This was an ok match, but nothing really special. Their were some sloppy moments and botched spots, particularly from Taven. The Hoopla Hotties had a Hot Lesbian Style Make-Out on the Apron, which distracted Briscoe long enough for Taven to pick up the win.

7.) "American Wolf" Davey Richards vs. "Intrepid Traveler" Paul London: ***3/4

Naomichi Marufuji was supposed to be making his ROH return here, but got injured during a match in NOAH a few weeks prior & couldn't make it, so ROH brought in Paul London, who had been away from ROH for nearly 10 Years, as his replacement. This was another match that was pretty solid. London looked good and Richards was playing the dickish heel that he always seems to play when he's in Canada. The big moment came when London was on the apron and Richards double stomped him in the face!!! London, we later learned, got a concussion from this, but kept going for the last minute or so of the match, where he actually attempted the Shooting Star Press, but Richards got the knees up when London landed, and rolled him up for the pin. Despite the finish being a bit improvised from London's injury, this was still very good. A great return to ROH for London. 

Afterwords, they cuts promos putting each other over, and London thanks the fans.

8.) ROH World Title - Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Cole: ***1/2

This is Jay's first defense of his newly won ROH World Title. This was a very solid match, but I expected it to be better than it ended up being. They were just missing something that kept it from being great. Towards the end, Steve Corino comes out with a S.C.U.M. shirt in an attempt to recruit Adam Cole, but Nigel McGuinness gets involved and hits the Tower of London on Corino! This distraction allows Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller to retain.

After the match, Cole teases superkicking Jay, but exits the ring when Jay turns around.

Overall: 8.25/10

While this was the worst iPPV of the year for ROH in terms of match quality, this still had a lot of good stuff on it. The Ishimori/London Matches were both very good to fantastic, and their was a fair amount of noteworthy stuff on here. Other than the I Quit Match that was complete garbage, this was a pretty good show.

ROH Supercard of Honor VII Review

Jay Briscoe's time has finally come!

ROH Supercard of Honor VII
New York City, New York 4/5/13

1.) "God's Gift" QT Marshall & Barrister RD Evans vs. ACH & Tadarius Thomas: ***

Before the match, Evans comes out in a suit. He goes on about who Marshall's Mystery Partner is and that he had to search the globe for the best. He eventually reveals the mystery man to be himself, and rips off his suit to reveal his wrestling attire. The match itself was pretty solid for an iPPV opener. Got the crowd into it.

Shelton Benjamin comes out next. He was supposed to have a match with Charlie Haas, but with THe Outlaw's retirement following the big fiasco at WAR, he's left without a match on one of the biggest weekends of the year. He calls Cheeseburger into the ring, and commends him for standing up to Haas over the past few months. This brings out the returning Mike Bennett, along with Maria Kanellis & "Brutal" Bob Evans. He cuts a promo on the fans and talks about all of the contract offers he's been getting from....everywhere, apparently. He was about to make an announcement before Cheeseburger takes the mic from him. He calls Maria something pretty nasty and gets a Knockout Punch from Bennett. Shelton then goes at Bennett, and we got a match!

2.) "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett vs. Shelton Benjamin: **3/4

This was a pretty decent match. Nothing really special, but a solid effort. I'd put this above the match they had at Death Before Dishonor IX. They did some stuff with Maria, which was pretty entertaining, and Bennett eventually gets the win via nefarious means. Shelton gets a good ovation from the crowd as he exits

3.) #1 Contender's Match - Jay Lethal vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ****1/2

WOW. All I can really say is that was an awesome match. It just really seems like both of these guys have been on a roll in 2013, as they both keep having consistently great matches in ROH. In this case, they were against each other and it made for a really great wrestling contest. Elgin would get the hard fought win and a future World Title Shot.

After the match, S.C.U.M. comes out and attacks both Elgin & Lethal. Corino then calls out ROH for the big 10-Man Tag and the ROH guys rush out & get things going!!

4.) 10-Man War - Team ROH (BJ Whitmer, Mark Briscoe, Mike Mondo, Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander) vs. S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs, Jimmy, Rave, Rhett Titus, Cliff Compton & Rhino with Steve Corino): ***1/4

The first part of the match was pretty much just wild brawling around ringside. The second half saw S.C.U.M. mainly isolate Mondo before Rhino eventually hit the GORE and secured the win for S.C.U.M. I believe Jimmy Rave also took a nasty piledriver from Caprice Coleman. The match itself was fine. Pretty much what you would expect and a good point to cut to intermission.

During intermission they showed all of Jay Briscoe's previous ROH World Title Matches, which was pretty cool and did a good job of building up the Main Event.

5.) Roderick Strong vs. "Machine Gun" Karl Anderson: ***1/2

Anderson is currently a mainstay in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This isn't the first time he's wrestled in ROH (appeared on a pair of shows in 2007) and it's also not the first time he's wrestled Strong (They had a match in PWG). It was a pretty solid contest. It might have been a little shorter than I thought it would be, and their wasn't anything flashy, but it was a solid, hard-hitting match that proved to be pretty fun to watch. Anderson would get the win over the self-proclaimed "Mr. ROH".

6.) ROH World TV Title - Matt Taven (with Truth Martini) vs. Adam Cole vs. Matt Hardy: **1/4

Steve Corino does the announcing duties for Hardy. This wasn't a very good match. I don't know what it was, but it just never really clicked. Scarlett ended up giving Nigel McGuinness a lap dance while he was trying to do commentary with Kevin Kelly, and the focus seemed to be more on that than the actual match. The first elimination (this was an elimination match, by the way) came when Cole eliminated Hardy in the same way Hardy beat Cole at Final Battle 2012 with a low blow & small package. Hardy started crying like a baby and Nigel made fun of him. The finish was odd, but Taven ended up retaining.

