ROH Relentless Review

BJ Whitmer & Jay Briscoe clash with the ROH World Title on the line!

ROH Relentless

Richmond, Virginia 5/18/13

Bonus

1.) Brandon Day & Aiden Chambers vs. Team A-1: **1/2

A pretty decent tag team match. Team A-1 were really popular amongst the fans. A fine contest that sees the popular Team A-1 pick up the win.

Main Card

1.) Kyle Matthews vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ***

Matthews has made several appearances in Dragon Gate USA & Evolve. A pretty solid opener here. Nothing really outstanding, but these two put on a solidly entertaining contest. Elgin would get the win but Matthews proved he could hang. I would love to see him make more ROH appearances.

2.) Adam Page vs. Adam Cole: ***1/4

It's a battle of the Adam's! Another pretty solid match. Cole looked good as usual but Page was just as impressive. Lots of back & forth action which eventually led to Cole getting the win, who quickly exits without shaking Page's hand.

3.) Roderick Strong vs. Mark Briscoe: ***

This is the first time these two have had a singles match since How We Roll in 2006. A fine match, but I feel like it could have a little better. It just had something missing in my opinion. Still, it was a decent match.

4.) Chris LaRusso vs. "The Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: DUD

Arrive. Kill Jobber. Leave.....that's pretty much what happened in this one.

5.) S.C.U.M. (Rhett Titus & Cliff Compton) vs. The American Wolves: **3/4

Much like the Strong/Briscoe match earlier, it was a fine contest that had its moments, but it was missing something that prevented it from being better. Still, this was a solid match, and a good way to advance the ROH/S.C.U.M. feud.

Steve Corino takes the microphone and cuts a promo in the ring. He announced that his "Jesus", Matt Hardy, will be challenging for the ROH World Title at the June 23rd TV Tapings the day after the Best in the World iPPV in Baltimore. He also challenged Nigel McGuinness to a 4-on-4 ROH vs. S.C.U.M. match, where if S.C.U.M. disbands if ROH wins but Corino himself takes Nigel's Match Maker job if S.C.U.M. wins.

6.) Six-Man Tag - ROH World Tag Team Champions reDRagon & ROH World TV Champion Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal and C & C Wrestle Factory: ***3/4

This Six-Man Tag previews upcoming title matches at Best in the World. Matt Taven is without Truth Martini & The Hoopla Hotties. A very fun match. When you get these six guys together, you know it'll be something good. Entertaining contest which sees the Lethal and C & C getting the victory.

7.) No DQ Match - Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs: ***1/4

The match started as a regular 1-on-1 contest but Jacobs choked Steen early, resulting in a DQ. Steen asks for the match to be restarted as a No DQ Match and gets his wish. A pretty solid match. Though it wasn't as good as the match they had over a year ago at the 10th Anniversary Show, these two put on a fun No DQ Brawl that further advanced Steen's war on S.C.U.M. Steen wins after giving Jacobs a Package Piledriver on a laid out section of Guardrail!

8.) ROH World Title - Jay Briscoe vs. BJ Whitmer: ***3/4

This is Jay's second defense of the ROH World Title. A very solid contest. These two put on an entertaining main event that saw good wrestling and a lot of hard hitting action. At one point, Jay tosses BJ over the top rope, sending Whitmer crashing headfirst through the time keepers table! He somehow is able to continue, and refuses to quit, despite all the punishment from Jay. Briscoe locks in the Dragon Sleeper and makes Whitmer pass out, retaining the title in the process.

After the match, the fans chant for BJ in support of his toughness. He & Jay embrace in a show of sportsmanship as the show closes.

Overall: 7.5/10

While this show didn't have anything that is must see, it was still a fine show. Pretty much all the matches were entertaining in some way or another, and the Six-Man Tag as well as the Main Event delivered. The one thing that continues to impress me with ROH in 2013 is the consistency of their live events, which is a big improvement over 2012.

ROH Dragon's Reign Review

The Briscoes get their rematch against reDRagon for the ROH World Tag Team Titles!

