ROH Wrestling Episode #397 Recap & Review: 4/29/19

It should prove to be another fun episode tonight as it's packed with the best and brightest ROH has to offer: The Briscoes, Silas Young, Jonathan Gresham and (spoilers ahead) a new world champion. Plus so much more, so let's not waste any more time and get right into it.

Matt Taven Opener

Taven saunters to the ring as the newly crowned ROH World Champion, then cuts a promo where highlights his recent exploits in ROH and CMLL, tracing his road to title glory. He then proclaims whoever wishes to challenge for his title needs to earn it as he did. Flip Gordon comes out, addresses his knee injury situation, then reveals he's the new #1 Contender to the world title after speaking with ROH officials.

Silas Young vs. Jonathan Gresham

It's the absolute definition of scientific wrestling from the get-go as both wrestlers exchange various holds and counters, weaving these exchanges in and out of the ring through well-placed hip toss spots. So far it's a stalemate as neither man has really gained the advantage over the other. Gresham displays more frustration and aggression, throwing an illegal closed fist; Young smirks in the corner, setting his psychological game in motion.

The two exchange wrist lock counters and takedowns, still a stalemate for the most part. Gresham escapes Young's wrist lock and hits him with a dropkick, then drop toe-holds him into the corner before hitting him with a follow-up seated dropkick. After another quick technical exchange, Gresham hits Young with a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Outside the ring, Young sneaks in a hammer while bringing a chair in the ring. With the referee distracted, Young hits Gresham with the hammer and then locks in an abdominal stretch/chin lock combo to the pick up the victory.

Another great match from these two and a nice continuation into what could really be a damn good feud. Young is such a fantastic heel, and his performance so far with Gresham really shows. He baits Gresham in with promises of pure, clean wrestling only to break it and cheat in the end. It's bringing out a more frustrated, aggressive side of Gresham, while simultaneously displaying Young's technical prowess. Not lying here when I say this might be my favorite feud in ROH right now. I'm super hyped to see what the rubber match turns out to be.

Soberano, Jr. & Caristico vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark)

Mark and Soberano, Jr., start the match off, with Mark attempting to ground the luchador enmascarado, who responds with a rope-walk hurricanrana. Caristico and Jay are tagged in now, who hits Jay with a running hurricanrana, then a rope-walk arm drag, sending him to the outside. The brothers rest for a bit on the outside, then get back in the ring and start working in the technicos over, sending them back to the outside.

Back in the ring once again, the brothers have  isolated Caristico and attempt to break him down further. He escapes and tags in Soberano, Jr., who hits them with a diving crossbody then anelevated double dropkick, sending them to the outside. After Soberano, Jr. connects with a fosbury flop, Caristico delivers a crossbody to the brothers, then gets Mark back in the ring. Mark throws palms strikes and sends Caristico to the outside, who responds by superkicking Jay on the apron and nailing Mark with a springboard crossbody.

Soberano, Jr. is tagged in as he and Caristico hit Mark with a Doomsday-style crossbody, which Jay breaks up. Jay then dukes it out with Soberano, Jr., dishing out a death valley driver before Mark and him connect with their signature Redneck Boogie (crucifix powerbomb/neckbreaker) tag combo. Soberano, Jr. kicks out, then Jay spikes him with the Jay Driller before Mark hits him with the Froggy Bow. Jay takes the cover and secures the victory for his team.

A great tag team match and a damn fine way to close out the show. A very nice clash of styles as lucha libre collided with the remixed version of slam-bang wrasslin', displaying excellent chemistry throughout. The overall MVP of the match has to be Soberano, Jr., as he put on an absolute clinic with the brothers, taking Jay and Mark to the limit anytime he got the tag. As long as they keep putting on solid performances like they did tonight, I'm looking forward to seeing more of this luchador team in the future. Combine them with the always reliable GOAT Briscoes and you can't lose.

So while a good portion of the show was dedicated to getting us caught up on the happenings in ROH following Supercard, we're still treated to a couple of damn good matches, and a very decent episode overall. Young/Gresham put another crisp technical showcase, furthering their solidly executed rivalry. Briscoes/Caristico and Soberano, Jr. was some good tag team wrestling, and I for one am definitely looking forward to Taven's reign as ROH World Champion. A very solid episode, and one you should peep out when you get the chance.