7.) ROH World Tag Team Titles - reDRagon vs. American Wolves: ****1/4

The last time they were in NYC, it was the Wolves who were victorious, but this time, reDRagon comes in as the World Tag Team Champions and they themselves have been on a winning streak in the tag team division. This was another fantastic match. I'd still put Lethal/Elgin over this, but this was still very good. Awesome action from both teams, but Kyle O'Reilly got a handful of tights and the win for reDRagon.

8.) ROH World Title - Kevin Steen vs. Jay Briscoe: ***3/4

The Briscoe Family is at ringside to watch the match. Jay also comes into this with a shoulder that wasn't 100% after getting injured by Rhino at the 11th Anniversary Show. The match started relatively slow, but Steen consistently worked over Jay's injured shoulder. Things would pick up towards the end, as S.C.U.M. kept trying to interfere but were thwarted each time by ROH guys. The groups eventually got into a huge brawl in the entrance way. Matt Hardy gets in the ring and tries for the Twist of Fate on Jay but Steen throws Hardy out of the ring! It takes two Jay Drillers but Jay Briscoe finally achieves his dream and becomes the ROH World Champion! While not the best World Title Match, the crowd and all the stuff that happened on the outside made things special. I liked Steen going after the shoulder and the last five minutes were really great.

Overall: 8.75/10

I'd put this just under the 11th Anniversary Show because it was not as consistent in terms of match quality. Regardless you have two really awesome matches on here and a World Title Change that was one of the most anticipated in a long time. Aside from the TV Title Match that wasn't really good at all, the rest of the card is relatively solid. Definitely one of the best shows of the year from ROH.

ROH WAR Review

Kevin Steen faces off against the younger Briscoe Brother as ROH debuts in Asheville, North Carolina!

ROH WAR

Asheville, North Carolina 3/30/13

*This show also included Charlie Haas vs. Jeff Lewis Neal but it was cut of due to the Haas Fiasco that occurred on this show*

1.) Adam Page vs. “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin: ***1/4

A pretty solid. Page was able to look good while hitting his stuff while Elgin looked strong heading into Supercard of Honor VII.

2.) “God’s Gift” QT Marshall vs. Darren Dean: DUD

Marshall cuts a promo before hand running off names of possible tag team partners RD Evans could be bringing in for him in New York City. Dean is a student of Davey Richards, I believe. They have a little match that goes for a few minutes before S.C.U.M. members Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave attack. They go after Dean as Marshall bails. Corino cuts promo in a raspy voice (he must have been sick), leading to Mike Mondo & Grizzly Redwood coming out, leading to...

3.) S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave) vs. Mike Mondo & Grizzly Redwood: **3/4

This actually wasn't that bad of a match. I found it to be entertaining, for what it was. To the surprise of nobody, Rave & Jacobs pick up the win.

The attack continues after the match with Rhett Titus coming out. It looks like they're about to put Grizzly Redwood through a table but BJ Whitmer makes the save, leading to...

4.) Rhett Titus vs. BJ Whitmer: ***

These two had a match that was fine, nothing really over the top, but decent. Rave & Jacobs try to interfere but are disposed of by Whitmer, who ends up putting Jacobs through a table! Titus is able to uses Steve Corino's Roll of Quarters to steal the win from Whitmer.

S.C.U.M. continues the assault until The American Wolves come out for the save. Davey cuts a promo on S.C.U.M. and calls out C & C for their match.

5.) The American Wolves vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander: ****1/4

This was an awesome tag team match. It started off slow, as American Wolves matches tend to do these days, but eventually picked up and turned into something that was really great. Even though they lost the match C & C looked really good. I think Davey cut a promo afterwords putting them over.

6.) ROH World Tag Team Titles – reDRagon vs. Alabama Attitude: **3/4

Fish cuts a promo berating the South and Alabama Attitude. The match itself was fine. Decent but nothing really spectacular. reDRagon retains their titles.

7.) Proving Ground Match – ACH vs. Roderick Strong vs. Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven (with Truth Martini & Scarlett): ***1/4

I was expecting this to be a lot better but it didn't end up being as good as I originally thought. A lot of it had to do with several blown spots & botched moves which completely took the crowd out of it. Despite this, I still found most of it to be enjoyable. ACH wins & earns a future TV Title Shot.

8.) ROH World Title – Kevin Steen vs. Mark Briscoe: ****

Papa Briscoe & Cousin Jethro are in the crowd while Jay Briscoe & Steve Corino are out at ringside (Corino and his raspy voice are on commentary). I may be overrating this, but I really enjoyed the match. I knew it would be good but it surpassed my expectations. Just a really fun match. Late in the going, the Briscoe Family gets into a brawl with S.C.U.M. and Mark ends up jumping off the top rope to the outside, putting Rhett Titus through a Table!! Steen however is able to get the win and retain his title. 

Afterwords, The Briscoes get a measure of revenge by giving Jimmy Jacobs the Doomsday Device. They then cut a promo to close the show.

Overall: 7.5/10

This was a rather weak show, which was expected since this show was only six days before Supercard of Honor VII. Despite this, it wasn't a bad show by any means. The Wolves & the Wrestle Factory had a stellar tag team match and the Main Event proved to be entertaining. The rest of the card was rather unremarkable, but it did a good job of advancing the S.C.U.M. storyline.