ROH Dragon's Reign

Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania 5/11/13

1.) "God's Gift" QT Marshall & "Barrister" RD Evans vs. The American Wolves: ***1/4

RD Evans cuts a promo before the match, and QT belittled ring announcer Larry Legend for saying his name wrong, but The Wolves interrupted them and we got the match going. A pretty entertaining tag team match. The Wolves did their usual stuff but RD (who is always entertaining) & QT were able to get a good amount of shots in as well. The match was built around Richards trying to kick QT Marshall in the "ding-dong" as Steve Corino put it, which he eventually does, and the Wolves pick up the win.

2.) Vinny Marseglia vs. "The Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: **1/4

Marseglia had a decent TV Match in Belle Vernon last year with Davey Richards. Ciampa's new entrance is just awesome. This was pretty much a competitive squash. Ciampa showed his dominance but Vinny got a fair amount of offense in as well, but in the end, Ciampa would get the win.

3.) Proving Ground Match - ROH World TV Champion Matt Taven (with Truth Martini) vs. Tadarius Thomas: ***1/4

If Thomas wins or gets a time limit draw, he gets a future World TV Title Shot. This was a pretty solid match, definitely one of Taven's better matches since becoming champion. I actually liked the fact that Truth Martini & the Hoopla Hotties were ejected by the ref for interfering for once!! The match actually got a lot better after this, and Taven finally got a win without any outside help.

4.) ACH vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ****1/2

This match was awesome!!! Just an incredible contest between these two guys. ACH showed that he definitely has all the potential, once he becomes more seasoned, to be a main event star for ROH in the next two years. On this night, however, Elgin would get the win.

5.) Dalton Castle vs. Jimmy Nutts: DUD

Don't really know much about Nutts but Castle is a regular for Wrestling is Awesome. Much like on previous shows, this match goes for a few minutes before S.C.U.M. interfered. In this case, it was Rhett Titus. He beats up both guys until Kevin Steen runs out, leading straight to...

6.) Rhett Titus vs. Kevin Steen: ***

A fine match. Nothing really special about it but pretty entertaining. Steen beat the crap out of Titus, who despite this got in a good deal of offense. It would only delay the inevitable, as Steen picked up the win with the Package Piledriver.

After the match, Steen gave Titus two more Package Piledrivers.

7.) Triple Threat Match - Roderick Strong vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Adam Cole: ***1/4

A random Triple Threat, but one with three really good wrestlers so no complaining from me. For the time they got this was pretty solid. Lots of non-stop action. Some might not like the finish being so sudden, but after watching this again, I found it to be a fine ending to the match. BJ gets the win and momentum heading into his World Title Match, while Adam Cole continues to get some tough losses.

8.) No DQ - Jay Lethal vs. Jimmy Jacobs: ****

I actually really liked this. Jacobs has really been on a role in 2013, and he continued that momentum here. Lethal was great here as well. I feel like Lethal & Jacobs really mesh well together as opponents. Chairs, Trash Cans & a Table all came into play. Steve Corino left the broadcast table & interfered, which led to Kevin Steen coming out. During all this, Lethal accidentally superkicks Steen, which allows Jacobs to spear Lethal through a table and pick up the win for S.C.U.M.

  

9.) ROH World Tag Team Titles - reDRagon vs. The Briscoes: ***3/4

The Briscoes are cashing in their rematch after loosing the titles at the 11th Anniversary Show to reDRagon. BJ Whiter is out on commentary with Kevin Kelly. While not as good as their first match in Chicago, this was still a fine World Tag Team Title Match and a solid main event. Fish & O'Reilly are a great tag team and keep proving that with every single defense. Here they used a distraction and the physical belts to retain their titles.

Afterwords, reDRagon tried to make a quick getaway but the American Wolves throw them back in the ring. BJ Whitmer, who will be challenging for Jay Briscoe's World Title in Richmond, also got in the ring, and a brawl broke out. Michael Elgin came out and watched the chaos and the fans chanted "Next World Champ" to close the show.

Overall: 8.25/10

Above all else, this was a fun show....a very fun show. Everything on this show proved to be entertaining and their really isn't anything I'd say is skippable. I must mention also that having Steve Corino on commentary is just great, because he's so entertaining. Elgin/ACH stole the show, and their were several others matches that are very good as well. Easily one of the best ROH live events of 2013.

Quintessential Pro Wrestling - Show #2 Review

Eight Men vie for the right to be crowd the first ever Quintessential Pro Champion!