ROH Wrestling Episode #396 Recap/Review: 4/22/19

In what should prove to be an exciting bout, international rising star Bandido takes on the time-weathered veteran PJ Black in this week's main event. But we've got lots of other stuff to unpack in this episode, so let's get right into it.

Kenny King vs. Tracy Williams

The match is very slow and methodical from the get-go, both men applying various holds in an effort to gain opening leverage; Williams employing his expert technical background, finding an answer to whatever King throws at him. The two stop their technical exchange and go straight for strikes, throwing elbows for a brief respite. Williams throws hard chops then catches King in a series of half-hatch suplexes. King catches him on the top rope and sends him to the outside, only for Williams answer back with a chop block counter to King's pescado attempt.

After a brief smattering of elbows on the outside, King connects with a corkscrew senton off the apron. Back in the ring, he's in control for a brief respite before grandstanding gets the best of King; the two exchange counters both on and off the top rope before Williams connects with an implant DDT onto the ropes, then a death valley driver. King kicks out, then throws various signature moves at Williams (including a slew of kicks and a variation of the Last Chancery).

Going high-risk, Williams ascends to the top-rope once again in an effort to finally put away King, who catches Williams mid-air and finally connects with the Royal Flush and picks up the W to kick off the show.

A decent match and a solid way to start the show. While the chemistry wasn't absolutely pitch-perfect, both competitors found their groove with another and worked a good bout chock full of well-executed spots and counters. King benefits by getting a clean win and showing off his underrated wrestling ability, while Williams benefits by furthering his endurance-laden scrapper mentality, showing that he can go the distance and can hold his own in any situation. A pretty good opener and a mutually beneficial affair altogether.

Reno Scum (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend) vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas)

The Bouncers start off the match manhandling their opponents as per usual. After a quick counter, Scum manage to throw the advantage their way as they work over Bruiser with a combination of tag team maneuvers. It's to no avail, though as Bruiser fights out of it and tags in Milonas, who immediately shifts the momentum back to The Bouncers' side. They manage to put Thornstowe away with their signature hanging second-rope leg drop finisher to gain yet another victory.

While it's another fun squash match at the hands of The Bouncers, one has to wonder if there's anything more substantial planned for them in the future. I enjoy what they're doing so far, but something's got to give.

Bandido vs. PJ Black

In a surprising turn of events, the match is quite technical from the start as both competitors throw around various mat-based holds and counters to gain the opening momentum. After a series of arm drags and legsweeps, both trade unsuccessful dive attempts before Black finally connects with a corkscrew pescado. He goes to the top rope, only for Bandido to bait him into another dive attempt; with Black caught up on the ropes, Bandido suplexes him to the outside.

He then connects with a picture-perfect moonsault; Black avoids a running cannonball attempt and the two are back inside the ring, throwing elbows. Black connects with a series of kicks, then goes to the top rope. Bandido meets him in the middle with a springboard hurricanrana attempt, only for Black to roll through and connect with his variation of the Styles Clash, then plant him with an impressive pumphandle cutter.

Hesitation costs Black as Bandido throws a few elbows then rolls through with some variation of a cradle brainbuster/driver/etc. They tussle on the top rope once again before Black connects with a super hurricanrana, then a diving moonsault press. Bandido kicks out and the two strikes for a brief respite before Bandido connects with a standing Spanish Fly. Black responds with a crucifix pin attempt, then a rolling enzuguiri before connecting with a top-rope double stomp.

Bandido kicks out, then uses the extra time to hang Black up on the top rope and deliver another Spanish Fly. Black kicks out and blocks a moonsault attempt, then goes for a springboard moonsault of his own. Bandido catches him, hits him with an inverted flipping Go 2 Sleep then finally puts him to bed (no pun intended) with his patented 21-Plex finisher to secure the win and end the show.

A fantastic match and a great main event. The sequences/spots/counters/etc. were all handled with grace and plumb, no doubt thanks to the absolutely crisp in-ring chemistry Black and Bandido had with each other; even if they've only faced each other once before, you really couldn't tell. Both competitors traded excellent offensive and defensive maneuvers throughout the match, really keeping you hooked until the very end. I really hope these two work together again, whether it's against each other or teaming up, because these two have supremely good chemistry with one another.