Wrestling is Respect: Show #2 Review

A rematch from National Pro-Wrestling Day headlines the second show from Wrestling is Respect!

Wrestling is Respect: Show #2

Boonton, New Jersey 3/24/13

I should note that this show also included Veda Scott vs. Terra Callaway, but that match was cut off the VOD/Digital Download because Callaway apparently suffered a very serious knee injury when she when for a dive to the outside on Scott, which is fine. No need to show a serious injury.

1.) "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti vs. Jervis Cottenbelly: **1/2

This was an enjoyable opener. At one point (I think before the match started) Touchdown put his hands in the air (I guess for his "It's Good" line) and Cottenbelly kicked his hat in between his arms like a Field Goal. Their were a few sloppy moments here but I still found enjoyment out of it.

2.) The Baltic Siege (Estonian ThunderFrog & Latvian Proud Oak) vs. The Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive): **

This is the first time for me seeing The Baltic Siege in team action. The Devastation Corporation are without Sydney Backabella tonight, for some reason. It was ok, but there wasn't really anything much to it. Smashmaster & McMassive had a lot of miscommunication (which they played up as happening because Backabella wasn't there) which let to the Siege getting the win.

After the match, the Devastation Corporation attack, hitting the Death Blow on one of the Siege members and were about to hit it on the other when the Lithuanian Snow Troll made his debut, saving his fellow Siege members from a further beatdown.

3.) The Shard vs. Green Ant: ***1/4

These two are facing off in what I believe is a first time singles match. It was pretty good. Green Ant looked as good as he always has and likewise for The Shard, though it would be Green Ant would left victorious.

4.) "Addicted To Love" Rhett Titus vs. Gran Akuma: ***

Titus is replacing the injured Ophidian. Even though he had recently joined S.C.U.M. recently in Ring of Honor, he's in his old "Addicted To Love" persona here. This was actually a pretty fine match. Akuma did his usual stuff and Titus played a great heel, and even picked up the win here.

5.) Oleg The Usurper vs. Grizzly Redwood: *3/4

Oleg comes out in a toga outfit for some reason. Nothing really to this. Just your basic Grizzly Redwood vs. big man match with Redwood finding some way to win.

6.) Jigsaw vs. Delirious: ***1/4

This was supposed to happen on the last show before Jigsaw was replaced by The Shard. Not as good as I may have been expecting, but still a fine match between these two. The Shard comes out & distracts Delirious which allows Jigsaw to capitalize for the win.

After the match, Delirious challenges Jigsaw & The Shard to a tag team match on the next show.

7.) Frank O'Rourke vs. Drew Gulak: ***1/2

These two had a match at National Pro-Wrestling Day that I heard was very good. This is the rematch. It was a very good contest. Both guys showed off their wrestling skill with great action present throughout the entire match. Gulak would end up getting the win in a solid main event.

Overall: 7.0/10

Wrestling is Respect was able to improve over their first show. Their were several matches on here that were pretty good and very entertaining to watch. This one is only just over and hour and a half and is an easily recommendation given the $5 price tag.

TNA No Surrender 2008 Review

TNA hosts its first PPV from Canada!

TNA No Surrender (2008)

Oshawa, Ontario, Canada 9/14/08

The PPV starts off, oddly enough, not with a match, but a Sting promo. He basically says that he's got a TNA World Title Match at Bound for Glory and that their are some guys on the roster (Joe & AJ, though I don't remember if he specifically mentions them by name) that need to be taught some respect.

1.) The Rock 'n' Rave Infection (Christy Hemme, Jimmy Rave & Lance Hoyt) vs. The Prince Justice Brotherhood (Super Eric, Curry Man & Shark Boy): **

An entertaining match for what it was. Not much else...

2.) Falls Count Anywhere - ODB vs. Awesome Kong (with Raisha Saeed): **1/2

This one was also a fine match for what it was, and given the fact that this card had 9 Matches. They did some good brawling and utilized chairs & tables. Good action here from the Knockouts.

3.) Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss: *3/4

Nothing much to this one, really. This is the kind of match that would fit better on iMPACT! Johnny Devine came down to interfere but was, you guessed it, quickly disposed of.

After Morgan & Abyss won, Brother Ray hits Morgan in the back with a chair and tosses it in the arms of Abyss as they scram. Morgan, thinking Abyss hit him after seeing him with the chair, argues with him.

4.) TNA X-Division Title - Petey Williams (with Rhaka Khan) vs. Consequences Creed vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir: ***1/4

One again the X-Divison has one of the PPV's better matches. Williams gets cheers from his fellow Canadians. Entertaining X-Divison Three-Way. Bashir wins the match & the title after taking advantage of Creed, who had just taken a Canadian Destroyer from Williams.

5.) TNA Knockouts Title - Taylor Wilde (with Rhino) vs. Angelina Love (with Velvet Sky & Cute Kip): *3/4

Taylor introduces Rhino as her backup to keep an eye on Velvet Sky & Cute Kip. The match itself wasn't really anything remarkable. Ok for a Knockout's Contest.

6.) Ladder of Love Match - "The Guru" Sonjay Dutt vs. "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal: ***3/4

Despite the Russo-rific Stipulation, this was actually a pretty solid ladder match. Easily the best match these two have had during this entire feud. SoCal Val low blows Lethal at the end, allowing Dutt to win. He places the ring on Val's finger & they make out.