All nine matches from this show in their entirety are available to view for absolutely free on the Ring Crew Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RingCrew

Quintessential Pro Wrestling - Show #2

Monrovia, California 6/16/13

1.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Quarter Finals - Ray Rosas vs. Brian Cage: **3/4

A fine opening match. The only real complaint I have is that I feel like Rosas got in way to much offense on Cage, but that's about it. Cage wins & advances to the next round.

2.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Quarter Finals - TJ Perkins vs. Eddie Edwards: ***1/2

TJP is sporting some new attire here. A pretty good match. Could have been a little better, but still very solid. Exactly the kind of match that you would expect from these two. Edwards wins & advances to the next round.

3.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Quarter Finals - Adam Thornstowe vs. Joey Ryan: **3/4

First time seeing Adam Thornstowe. Joey Ryan is heeling it up pretty good here. Another match that was pretty decent. About on the same level as the opener. Thornstowe wins & advances to the next round.

4.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Quarter Finals - B-Boy vs. Kevin Steen: ***1/2

This is a very interesting match. Very solid match. On the same level as the Perkins/Edwards match but for different reasons, with that match being a more technical contest and this one being a brawl, as you would expect from Steen & B-Boy. Steen wins & advances to the next round.

After the match, Steen talks about how this is the first match he's had with B-Boy since 2006. He puts over B-Boy for being kind to him & El Generico when they started on the US Independents. The two shake hands.

5.) Candice LaRae vs. Cheerleader Melissa: ***

Wow. This was a lot better than the women's match on the first show. Very brutal at times, with Melissa swinging LaRae's body into the ringside chairs several times. Seeing this match made me think. Even though she played the roll very well, I think it was a waste for TNA to use Melissa as Raisha Saeed, because she's one of the very best women's wrestlers in the world. Entertaining women's match.

6.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - Brian Cage vs. Eddie Edwards: ***1/2

These two had a singles match previously in PWG. While I don't think it quite reached the level of that match, this was still pretty good. Nice back & forth action between the two. Cage would end up winning & advancing to the finals.

7.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - Adam Thornstowe vs. Kevin Steen: **1/2

For some reason, this was very short. I think it went just went under 5 minutes. Despite that, it was still good for what it was. Thornstowe (I guess) underwent a heel turn during the match, poking Steen in the eye and later low blowing him and rolling him up for the win, which allowed him to advance to the finals. 

8.) The RockNES Monsters vs. The Young Bucks: ***3/4

The RockNES Monsters knocked down the entrance set-up on the way to the ring in a funny moment. This was easily the match of the night, in my view, which should be no surprise considering The Young Bucks are involved. It seems like they are able to bring out the best out of every team they're in the ring with, which is the case here with the RockNES Monsters. Very solid & enjoyable tag team match.

9.) Quintessential Pro Title Tournament - Finals - Adam Thornstowe vs. Brian Cage: ***1/4

Oddly enough, the Quintessential Pro Title isn't even a physical title belt, but a trophy (Looks similar to CHIKARA's Young Lions Cup if we're talking comparisons). If it was going to be a Cup this whole time, they should have just called it the Quintessential Pro Cup, but whatever. Thornstowe comes out as a heel once again. While this wasn't as good as some of the other tournament matches, it was also better than some others. It was somewhere in the middle. A fine match, though really not as good as some of the other stuff on here. Thornstowe was able to kick out of Weapon X (which is a really cool finisher, btw) and eventually got the win to become the first Quintessential Pro Champion.

Overall: 7.5/10

While not as good as the first show, this was still a very entertaining one. It looks like they're going to be pushing Adam Thornstowe as the focal point of the promotion going forward. The fact that he beat Joey Ryan, Kevin Steen, and Brian Cage in one night is incredible. I think the promotion has a bright future. If they continue to do shows on the same week as PWG (This was the day after PWG Is Your Body Ready?) that puts them at a huge advantage, as they can use a lot of the talent PWG uses since they're already in town. Once again, the fact that it's available to view for free on Youtube makes this a must see, because who doesn't like getting/watching free stuff?

CHIKARA The Shoulder of Pallas Review

Mike Quackenbush has a big surprise for his former partner Jigsaw!

CHIKARA The Shoulder of Pallas

Secaucus, New Jersey 4/6/13

This show was one of the many shows held by various promotions (Dragon Gate USA, Evolve, SHIMMER, etc...) at WrestleCon during WrestleMania Weekend. I believe the attendance was at or close to 1000, which I think is the highest attended show in CHIKARA History.