A pretty damn good show from beginning to end. We had a good opener with King/Williams, a solid squash match The Bouncer/Reno Scum and a great main event in Bandido/Black. A fluid, well-executed show from beginning to end. Check it out when you get the chance.

My WrestleMania Weekend Odyssey: The Highs, The Lows and (almost) Everything In Between

So admittedly, this took A LOT longer than I intended, mainly due to a combination of a busy work schedule and the sheer amount of shows I've watched. Regardless, here I am to present to you my experience watching almost all, or at least a fair portion of, the wrestling shows that occurred over WrestleMania weekend. It was good, bad, weird and incredibly exhausting, but ultimately a fantastic experience I'm glad I took part of (if only as a dude who viewed it all through a computer screen).

GCW Presents Josh Barnett's Bloodsport

This was my first stop on my journey, and a damn good place to start, if I do say so myself. Styled after the eponymous Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, the wrestlers competed in shoot-style matches with no ring posts or ropes to cut the ring off. Josh Barnett main-evented against Minoru Suzuki, with several matches featuring former MMA fighters (Barnett, Frank Mir, Phil Baroni, Dan Severn) as well as highly respected mat technicians in independent wrestling (Timothy Thatcher, Jonathan Gresham, etc.) And as for Suzuki? Well, you already know his name and know what he does.

A damn good show and definitely a step up from last year's Bloodsport, which was alright but kind of a mess. They really worked out the kinks and provided a fun show for those who love shoot-style wrestling. Top matches were Davey Boy Smith, Jr./Killer Kross, Masashi Takeda/Gresham, Thatcher/Hideki Suzuki, and MOTN honors obviously go to Barnett/Suzuki. If you're a mat wrestling purist, check this one out ASAP if you haven't already.

WrestleCon Presents The Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow

On my second stop, I decided to turn to the WrestleCon side of town and check out the annual Supershow. Typically one of the bigger independent shows that during WrestleMania weekend, this year was no different from the other. It was jam-packed with some of the biggest stars of professional wrestling then and now, spanning various promotions and creating some truly interesting match-ups in the process.

And with the promising card, Supershow definitely delivered. Aside from Will Ospreay vs. Bandido as the stellar main event, we're also treated to Zack Sabre, Jr./Shane Strickland, Rey Fenix/Pentagon, Jr. and Dragon Lee/Barbaro Cavernario, among others. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't also enjoy SoCal Uncensored/Best Friends & Orange Cassidy and Jushin Thunder, X-Pac & Hurricane Helms/Revolt! as well. An absolutely stacked show with plenty of good matches to pick from. Only two shows in and this journey has already been a blast.

Impact Wrestling: United We Stand

For my third show (in one night, no less) on my journey, I took a left into the land of Impact and their star-studded event United We Stand. Already containing the best Impact has to offer, the card also features talent from promotions such as AAA, Lucha Underground and Major League Wrestling (MLW). The card starts with a Ultimate X Fatal Five-Way and ending with a special attraction tag team match between the Lucha Bros (Fenix and Pentagon, Jr.) and the iconic Rob Van Dam & Sabu.

A fairly solid show. While nothing particularly mind-blowing, the show managed to keep my interest throughout. The Ultimate X match was a good way to start off the show, though I'm not entirely certain why they had their World Champ (Johnny Impact) take the W. All of the tag team matches were good, with the Latin American Exchange/Low Ki & Ricky Martinez. Tessa Blanchard/Joey Ryan was a fun intergender match and Rich Swann/Flamita for the X Division title gets MOTN honors from me. Not a bad watch.

Inter Species Wrestling presents Boner Jam IV: Balls Out

One of the smaller, less well-known promotions to have a show during WrestleMana weekend, I decided to check out ISW's fourth incarnation of Boner Jam. Given the implication of the name, I predicted it to be a somewhat silly, rather light-hearted affair. And given we had such characters as Fluffy The Killer Bunny and The Werewolf Of Wallstreet (my favorite), as well as a food-themed battle royal and a Lego deathmatch, it certainly seemed like it would live to such an expectation.