7.) TNA World Tag Team Titles - Beer Money vs. LAX (with Hector Guerrero): **1/2

James Storm comes out on his beer scooter thing. This was....surprisingly not as good as I thought. Their match as the previous PPV was pretty good and I thought we'd get more of the same, but I was wrong. The Fan's Revenge Lumberjack Match they had was better than this match.

8.) MMA Match - "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. Frank Trigg: DUD

I think the loud "Fire Russo!" Chants pretty much sum this up. The best part of this was when AJ beat the crap out of Trigg with a Singapore Cane.

9.) TNA World Heavyweight - Four Three Ways To Glory - Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Booker T: ***1/2

Booker T was unable to make the show because Hurricane Ike had stranded him in Houston, Texas. You know, this still could have been a Four Ways To Glory Match. They could have easily scrapped the horrid MMA Match and put AJ Styles in this, thus adding more interest to this match and reducing the card from 9 matches to 8, which would have been much better. Despite that, the match itself still ended up being pretty solid. Jeff Jarrett made his return at the end of the match, hitting Kurt Angle with a Guitar, allowing Joe to hit the Muscle Buster and retain.

Overall: 6.5/10

Their really isn't any reason to watch this show. The X-Divison Matches, The World Title Match, and I guess the Falls Count Anywhere Match were the only real things that stood out in my mind.

Of course, this show is part of the Cross The Line Triple Pack with the 2008 edition's of Victory Road and Hard Justice. I'd say overall, the pack is worth getting. I found the first two shows to be pretty solid, with a lot of good matches between them, while the third is pretty skippable.

Wrestling is Art: Pop Review

Wrestling is Art makes an impressive debut!

Wrestling is Art: Pop

Haverhill, Massachusetts 2/16/13

1.) Frank O'Rourke vs. Sugar Dunkerton: ***1/4

O'Rourke is still yelling "don't call me Francis" & "Frank!" at the fans. Dunkerton encourages the fans to call O'Rourke "Francis" in some shenanigans during the match. Overall, this match was actually pretty good and competitive. Once again O'Rourke shows his consistency as a performer but it would be Dunkerton who would pick up the win.

2.) Kobald vs. Jervis Cottenbelly: **1/4

An interesting match up here. Kobald messes with the fans during his entrance. He also messes with Jervis Cottenbelly by putting on his entrance coat & hat before unceremoniously putting the boots to him. A very entertaining contest. Typical of the kind of match you would see in CHIKARA.

3.) The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) vs. Drew Gulak vs. The Estonian ThunderFrog: ***1/2

This is a very odd tag combination in the form of Gulak & The ThunderFrog. I actually thought this was a pretty good match. Found it to be really entertaining. Gulak was definitely the best looking out of the four and The Batiri were in very good form here, while The Estonian ThunderFrog was busing being....The Estonian ThunderFrog. Very solid tag team match.

4.) Chuck Taylor vs. AR Fox: ***3/4

I was really loving this match. Taylor looked good as his usually does but Fox was on fire. He proved just how awesome he is and that he deserves a top spot in any promotion that uses him. The crowd was really into it and this was easily the Match of the Night.

5.) Jaka vs. "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush: ***1/2

The only real complaint I have about this is that Jaka, at points (mainly at the beginning), actually wrestled technically with Quack, which the exact opposite of how I think a guy with that gimmick should wrestle. You never saw someone like Umaga wrestling like that. Other than that, this was a really good match. This was easily the best Jaka match I've seen and Quack looked solid as he usually does. Very good action in this one.

6.) Tim Donst vs. Colt Cabana: **3/4

There was some silly comedy stuff in the beginning with Colt Cabana's dad, who was at the show (I think this was actually featured on BotchaMania). These two put on a pretty solid wrestling match, though it wasn't one of the best matches on the show. Donst uses the Turnbuckle Cap on Cabana when the ref wasn't looking to pick up the win.

7.) The Devastation Corporation (with Sydney Backabella) vs. Green Ant & assailANT: ***

I think this is the first time assailANT & Green Ant have teamed together in two-on-two action. This was another solid match. While not as good as some of the other matches (you could blame that on the Devastation Corporation). It was still an enjoyable contest. The Devastation Corporation get the win but The Colony gets the last laugh when the rip Sydney Backabella's shirt off (which I'm sure embarrassed Backabella) to end the show.

Overall: 7.75/10

This is easily the best "Wrestling Is..." Show I've seen, and probably one of the best "Wrestling Is..." Shows ever, up to this point. I never found a dull moment in this one as every match proved to be entertaining. Taylor/Fox had the match of the night, and when compared to the final two matches, this should have probably been the main event. This is also the largest "Wrestling Is..." Show, in terms of attendance, that I have seen thus far. There is no doubt....if you're interested in getting any of the "Wrestling Is..." shows, be sure to get the debut show of Wrestling is Art!!

Wrestling is Awesome: Debut Show Review

Tag Team Action headlines the first ever Wrestling is Awesome event!

Wrestling is Awesome: Debut Show

Troy, New York 12/9/12

1.) "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush vs. Jervis Cottenbelly: **1/4

An ok opening match here. Nothing really much to it, just your typical Quackenbush scientific opener.

2.) Oleg The Usurper vs. The Estonian ThunderFrog: **

I feel like Oleg is kind of hit or miss with me. They do a bit where Oleg tries (and fails) to pick up ThunderFrog's Hammer. Again, nothing really to this one, but was fine for what it was.