1.) Kobald vs. Saturyne: **1/2

A fine opening match. Both used Sara Del Rey's moves during the match (Saturyne because she was Del Rey's protege of sorts & Kobald did it to make fun of her). Again, nothing fancy but a good way to get things going.

2.) 4-Corner Elimination Match – The Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black & Blind Rage) vs. The Throwbacks (“Mr. Touchdown” Mark Angelosetti & Dasher Hatfield) vs. The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) vs. The Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive with Sidney Bakabella): ***1/4

I think this is my first time seeing one of these four-way tag matches that are one of CHIKARA's signatures. As always, Points are in Play in this one. This was very fun. Lots of stuff in here was very entertaining, and although it had a sloppy moment or two, I found it very enjoyable. The Throwbacks were eliminated first, followed by The Devastation Corporation, and The Batiri last eliminated The Spectral Envoy to secure their third point and a shot at the Campeonatos de Parejas.

Sugar Dunkerton came out afterwords to check on his friend Dasher Hatfield, but Mr. Touchdown tells him to get lost.

3.) Amasis vs. Ophidian

Ophidian was injured (some type of leg injury), and came out in a wheelchair. He cuts a promo on Amasis and while doing so makes hand moments that slowly hypnotize Amasis as he continues talking, seemingly putting Amasis in a trance....but it appears Amasis fooled him by only pretending to be hypnotized (or breaking the trance), and went right after his former partner. The Batiri come out and go after Amasis. The numbers are too much and eventually Ophidian hits Amasis with his crutch. Ophidian pulls out a special blend of venom that he says he made just for Amasis, but when he was about to spray it, Amasis hit Ophidian in the throat, causing him to choke on his own venom. Ophidian & The Batiri retreat, but Amasis runs backstage to try & catch them. There was no match here so it doesn't get a rating, though it was a good advancement of the story.

4.) F.I.S.T. (Icarus, Chuck Taylor, Johnny Gargano & Sugar Dunkerton) vs. 3.0, Gran Akuma & Marty Janetty: ***1/2

They are really playing up the fracturing of F.I.S.T. here as Icarus & Dunkerton are in purple while Taylor & Gargano are in black. A very fun Atomicos Match. Their were a lot of interesting spots and the crowd seemed very entertained. The dissension of F.I.S.T. was also played up very well in the match itself, with Taylor & Gargano constantly cheating and berating Sugar. Despite their issues, F.I.S.T. picks up the win when Icarus makes Akuma tap out to the CHIKARA Special.

After the match, Gargano & Taylor continue to degrade Sugar but Icarus stops them, saying Sugar is apart of their group whether they like it or not, which leads to Icarus shoving Taylor. Gargano & Taylor leave without them, and Icarus leaves Dunkerton alone, displeased that he's still causing dissension.

5.) Archibald Peck vs. Tim Donst (with Veronica Ticklefeather, Jakob Hammermeier & Steve “The Turtle” Weiner): **1/2

This is the third match Donst & Peck have had this season (their first two matches both ended in DQ's if I recall correctly). The match itself was decent, but nothing really stood out. Peck is finally able to get a clean win over Donst.

Afterwords, Gavin Loudspeaker takes to the microphone and tells Donst's crew that Donst doesn't care about them and is only out for himself. Jakob gets in Gavin face, which leads the lovable ring announce wide open for an attack from Donst, who then takes a pair of scissors and cuts a piece of Gavin's hair of!! He taunts Gavin and tells he can do this whenever he wants.

Prior to our next match, Director of Fun Wink Vavasseur calls The Colony: Xtreme Force to come down to the ring. He pulls out a metal from his suit jacket and retroactively declares them the 2011 King of Trios Champions! Soldier Ant, as well as Fire Ant & Green Ant protest this. Things get heated, leading to assailANT & Frightmare coming down and getting things started...

6.) The Colony (Fire Ant, Green Ant & assailANT) & Frightmare vs. Soldier Ant & The Colony: Xtreme Force (Arctic Rescue Ant, Missile Assault Ant & Orbit Adventure Ant): ***1/4

This was another fine Atomicos Match. Not as good as the one earlier in the night, but still solid. The Colony: Xtreme Force prove to be very annoying, and the dissension between them & Soldier Ant was pretty evident. The match ends when Missile Assault Ant removes Frightmare's Mask (That fiend!!!) and cradles him for the pin. Normally the removal of a wrestler's mask is a DQ in CHIKARA, but since the ref did not see this, the Xtreme Force were not DQ'ed. 