At live up to it did, providing us a 2.5 hour cartoonish cavalcade of wrestling. In the Food Fight Invitational, we saw a myriad of chips, bread and other goodies tossed around in chaotic fashion, including an excellent 3D spot through a table of ramen. One half of ROH's Coast 2 Coast fought a psychopathic bunny and everyone's favorite Danish building blocks were turned into gruesome instruments of violence. But outside the absurdity, the card also featured good standard matches; Daniel Makabe/Jae Rukin was a decent technical bout, and both of the tag team matches were quite entertaining. Not sure why I added so much detail here, but regardless, this was a solid, rather goofy affair to watch.

GCW presents Joey Janela's Spring Break 3 (Part One)

In a surprising turn of events, The Bad Boy decided one night wasn't enough for his Mania Weekend tradition and decided to turn his annual event into a two-night extravaganza, featuring rising stars in the American independent as well as legends of wrestling yore. In this show, we're guaranteed an invisible brouhaha, an insane deathmatch and a surprise appearance from a certain meatsauce-fueled character.

You never really know what to expect when it comes to these shows in particular, and that's the beauty of them. Of all the shows I watched from Mania Weekend, this was arguably the most entertaining out of all of them. From beginning to end, the fun I had with this show was immeasurable. For the all-encompassing wrestling fan, it had everything you wanted and then some. You want absurdity? Watch Invisible Man/Invisible Stan's excellent grudge match and Fuckmoney Virgil take possession of Ethan Page's soul while masquerading as Starman. Want in-ring excellence? Watch the Six-Pack Scramble (Jungle Kid being the overall MVP). Want a blend of both? Watch the opener between Joey Janela/Marko Stunt and Taka Michinoku/Orange Cassidy (a god among men). And for the more sadistic-minded, we have an excellent deathmatch main event featuring Jimmy Lloyd and Big Japan stalwart Masashi Takeda. Unequivocally, the absolute epitome of fun, which is exactly what professional wrestling should be.

NXT Takeover: New York

For my first "big name" show of my odyssey, I went into the familiar waters of NXT. Takeover shows (especially around Mania Weekend) have a reputation for producing a blow-you-out-of-the-water quality from top to bottom. Looking at the card, it'd be hard to argue with that statement, as we had a murderer's row of title matches: War Raider/Aleister Black & Ricochet for the tag belts, Velveteen Dream/Matt Riddle for the North American title, WALTER/Pete Dunne for the UK belt, Shayna Baszler/Io Shirai/Kairi Sane/Bianca Belair for the Women's title and last but not least, Johnny Gargano/Adam Cole for the vacant NXT Championship.

NXT outdid themselves once again, setting up a big fight feel for their show and delivering with each match. War Raiders/Blackochet (their unofficial name, of course) set a high bar at the very start of the show, delivering a piece of tag-team excellence. Having already earned a godly reputation on the indies, Riddle continued to build his stock in WWE while Dream delivered another stellar performance, proving once again why he's one of the wrestling's unsung heroes. WALTER/Dunne was an epic clash of power vs. technique, and a rather poetic way to end such a storied title reign. Baszler continuously proves why she's one of, if not the best women's champion in professional wrestling right now, and matches like this one prove it; aside from that, each competitor raised their stock in the company, especially Shirai, who is rightfully destined to take the belt from Baszler. And as for the main event, it was storytelling done to a SSS+ Tier. Johnny Gargano has been one of the best parts of NXT in recent time, and he proves it with continuously remarkable performances like this one. There's a reason why I put so much detail into this review, and it's because this show was that damn good, and might be one of the best Takeovers in recent time.

WrestleMania 35

Welp, folks, here it is. The Grandest Stage Of Them All (or whatever they call it); the pinnacle of the weekend, the show every wrestling fan comes to see, for better or worse. Surprisingly, this isn't the end of my journey, but hey, a weird work schedule and bizarre priorities will do that, I guess. Going into this, I was fully aware this going to be a rather daunting watch. With the number of matches totaling around the 14-15 range (I honestly forget sometimes), this was something I knew I had to fuel up for. So with a time-weathered friend and a fair amount of spiced rum, I charged headlong into it and didn't look back.