3.) Juan Francisco de Coronado (with Herbert) vs. Green Ant: ***

de Coronado grills Gavin Loudspeaker for not introducing his as from Ecuador. I found this to big entertaining contest. de Coronado has done pretty well since his character change and it a pretty good wrestler. Green Ant was good in here as well. I have to say he's probably my favorite Ant out of all the Ants we've seen, and I hope ROH (if their dates don't interfere with any "Wrestling Is..." dates) brings him in for a few shows. He's a great technical wrestler & I think he can have some good matches over there.

4.) Frank O'Rourke vs. Dasher Hatfield: ***1/4

O'Rourke, much like he would on future shows, is yelling at the fans for calling him Francis. This was easily the best match of the show. O'Rourke really strikes me as a smaller version of Antonio Cesaro. He's really good in the ring and thus far has proven to be one of the more consistent wrestling on the "Wrestling Is..." Circuit. Tonight, however, it was Dasher Hatfield who got his hand raised in victory.

5.) Portia Perez vs. Saturyne: **1/4

I've heard a lot about Portia Perez. Of course she's more well known as a part of the SHIMMER Roster, where's she's one half of the Canadian Ninjas, along with Nicole Matthews. The match itself was ok. Portia was heeling it up big time, and it led to her getting the win.

6.) Robert Coleman vs. Latvian Proud Oak: *3/4

Robert Coleman is a local guy, I think. He's basically an African American/East Coast version of Rikishi. This Latvian Proud Oak looks....oddly familiar. Proud Oak bows down to Coleman after seeing the tree tattoo Coleman has on his back. Nothing really much to this. Coleman gets the win.

7.) Jaka vs. Dalton Castle: **1/4

Castle was recently featured on the Dragon's Reign show in Pittsburgh for Ring of Honor. Another match that was relatively decent. Fine for what it was.

8.) The Devastation Corporation (with Sydney Backabella) vs. 3.0 (Scott "Jagged" Parker & "Big Magic" Shane Matthews): **1/2

This was the first time these two teams did battle. It was another match that was overall pretty decent. Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive were dominant, but 3.0 were able to get in some offense. I think the Devastation Corporation still need some work though, but from what I've heard they have improved since this show. This also felt more like a Warm-Up for the match they would have for the Campeonatos de Parejas in CHIKARA in March of 2013.

Overall: 6.0/10

This was probably the worst "Wrestling Is..." show that I've seen this far. While their was some good stuff on here, specifically the Green Ant & Dasher Hatfield matches, there's not really much to this show honestly. The only thing it really has going for it is that it's under two hours and its only $5.

ROH 11th Anniversary Show Review

Kevin Steen and Jay Lethal face off once again for the ROH World Title....and S.C.U.M.'s numbers grow.

ROH 11^th Anniversary Show

Chicago Ridge, Illinois 3/2/13

1.) Six-Man Mayhem – Silas Young vs. ACH vs. “God’s Gift” QT Marshall (with Barrister RD Evans) vs. Mike Sydal vs. Adam Page vs. Tadarius Thomas: ***1/4

All of these guys were participants in the recent Top Prospect Tournament held on ROH TV. This was a really fun match. Pretty much the perfect opener for an ROH iPPV. The highlights include the various dives to the floor as well as Silas Young suplexing RD Evans off the top rope to the floor on top of everyone else. ACH picks up the win in this wild match.

2.) Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. S.C.U.M. (Steve Corino & Jimmy Jacobs): ***

C & C have been part of ROH's fight against some for a few months now, and have met Corino & Jacobs in the ring on a few occasions already. This was a pretty formula tag team match but still very entertaining...and this was the worst match on the show (which says something about how good this card was)! Corino & Jacobs hit a sick looking piledriver on Alexander for the win.

3.) No Holds Barred – “The Outlaw” Charlie Haas vs. BJ Whitmer: ***1/2

These two go at it right from the opening bell and this get wild very fast. This was a lot of fun. I'd say this was the best singles match Haas had in his entire ROH run. Their were some brutal spots and paid homage to their previous matches. The finish was kind of odd, as BJ gave Haas and Exploder through a ladder, which Haas kicked out of, and then won with repeated knees to the head. It should have ended with the Exploder, but that's my only real complaint.

4.) The American Wolves vs. Forever Hooligans: ***3/4

The Forever Hooligans are Rocky Romero & Alex Kozlov, who have both wrestled in ROH before (Romero more so than Kozlov). Kozlov sings the Russian National Anthem Pre-Match (which the Wolves surprisingly don't break up). The match itself might not have been as good as ROH had built it up as being (calling it a "Dream Match") it was still very good. They played up the long history of Richards & Romero as former members of the No Remorse Corps. Faction in ROH as well as recently teaming in Japan. Overall very solid action from both teams.

After the match, both teams shake hands & embrace.

5.) 2/3 Falls – Roderick Strong vs. “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin: ***3/4

Truth Martini is banned from ringside for this one. Elgin gets the first fall in the first 2 or 3 minutes, followed by Strong tied it up 1-1 before Elgin gets the third fall and the win. I'd say this was better than their match at Final Battle and was very good, but I think people were expecting a little better. I think it's difficult to do a 2/3 Falls Match on iPPV because ROH has a reputation of having very long 2/3 Falls, thus it really didn't feel like a traditional ROH 2/3 Falls Match. Still, it was very good regardless and Elgin finally gets a decisive win over Strong.

6.) ROH World TV Title – Adam Cole vs. Matt Taven (with Truth Martini): ***1/2

Before the match itself, Matt Hardy comes out and talks about his TV Title Shot against Adam Cole at the next day's TV Tapings and that this Matt Taven match was an afterthought. He then joins the commentary team at ringside.