7.) CHIKARA Grand Championship – Eddie Kingston vs. Hallowicked: ***1/4

I was actually really looking forward to this coming into it. Kingston's right hand was taped up pretty heavily and it's obvious that he's hurting. The match itself was good, though Kingston's hand injury definitely hampered things, which sucks because this had the potential to be a lot better. Kingston retains the title, and is obviously in a lot of pain. Wink Vavasseur (who was at ringside) throws the belt on Kingston in apparent disgust.

8.) Jigsaw & The Shard vs. “Lightning” Mike Quackenbush & Jushin “Thunder” Liger: ****

The placed exploded when Liger came out, in what I think is his only CHIKARA appearance ever. Very solid main event. It's always a pleasure to see Jushin Liger wrestle and he & Quack worked pretty well together as a tag team. To their credit, Jigsaw & The Shard looked good as well, and everything just came together in an entertaining main event, which sees Quack & Liger get the win.

Liger & Quackenbush celebrate with the crowd at the end of the match. As Quack is making his way back up the aisle, a guy wearing a Watchmen Smiley Face Pin & a hat with the initials "NPA" on it hands Quack a package/envelope and says something to him. The camera quickly cuts to black. Quackenbush was soon taken off the roster page (apparently either fired or quit on his own), his Twitter  reportedly no longer became affiliated with CHIKARA, and his merchandise was also discounted. Couple that with the fact that on the next fews shows, in commentary, Events Center, Podcast-A-Go-Go, etc... his name was never mentioned or brought up again, and we have ourselves a very interesting turn of events.

NPA, for anyone who doesn't know, stands for "No Private Army" which is a blog that is apparently apart of the CHIKARA storylines. You can view it here: http://noprivatearmy.blogspot.com/

Overall: 8.0/10

This was a pretty solid show from CHIKARA. Their were a lot of good matches and a fair deal of storyline advancement. Even though the Grand Championship Match ended up being below expectations, the fact that Jushin "Thunder" Liger was on this show in what will probably be his only CHIKARA appearance totally makes up for it. Thumbs up from me.

PWG All-Star Weekend 9: Night Two Review

Matches for the World Title & Tag Team Titles headlines Night Two of this huge weekend for PWG!

PWG All-Star Weekend 9: Night Two

Reseda, California 3/23/13

1.) Jay Lethal vs. Willie Mack: ***

A fine opening match here. I kind of feel bad for Willie Mack. This is the same guy who less than a year ago had a killer match with Kevin Steen for the PWG World Title, and their was a lot of buzz around him, but now he's lost all his momentum. I have a strange suspicion that his blonde-dyed hair has something to do with it. Still a fine match here, though.

2.) Johnny Gargano & Chuck Taylor vs. The RockNES Monsters: ***1/2

I actually really enjoyed this. Some people are iffy on the RockNES Monsters but I like them as a team.  Their match here with Gargano & Taylor shows that they deserve an opportunity in bigger promotions like ROH and Dragon Gate USA. Solid tag team match here.

3.) Paul London vs. Trent?: ***

Another match that was fine, but it went a little too long for my liking. I think London was a better opponent for Trent? here since he's more familiar with the WWE Style.

4.) AR Fox & The Inner City Machine Guns vs. The Unbreakable F’N Steen Machines: ****1/2

These were supposed to be two separate matches, Ricochet/Swan vs. Cage/Elgin and Steen vs. Fox, but they were put together to condense the night's match load to a more reasonable eight. It ended up being a good move. While I'd put the Tag Match between Inner City Machine Guns and Fox/del Sol above this for Match of the Weekend, this was so much fun. It was really good and really enjoyable. Lots of fun moments. Elgin somehow survives a pair of 450's from Swan & Fox as well as a 630 from Ricochet, which leads to Cage, Elgin & Steen destroying Fox for the pin & the win.

5.) TJ Perkins vs. Samuray del Sol: ****

Some might see this as an overrating, but I really enjoyed this match. Perkins & del Sol matched up really well and had a match that sneaks under people's radars when they look back on this weekend of shows. Solid stuff.