And it was an absolute blast, albeit somewhat exhausting. Admittedly I didn't watch the pre-show, but fuck it, that would've been absolutely ridiculous. Anyways, a fun show with plenty of good to great matches. Rollins/Lesnar was a superb way to start the show and Rousey/Lynch/Charlotte was an excellent way to end it (dodgy ending aside, of course). As for everything in between, there was plenty of good stuff to be had. Kingston/Bryan was an excellent world title with cinematic storytelling, The Miz/Shane McMahon was way more fun than it had any right to be, the Smackdown Tag Title match was chaotic fun, HHH/Batista had some good stuff in it and Balor/Lashley quick, snappy fun.

That being said, with such a long show, it was obvious there's gonna be some not-so-good stuff in it. The Women's Tag match was a mess (and not in a good way), Corbin/Angle was beyond unnecessary and I failed to see why I should've cared about Reigns/McIntyre. And while it wasn't bad, Styles/Orton was just average. And let's get back to the ending of the main event. Circumstances aside, it just didn't provide me with the emotional catharsis that was intended.

It had its ups, it had its downs, but altogether it was a fun ride and one that warranted the amount of detail I put into this.

Joey Ryan's Penis Party

Well, talk about a polar opposite as far as tone goes. I go from the Ben-Hur of wrestling shows to PHALLIC SYMBOL PHALLIC SYMBOL. Going into it, I knew it would be another light-hearted show that would provide some comical fun, putting the best independent wrestlers in situations both silly and intense. We have a DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight title battle royal, an animal-themed six pack, a death match between tag team partners and intergender confrontations aplenty. Yeah, you already knew it was gonna get weird.

And weird it was, but in a very great way. The battle royal was fantastic, Su Yung/Tracy Smothers was fucking hilarious, Bill Carr/Dan Barry was a well-executed death match, David Arquette continues to bless the world of professional wrestling with his glorious presence, Best Friends yet again put on comedy tag team gold with Tommy Dreamer and Colt Cabana (though I was heavily distracted by the sight of Mike Babchik's probably shit-stained tights), and the main event was...something else. Used condoms, bloody tampons, Session Moth Martina getting her bantz in with Val Venis, etc. It had it all. Excessively entertaining.

Rev Pro Wrestling: Live In New York

We've only got four more shows (including this one) to cover, people. Come on, we can do this. So one of the top promotions British professional wrestling today came to America over WrestleMania weekend, bringing some of their New Japan friends along for the ride. It was a unique card featuring loads of talent from the UK, Japan, the US and everywhere in between, ultimately creating a uniquely blended card. An interesting combination of styles, to say the very least.

A great show from top to bottom, and one of my sleeper picks for show of the weekend. They promised a stacked card and most definitely delivered. MOTN honors definitely go to Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki/ZSJ)/Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay; it was an absolute banger of a tag-team match and I'm quite surprised it wasn't the main event. Other standouts include Tomohiro Ishii/David Starr, Ryusuke Taguchi/Rocky Romero and of course the main event between Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) and Roppongi 3K (Sho & Yoh). Underrated is definitely the best possible term to use when describing my feelings towards this show. Absolutely stellar.

Joey Janela's Spring Break 3: Part 2

After the supremely fantastic night one, we're on to Part 2, where we get the most chaotic of all messes with The Greatest Clusterfuck battle royal, a fitting name if there ever was one. Basically a who's who of independent wrestling, it's a match where literally everyone ever fuck each other's shit up in an effort to see who's the last one left; to say this a packed match would be a monumental understatement. But aside from that, we've got other interesting content to imbibe; Joey Janela opens the show with Jungle Boy, LAX takes on the Rock 'n' Roll Express (seriously) as well as Masato Tanaka/L.A. Park.

Another fantastic outing, as per usual from God Emperor Janela. I honestly don't know he continues to do it, but he's an absolute genius, concocting these bizarrely awesome formulas for shows. Janela/Jungle Boy was an fantastic bout; JB has no doubt came onto my wrestling radar following his superb performances from this weekend. LAX put on a tag team clinic R'N'R Express, Ricky Morton showing he's still got it at age 62 with a suicide dive and (I shit you not) a canadian destroyer. Tanaka/Park was a fun bout and a excellent watch for chair fetishists. And as for the Clusterfuck, it's exactly what it implies. It was a wild, weird and at times a confusing experience, but altogether incredibly entertaining. Great, great stuff.