Taven comes out in new, darker colored attire. Martini is wearing the strangest attire he's worn yet (needs to be seen to be believed) and debuts the now infamous "Take Your Pants Off" House of Truth music. The match itself was actually pretty solid. Cole & Taven seemed to work pretty well together in this instance. Martini hits Cole in the back with the Book of Truth when the ref wasn't looking, allowing Taven to hit a sick Modified DDT for the win and the title!! Matt Hardy is shocked and stumbles off speechless with his World TV Title Shot now in question.

7.) ROH World Tag Team Titles – The Briscoes vs. reDRagon: ****

reDRagon won this opportunity by defeating The American Wolves in the final leg of a Tag Team Gauntlet Match on ROH TV. This was a very exciting matchup. These two teams just seemed to click and it make for a very good match. The crowd was very much into it as well. We even saw a Doomsday Device on the floor! O'Reilly & Fish eventually hit Chasing the Dragon and claim the World Tag Team Titles. They then have the ref announce them as winners and have the ref & Cary Silkin strap the belts around their waits (ala MMA...I guess).

8.) ROH World Title – Kevin Steen vs. Jay Lethal: ****1/4

After convincing Steen to revoke the demands he made following the incident at Killer Instinct, Jay Lethal is finally able to cash in his title shot that he earned after winning the 2012 Survival of the Fittest Tournament. This was an awesome match, from the opening bell these two beat the crap out of each other and pulled out everything they had. Corino & Jacobs interfered at one point and again later in the match, but Kevin Steen called them off the second time, saying their help wasn't needed. Steen eventually wins this thriller of a match by hitting his former partner's finishing move, the Top Rope Brainbuster (which took a scary turn as Lethal didn't hit the turnbuckle and instead felt straight down to the mat head first).

After the match all hell breaks looks. Rhino hits the GORE on Jay Lethal, and Jacobs takes out the ref. The Briscoes come out but are quickly disposed of (I should note Jay injured his shoulder after he landed hard on it following a GORE from Rhino). Coleman & Alexander come out, but Jimmy Rave comes through the crowd with a S.C.U.M. shirt on and takes them out. BJ Whiter comes out along with his tag partner Rhett Titus, who hits Whitmer with a dropkick, ripping off his ROH T-Shirt to reveal his S.C.U.M. Shirt. Elgin comes out but Cliff Compton (better known as Domino from the Deuce 'n' Domino tag team in WWE) jumps the guardrail and throws powder in the face of Elgin. The Wolves come out but are unable to stem the tide. Adam Cole comes out but is assaulted by Matt Hardy as he reveals that he's wearing a S.C.U.M. Shirt. While all this was going on several ROH wrestlers were zip-tied to the ropes. Kevin Steen also was at ringside for all of this, but did not participate. He just stood off to the side and watched the chaos unfold around him in disbelief. Steve Corino then comes out to cut a promo. He introduces the new members and states that the mission has always been the same. Then then rip up an ROH flag and Corino concludes by saying that Honor has died.

Overall: 9.0/10

This was an awesome show. It fell just shy of Glory By Honor XI, which was itself a fantastic show. What really makes this show stand out was the overall match quality. While it didn't have a match near the quality of Richards/Elgin & Elgin/Steen, not a single match on this show fell below three stars, which makes it a must see for that reason alone. So much really good & great stuff on this show. It'll also be remembered for the angle at the end, which will probably go down as one of the most memorable moments in ROH history. In summary....this is a must see show, no doubt about it!

Wrestling is Respect: Rebirth Review

Pro Wrestling Respect is Reborn as Wrestling is Respect!

For those who may not know, this is a promotion that was originally named PWR - Pro Wrestling Respect. It started up in early 2010, and from what I can gather, it appeared to be a promotion that featured a lot of talent from the ROH Wrestling Academy, like Grizzly Redwood, Andy Ridge, The Bravados and Bobby Dempsey, as well as trainers Delirious & Daizee Haze and other recognizable ROH Talent like Prince Nana & Ricky Reyes. I guess you could think of it as ROH's developmental territory. The promotion ran a number of shows in 2010, but stopped running shows several months later. In 2013 it was resurrected under the "Wrestling Is..." Banner to form Wrestling is Respect. This is there first show under the new banner.

Wrestling is Respect - Rebirth

Boonton, New Jersey 1/27/13

1.) Green Ant vs. Mike Quackenbush: ***1/4

These two wrestling the opening match at CHIKARA's Season 11 Premiere The Thirteenth Hat, and it seems fitting that the teacher & student would do so again on this show. I enjoyed this one. If you're look for real scientific wrestling, this is exactly what it was. Quack gets the win and Green Ant asks for a future rematch on a future show, which Quack agrees to.

2.) Drew Gulak vs. Leech Landa: **3/4

Gulak cuts a promo before Leech Landa comes out. Is it just me, or does Leech Lauda look a lot like Cheeseburger from ROH wrestling under a mask??.....I think it is Cheeseburger!! The match itself wasn't that bad. Gulak put forth some pretty interesting offense & Landa (who I'm pretty sure is Cheeseburger) looked good as well.

3.) Ophidian vs. Gran Akuma: ***1/4

This is a rematch from a contest they had at Wrestling is Fun! Show a few months prior (and you can check out my review for that show here on the blog as well). This was a pretty solid match. I would say it's a little bit better than their previous contest. Midway through the match, Amasis makes an appearance on the balcony, next to the Commentation Station, which throws Ophidian off his game. Gran Akuma eventually picks up the win.