6.) Sami Callihan vs. Kyle O’Reilly: ****

Since Sami lost to Drake Younger on Night One, he has the pleasure of facing Adam Cole's Future Shock partner, Kyle O'Reilly, on Night Two. Another match that I think turned out to be really good. These two guys just meshed with each other really well and it resulted in a solid match.

7.) PWG World Tag Team Titles – The Young Bucks vs. The Dojo Bros (Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong): ****

These two had a match at Mystery Vortex which the Dojo Bros won. The match starts off when The Young Bucks superkick the ring announcer for no good reason!! Despite that, they definitely topped that performance with a great contest here for the World Tag Team Titles. Both teams put forth great effort. We saw a lot of stuff, including a 450 Splash on referee Rick Knox to break up a potential three count (which I didn't mind)! In the end, however, The Young Bucks retain. While this was really good, I feel like that this could have potentially been better, considering the four guys involved, but it was still fantastic.

8.) PWG World Title – Adam Cole vs. Drake Younger: ****1/4

If anyone wants proof that Drake Younger can wrestle great Non-Death Matches, just watch this match. A great main event here with Adam Cole. You could really feel that Drake had a legit shot to win the title here. The crowd was really behind him, and their were a ton of moments where you felt like Drake had the match won, but Cole just barely hung on each time. Very good match and a great way to close out All-Star Weekend. Cole would end up sneaking a win, but Younger got a big ovation for his performance.

Overall: 9.5/10

Put simply, another awesome show from PWG. The fact that this show has five matches at the **** or better makes this a must buy. Their were a few matches that drug the show down a bit, when compared to some of the other matches, but that was fine, given the quality of said matches. Really good stuff here from PWG.....would you expect anything different?

PWG All-Star Weekend 9: Night One Review

Sami Callihan & Drake Younger kill each other for a World Title Shot

PWG All-Star Weekend 9: Night One

Reseda, California 3/22/13

1.) Paul London vs. Kevin Steen: ***1/4

I think it speaks volumes about this weekend of shows from PWG when Kevin Steen & Paul London are the opening match on Night One. They had a fine match. It was a bit slow in the beginning, which took me out if it, but the action later on and the comedic moments, such as London challenging Steen to a duel, made up for it.

2.) Non-Title Match – The Young Bucks vs. Johnny Gargano & Chuck Taylor: ****

This is Gargano's debut match for PWG. Really great contest. I'm liking Gargano more & more every time I see him. He works great with Chuck Taylor, as they have worked together for years in CHIKARA and Dragon Gate USA as F.I.S.T. & Ronin respectively. Do I really need to go on about how great The Young Bucks are? Would love to see these two teams do again with gold on the line.

3.) Eddie Edwards vs. Jay Lethal: ***3/4

Given how long he's been in wrestling, this is Jay Lethal's PWG debut. This is also the first time (to my knowledge) that Edwards & Lethal have wrestled each other, in PWG or ROH. Very good match. Lethal & Edwards meshed well as opponents and it made for a great outing. Would love to see these two have a rematch in ROH.

4.) AR Fox & Samuray del Sol vs. The Inner City Machine Guns (Ricochet & Rich Swann): ****1/2

These four men are all native to Dragon Gate USA & Evolve. This was a fantastic match. The exchange between Ricochet & del Sol in the beginning was incredible, and these four men delivered in spades. Definitely the best match on Night One and a contender for match of the weekend.

5.) Roderick Strong vs. Trent?: ***1/4

I guess he's just going under Trent? because WWE owns "Baretta" and he couldn't decide what to call himself. The match itself was fine. They did a good job when you consider what they had to follow, but Roderick Strong never has nothing less than a good match, so Trent? was in good hands. I think he'll get better in adjusting from the WWE Style to the Indy Style with time.

6.) Future Shock vs. The Unbreakable F’N Machines: ***3/4

It's funny that Adam Cole's a heel now in PWG, because I think a heel Future Shock was a opportunity lost in ROH. The match was pretty good. What you would expect from these guys.