GCW Presents: Orange Cassidy is Doing Something, or Whatever, who knows?

The king of taking it easy, Orange Cassidy hosts this aptly-named event, providing a unique mash-up of matches and segments. We see a 7-out-of-13 Falls match, a drunken Last Person Standing match, a Swamp Monster Lumberjack match, a one-minute time limit match, Teddy Hart's Reading Rainbow and last but not least a Christmas-themed (for reasons, I guess) death match. A...fascinating show, to say the least.

Wacky? Of course. Kinda stupid, even for professional wrestling? You bet. Did I have an absolute blast with it? Hell yeah. Silliness aside, we got some legit great matches with Shinjiro Otani/Jonathan Gresham and the Six-man Scramble match between Jigsaw, Jake Atlas, Air Wolf, Dan Champion, Sonny Defarge and Tony Deppen (he's lowkey becoming one of my favorite personalities in indy wrestling). And as for the goofy shit, it was expertly executed. Session Martina got her bantz on with Nate Webb (thanks for getting Teenage Dirtbag stuck in my head, by the way), Teddy Hart read a book about cats Chuckie T and Beretta put on a one-minute classic and Nick (Fuckin') Gage brought the holiday cheer to Ultramantis Black.

An incredibly fun show from beginning. The uniqueness of the absurdity was truly something to behold. My only complaint is that MJF ruined a perfectly good game of dodgeball (I hold grudges, you know).

ROH/NJPW G1 SuperCard

It's Ring Of Honor's biggest show of the year as they team up with New Japan Pro Wrestling to sell out Madison Square Garden, the first time a wrestling promotion has done this in three years. Both promotions bring their best and brightest stars as several titles are on the line: we had the midcard challenge with Jeff Cobb (ROH World TV champ) vs. Will Ospreay (IWGP NEVER Openweight Champ), as well as Brody King & PCO/The Briscoes/EVIL & SANADA/Guerrillas Of Destiny for both companies tag titles. Mayu Iwatani defends her Women Of Honor title against Kelly Klein, and both world titles make up the main event: Matt Taven/Marty Scurll/Jay Lethal in a ladder match for the ROH World title and Jay White/Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight title. And several other titles I can't be asked to name off at this time. No doubt a stacked show.

A fantastic show, to say the least. It really lived up to its reputation as a stacked supershow. Cobb/Ospreay was fantastic, and it's truly a treat to see Cobb as a double champion; I'm beyond hype to see what both promotions do with it. The Junior Heavyweight Title match between Taiji Ishimori, Dragon Lee & Bandido was incredible, fast-paced fun, and it'll be interesting to see what they do with Bandido moving forward (Best Of The Super Juniors, perhaps?). Naito/Ibushi was beyond incredible, both men proving why they're two of the top performers in wrestling today. Zack Sabre, Jr./Hiroshi Tanahashi was crispy as hell; Based God ZSJ managing to kill it wherever he goes. The tag team title match was fun as hell, with Brody King & PCO putting an incredible performance; it really is a shame they didn't come out as the victors, because holy shit they deserve it (Guerrillas Of Destiny can fuck off, by the way). Both world title matches were absolutely fantastic as everyone involved put on the performance of a lifetime.

MOTN honors go to Naito/Ibushi, with Cobb/Ospreay and both world title matches closely following. My only complaints are the outcomes of certain matches (the wrong people won) and some disappointing ROH parts (knowing me, that was hard to admit). Iwatani/Klein could've been executed better and the Lifeblood & Flip Gordon/Bully Ray, Silas Young & Shane Taylor match was fine, but it was drawn out far longer than necessary. And it's especially disappointing knowing that this will be the lasting impression for people new to ROH. Regardless, an incredible show.

Overall Weekend Honors

Best Show: Joey Janela's Spring Break 3. This may seem the most absolutely smarkiest of smark choices, but of all the shows I watched, trust me when I tell you this was the most thoroughly entertaining piece of wrestling I viewed from a computer screen. Parts 1 and 2 didn't include a single dull moment from beginning to end. It blended serious wrestling with goofy shit better than any other show, and did so in a way where it didn't come off as trying too hard. Providing high quality entertainment without taking itself too seriously, there's no question this would be my pick.