After the match, Akuma offers a handshake but Ophidian spits 'venom' in his face.

4.) Kimber Lee vs. Angel Orsini: **1/2

A decent women's match. The crowd seemed to be into it, and there was some fine action.

5.) Frank O'Rourke vs. The Estonian ThunderFrog: **1/2

I guess O'Rourke's gimmick is that he gets really annoyed when people called him 'Francis' and insists on people calling him 'Frank'. ThunderFrog gets a pretty good ovation. A fine match...nothing overly good, but fine for what it was.

6.) Veda Scott vs. Saturyne: **1/4

This is actually my first time seeing a Veda Scott match. Interestingly, she's playing a heel here. The match itself was ok, though the action, I don't think, was as good as the previous women's match.

7.) Oleg The Usurper vs. Soldier Ant: **1/4

Oleg is apparently replacing Grizzly Redwood, who is out with an injury. Again...fine for what it was. They did a combination of brawling on the outside, wrestling, and some comedy stuff. Oleg eventually picks up the win over the Militant Mat Mite.

8.) The Shard vs. Delirious: ***1/2

Jigsaw was supposed to wrestle here but he apparently called an audible and sent his new tag team partner The Shard to face Delirious. This was easily the best match of the show. Delirious was his usual self (very entertaining) and The Shard proved just how good of a wrestler he can be. Delirious picks up the win and cuts one of his usual incoherent promos, putting over the revival of Pro Wrestling Respect in the form of Wrestling is Respect.

Overall: 6.75/10

While this isn't a show that has anything outstanding or really noteworthy, their is some good stuff on here. Quackenbush/Green Ant and Ophidian/Gran Akuma were very entertaining and The Shard/Delirious match was an pretty solid Main Event. Like all the other "Wrestling Is..." Events, this one is only $5, which compensates for some of the match quality. Still, I found it overall easy to watch (just under 2 Hours) and entertaining.

ROH Honor vs. Evil Review

Three of Ring of Honor's Best take on S.C.U.M. in a huge Elimination Match!

ROH Honor vs. Evil

Cincinnati, Ohio 2/16/13

Bonus

National Pro-Wrestling Day 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2/2/13

1.) ROH World Tag Team Titles – The Briscoes (with Cary Silkin) vs. S.C.U.M. (Steve Corino & Jimmy Jacobs): **1/2

This was essentially S.C.U.M.'s rematch for the World Tag Team Titles. Cary Silkin accompanied The Briscoes to ringside. While it was a pretty short match, it was still decent for what it was, especially when you consider this event had 8-9 more matches on the card, and then another card (an evening card) with another 8 or 9 matches. Afterwords, Corino & Jacobs attack the Briscoes (who won) & cut a promo talking about how ROH's death was coming soon.

Main Show

1.) “God’s Gift” QT Marshall vs. Jay Briscoe: **3/4

Marshall cuts a generic heel promo (which I don't care for) until Jay Briscoe comes out for the match. This was a fine opening contest, probably QT Marshall's best ROH match up to this point. Briscoe gets the win here.

2.) Jay Lethal vs. Tadarius Thomas: ***1/2

This was a pretty solid match. Similarly, I think this was TD's best match up to this point. I felt like he & Lethal really meshed well in the ring & it produced a good match, though it did look like there was a slight botch on the Lethal Injection at the end, but it's nothing major.

3.) “Spyder” Nate Webb vs. Mark Briscoe: **1/4

For those who might not remember, Nate Webb was part of the CZW Invasion of ROH in 2006. He had another match in ROH in 2009 but that was his last appearance up to this show. It was an ok match. I feel like he & Mark Briscoe matched up really well, and the crowd was into it, but it was something that was just ok.

4.) Roderick Strong vs. ACH: ****

ACH ended signing an ROH Contract shorty after this, which was great, because he showed here that he is a future star. What an excellent match. Strong usually has great matches with guys that are smaller than him, and this was no exception. A star making performance here by ACH and it's no wonder ROH singed him!

After intermission, Truth Martini comes out with his Hoopla Hotties, Scarlett Bordeaux and some other chick (who's pants fell down as she was getting in the ring), to host "Hoopla Uncut". He makes his usual sexual jokes and introduces Adam Cole as his guest. He talks about not to overlook new HOT member Matt Taven, saying he will win the ROH World TV Title. Cole says he's going to kick Martini's ass but as he's about to Superkick him, he pulls Scarlett in his way and Cole stops. He goes to walk away but Martini slaps Cole's ass, and gets a Superkick for being a pervert.

5.) “The Outlaw” Charlie Haas vs. Pepper Parks: **1/2

Haas is drinking beer on his way down and I believe he runs down his opponent, Pepper Parks. Parks cuts a promo, slaps the beer out of the hand of Haas, and begins to brawl with him to start the match. I was expecting this to be more of a squash, but it actually wasn't that bad. Parks is good in the ring and is one of those guys similar to Silas Young & Adam Page, in the sense that he isn't a regular but can be brought in and have good matches. Haas though, manages to pick up the win.

After the match, Haas continues his feud with the ROH Student affectionately known as Cheeseburger, picking him up and delivers the Giant Swing repeatedly into the guardrail, similar to what Antonio Cesaro did to The Miz on a recent episode of Raw.