7.) Guerilla Warfare #1 Contender’s Match – Sami Callihan vs. Drake Younger: ***

This is the final match in their Best-of-Three Series, and the winner will Main Event Night Two against Adam Cole for the PWG World Title, while the loser gets a match with Kyle O'Reilly. All I have to say is WOW. This has to be the most disgusting pro-wrestling match I have ever seen in my entire life. Younger took a massive beating and just kept coming. Chairs, Staple Guns, and even Salt were used in this match. These matches are the reason why I don't watch CZW. I'm glad Younger wrestling his last death match this year, because he'll be crippled if he keeps wrestling matches this violent. Though I gotta say, Reseda loves Drake Younger....and they love Sami Callihan to. 

After Younger finally gets the win, he & Sami shake hands, but as Younger celebrates he gets attacked by PWG World Champion Adam Cole.

Overall: 8.75/10

This card has some great stuff on it, but it's also a mixed bag. Despite both being solid, the Trent? match dragged the show down a bit and I feel like London/Steen could have been a little letter (though the match was still pretty good). The Younger/Callihan match was brutal by all means, and it might turn some people off to this show, but it shouldn't. Whether you like, hate, or despise the main event, the rest of the card is solid. The stars of Dragon Gate USA really shined on this show with two fantastic matches, and the ROH guys had solid performances as well.

Wrestling is Fun!: There's Always Money In The Banana Stand Review

Feuds continue and The Banana is on the line!

Wrestling is Fun!: There's Always Money In The Banana Stand

Allentown, Pennsylvania 4/28/13

1.) Los Ice Creams vs. The Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked & Frightmare): **3/4

Very enjoyable opener. I was always enjoy watching The Spectral Envoy and the Ice Creams were entertaining as usual.

2.) Juan Francisco de Coronado (with Herbert) vs. UltraMantis Black: **1/4

It's funny that UltraMantis was a rudo in CHIKARA for so long, because now since he's been tecnico, everyone loves him (myself included). The match was going fine until the referee caught Herbert choking UltraMantis, drawing a DQ. Coronado yells at Herbert afterwords. Sucks we didn't get a clean finish to this one, but whatever. UltraMantis is able to get the last laugh by hitting Coronado with the Praying Mantis Bomb.

3.) The Batiri (Kobald, Obariyon & Kodama) vs. The Baltic Siege (Estonian ThunderFrog, Latvian Proud Oak & Lithuanian Snow Troll): ***1/4

These two sides have had several tag team exchanges on past shows, but this is their first trios encounter. A very fun match. The Batiri were their usual selves and The Baltic Siege proved to be a very entertaining trio. The Siege would get the win on this night. I should note that the The Proletariat Boar of Moldova & Mr. Azerbaijan made an appearance during the match, as they appeared to distract The Baltic Siege.

4.) "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti vs. Amasis: ***1/2

This was a very good match. I'm sure that I am not the first person to point this out, but for being out of wrestling for awhile, Amasis is in really good shape and in top form. He scores the win over Mr. Touchdown in what was Match of the Night for me.

5.) Oleg The Usurper (with Sidney Bakabella) vs. Green Ant: ***

It should be no surprise that Oleg's best match to date occurs against Green Ant. Good stuff here. Bakabella hits Green Ant with Oleg's helmet when the ref was distracted, and Oleg is able to get the win. I was fine with the finish because it led to a rematch between the two.

6.) Kiss My Foot Match - Princess Kimber Lee vs. Saturyne: **1/2

So these two have been having a series of matches in Wrestling is Fun!, with Kimber Lee using some dirty shenanigans on Saturyne. This is their third match, and in this case, the loser has to kiss the winner's foot. An entertaining women's match here. The crowd seemed invested and they were able to use stuff that called back to their previous matches, including the hammer coming into play and both gals "Eddie Guerrero-ing". Saturyne would pick the up the win and forcibly shoves her foot in Lee's face. 

Kimber Lee nears fainting after this and calls for a man in shining armor, which of course brings out Jolly Roger & Lance Steel. They attempt to help her, but the Devastation Corporation run out and attack them, and it's shortly revealed that Sidney Bakabella paid off Kimber Lee to set up the attack.

7.) Jolly Roger & Lance Steel vs. The Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive with Sidney Bakabella): DUD

The match never officially got started, as the two sides brawled around ringside for a few minutes. Just as the Corporation looked like they were going to finish Roger & Steel off, Shane Storm comes out of nowhere with a Stop Sign and chases the Corporation off. While their was really no match it was a fun brawl and a good way to advance the feud.