6.) Kyle O’Reilly vs. BJ Whitmer: ***3/4

Didn't know what to expect going into this one but it turned out to be a very good match. O'Reilly was good as usual and BJ Whitmer proves once again that he's been great since his comeback. A entertaining & solid contest that made both guys look very tough.

7.) Six-Man Elimination Match – Davey Richards, Michael Elgin & Adam Cole vs. S.C.U.M. (Kevin Steen, Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino): ****

When I first heard of this match, I was really excited. After ROH had a similar style of match at Northern Aggression in 2011, I thought this would be an awesome match. Now although this was a very good match (and my star rating indicates this), I came out of it a bid disappointed. The action was very good, but I was hoping for it to be a little better (maybe I just had my expectations set to hight). My biggest issue with this, I guess, would be how it was booked. I thought the whole Adam Cole getting taken away thing where he appeared to be injured, only to come back, wasn't necessary. The part where they were attending to and taking away Cole, I felt, hindered the flow of the match. I also felt the ending of the match was a little flat with Steen winning in a roll up/small package for the win on Elgin, though Elgin did look strong by eliminating both Jacobs & Corino. With all my gripes, in summary, it was still a very good match, though not as good as I thought it would be.

After the match, Jay Lethal (who came out to prevent S.C.U.M. from interfering in the final fall) is attacked by S.C.U.M. and Elgin is as well, until the Briscoe made the save. They then cut the traditional end-of-the-show promo to wrap things up.

Overall: 8.0/10

While I wouldn't call it as good as the Dearborn/Milwaukee shows, this was still a fine show from ROH. I liked the theme of this show with pretty much all the matches being first-time matches, several of which were very good. ACH/Strong was the Match of the Night for me, and despite my gripes with it, the Main Event is right up their with it. Couple that with Whitmer/O'Reilly, Lethal/Thomas, and a decent undercard, and you got the makings of another solid live event from ROH.

Quintessential Pro Wrestling - Debut Show Review

Quintessential Pro Wrestling makes it debut with a Main Event featuring two of the Best Tag Teams in the World!

So this is a Promotion that was started up recently that uses a lot of talent used by PWG. They were originally supposed to release this on DVD but couldn't. Basically, TNA made a change to a long standing rule in regards to their talents. TNA wrestlers were able to work Indy Shows as long as they were promotions that didn't air their shows on iPPV (such as PWG). However, they changed that recently to include promotions like PWG (which led to the PWG departure of Joey Ryan). Thus, this show (which features TNA Talents in Bad Influence & Joey Ryan) couldn't be sold on DVD, but the show was recently put up on Youtube completely free.

Here's where you can view it: https://www.youtube.com/user/RingCrew

Their were 7 Matches on this show. That seventh match was supposed to be (I think) Willie Mack vs. Brian Kendrick but Kendrick for some reason wasn't on here & got replaced by Shad Gaspard (of WWE/Cryme Tyme fame). Shad won, and the match was not put up on Youtube.

Quintessential Pro Wrestling - Debut Show

Monrovia, California 4/19/13

1.) The RockNES Monsters & B-Boy vs. Peter Avalon, Rey Rosas & Scorpio Sky: ***1/4

They started off with a few comedy spots and then got into an actual match. It was fine. Entertaining opener but nothing really special. 

2.) Candice LaRae vs. Winter: **1/4

Haven't seen Winter since her run in TNA. She's accompanied by some random chick. Their's some funny stuff in the beginning with the announcing of the weights. The match was ok for a Women's Contest.

LaRae wins and gets attacked by Winter & her random chick-friend. This really isn't shown on the video but Joey Ryan makes the save, only to (of course) turn on LaRae, leading to Drake Younger coming out and saving LaRae. 

3.) Brian Cage vs. Paul London: ***1/4

I think Paul London came out with a cupcake and gave Cage one as well, I think. They started by doing some arm wrestling & pose downs before they actually start wrestling. This was a fine match, but surprisingly not as good as one would think. I feel like the stuff in the beginning hurt the match.

4.) Drake Younger vs. Joey Ryan: ***1/2

This was actually a very good match. They set things up earlier in the night with the Candice LaRae stuff, and they wrestled a pretty solid contest. Joey Ryan goes for a bag of what someone might think would be thumbtacks, but its filled with Gummy Bears....No Joke. They go for a little bit, but Candice LaRae comes out & hits Ryan will a Ballplex on the Gummy Bears!! Ryan sells it like a Thumbtack spot, which is hilarious. Younger hits the Drake's Landing on the Gummy Bears to pull out the win!!! That was hilarious.

5.) "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. TJ Perkins: ****1/4

They used Elgin's House of Truth Music here for some odd reason, with it now being months after he broke away. They had a pretty good opening match back at Final Battle 2011. This was actually awesome, and turned out to be much better than that match. Really fantastic match here, and Perkins gets the huge win!

6.) The Young Bucks vs. Bad Influence ("The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian): ***3/4

Bad Influence cuts a heel promo in the beginning, putting themselves over, as heels do. While this wasn't good as Perkins/Elgin, this was a very good tag team match. Both teams put for a solid effort and have a great Main Event.

After the match, Daniels put over The Bucks (who won) and asks for a rematch, which they agree to. The Bucks then Double Superkick Referee Rick Knox (who didn't see that coming, honestly?) to close the show.

Overall: 8.0/10

This was a pretty good first show for Quintessential Pro Wrestling. The fact that it is completely free means you'd be crazy not to check this out on Youtube. The Perkins/Elgin match is so good that it's practically a steal to view it for free. The Bucks/Bad Influence Match was very good and the undercard was overall enjoyable.