8.) WiF! Banana Championship - assailANT vs. Jaka (with Sidney Bakabella): **3/4

assailANT is making his first defense of the Banana after winning it from Mr. Touchdown on the previous show. This was a decent match, but I feel like it was a bit disappointing for a main event, especially when their were several other good matches on the card. They did some brawling in the crowd but the in-ring action was just decent. Jaka wins the Banana, but ends up eating it, much to the dismay of Sidney Bakabella.

Overall: 7.25/10

This was a pretty good show for Wrestling is Fun!, in front of what I think was the largest crowd I've seen from a Wrestling is Fun! show up to this point. While the main event was a bit disappointing, there were several matches that made up for it by being both solid and entertaining. Once again, it's definitely worth the $5 Price Tag, as you'll get a pretty fun wrestling show.

Wrestling is Fun!: Feliz Banavidad Review

Fire Ant challenges Mr. Touchdown for the right to be Possessor of the Potassium!

Wrestling is Fun!: Feliz Banavidad

Allentown, Pennsylvania 12/29/12

I should note that Icarus, for some odd reason, was on ring bell duty here. I think the commentators also mentioned he was wearing Batman Pajamas. 

1.) The Batiri (Kobald & Kodama) vs. Los Ice Creams: **1/2

The story of the opening contest revolves around Kobald complaining about referee Bryce Remsburg's officiating. This leads to some funny bits where Bryce "slow counts" The Batiri's pin attempts. Bryce gets so frustrated that he hands over the refereeing duties to one of the cameramen from Smart Mark Video, who also slow-counts The Batiri. Bryce eventually gets back in control of the officiating and The Batiri pick up the win. Very fun opener.

2.) STIGMA vs. Green Ant: ***

Oh look, it's a Green Ant Match...and guess what?....It's pretty good. Green Ant is probably my favorite out of all the ants because he always puts on consistently solid performances. His match here against STIGMA is no exception. Green Ant ended up making STIGMA tap out via a Test of Strength of all things. I think it would be really cool if ROH brought Green Ant in for some solo appearances, because he's clearly a great wrestler.

3.) Oleg The Usurper (with Sidney Bakabella) vs. Jolly Roger: *1/2

It says on the results page on the Wrestling is Fun! website that Oleg crushed Jolly Roger, and that's pretty much what happened. Accurate description. Poor Jolly Roger.

4.) Obariyon vs. Jervis Cottenbelly: **3/4

The story of this one revolves around Jervis trying to teach Obariyon (arguably the scariest looking member of The Batiri) some gentlemen-like manners. This was actually pretty entertaining, though I wish Jervis would win for once, because he's cool!

5.) Juan Francisco de Coronado (with Herbert) vs. Lance Steel: **1/2

This was fine, though I don't recall liking it as much as the previous match.

6.) assailANT vs. Dasher Hatfield: ***

These two are having a rematch from their contest two months prior at The Allentown Potassium Massacre. This was slightly below their first encounter, but still a fine match. Dasher avenges his previous loss by picking up the win.

7.) The Devastation Corporation (with Sidney Bakabella) vs. The Spectral Envoy (Hallowicked & Frightmare): **3/4

A pretty decent contest here. It was easy for me to get into this since The Spectral Envoy are one of my favorite teams. I feel like The Devastation Corporation, while still hitting some rough spots, are slowing getting better over time. If they're in there with the right teams, they can have solid matches.

8.) Jaka vs. Saturyne: **1/2

What I thought might be an easy win for Jaka turned into a big win for Saturyne, who pinned the savage after knocking him out with a kick. I find it odd that despite this huge win, Saturyne has yet to get a shot at the Banana Championship as of this writing.

9.) WIF! Banana Championship - "Mr Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti (with Veronica Ticklefeather) vs. Fire Ant (with Green Ant): ***1/4

The main event was a pretty solid one. Touchdown and Fire Ant put on a solid performance here. Since this was after CHIKARA's Under The Hood iPPV, they played up the fallout here between Touchdown & Veronica. Despite Fire Ant's best effort, Mr. Touchdown remains in possession of the potassium.

Overall: 7.0/10

A solidly enjoyable show. The main event proved to be solid and their were a lot of fine matches on the undercard. For the runtime and the $5 Price Tag at Smart Mark Video, I'd say it's a fun show to check out.