Worst Show: ISW Presents Boner Jam IV: Balls Out. I feel like it's kind of mean-spirited to claim this as the "worst" show, as I actually kind of enjoyed it. It had solid matches and provided a good portion of fun. It's just that out of everything I watched, it was the least good, if that makes sense. It didn't provide me as much entertainment as other shows, and for that reason, it gets this distinction.

Best Match: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito, G1 Supercard. This was a tough one to call, as there were plenty I could've chosen from. But when it comes to overall in-ring action, this one manages to stand above the rest, if only by a hair or two. The chemistry was second-to-none, the near falls were well-executed and really felt earned and the finish was incredibly satisfying. With all of these factors taken into account, I have to make this one my pick.

Worst Match: Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin, WrestleMania 35. This was just sad to watch. Angle's been huffing air as an in-ring performer as of late, and it was especially apparent here. And while I like Corbin, there's no way in hell he out of any wrestlers should've been a retirement match opponent. Truly painful to sit through.

MVP: GCW, just as a whole. In terms of quantity and quality, they really blew me out of the water this year with just how diverse they could get. From Bloodsport to Spring Break to Orange Cassidy..., it was absolutely mind-blowing to see true creativity being executed so fluidly. They're really living up to their name and changing the game of independent professional wrestling. If you want proof of why they need to be on your radar ASAP, give their shows a watch and you'll be convinced. Truly remarkable, and absolutely deserving of this honor.

Whew, that was certainly a ride, wasn't it? The good, the bad and the downright confusing on full display here. Through all of it, I'm glad I took part, and I applaud all those who joined me on this journey. Rest assured I'll be back at it next year.

ROH Episode #395 Recap/Review: 4/15/19

It should prove to be another quality show as The Briscoes square off against the team of Jeff Cobb and Willie Mack in the main event, the winner qualifying for NWA's upcoming Crockett Cup. There's loads of other stuff to unpack, so let's get to it.

Shane Taylor vs. Luchasaurus

The two trade rest holds for a bit before resorting to strikes. Taylor flips Luchasaurus onto the ring apron and counters his offense with a rope-hung stunner. Taylor remains dominant throughout while Luchasaurus tries to fight back with a strike combination culminating in a shining wizard. Taylor kicks out and the two trade clubbing forearms before Taylor hits Luchasaurus with a lariat. Quickly recovering, Luchasaurus nails a kick combo before planting Taylor with a chokeslam.

Taylor blocks a standing moonsault attempt from Luchasaurus, then connects with a uranage/running knee strike combo. Taylor finishes him off with his Greetings From 216 finisher to pick up the W.

A good match and a decent way to start off the show. Fairly quick, but entertaining nonetheless. Both competitors displayed decent chemistry and delivered some entertaining sequences in the process. Above all else, it proves two things: 1) Taylor is legit underrated, and you should really be keeping an eye on him, and 2) Luchasaurus is most definitely "boy" material (watch OSW Review). Aside from that, not much else to say.

Katie Forbes & Mazzerati vs. Mayu Iwatani & Sumie Sakai

Iwatani and Mazzerati start the match, exchanging in a quick series of hold, Iwatani display her trademark athleticism in the process. Sakai and Forbes are then tagged in, and Forbes manages to ground Sakai with a series of hip attacks, then a stinkface in the corner. Mazzerati is then tagged, their tandem in control for the time being as Sakai is worked over. Sakai manages to halt the punishment with a fisherman's neckbreaker to Mazzerati.

Iwatani gets the hot tag and immediately goes to work, connecting with a tandem springboard somersault arm drag, then a running basement dropkick to her opponents. Mazzerati whips Sakai into Iwatani as Forbes gets them both up for a double samoan drop. Iwatani fights backs, hits a couple of kick on Forbes then connects with a superkick to Mazzerati before Sakai hits her with a rolling cutter for the victory.

Despite the detail I put into the recap, I really didn't think much of this match. Iwatani showed off her GOAT status as per usual, and Forbes displayed some impressive strength in the process. That's really about it.

Willie Mack & Jeff Cobb vs. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark), Crockett Cup qualifier

Mark and Mack start this match off throwing a series of hard knife-edged chops. They bounce off the ropes for a bit before Mack hits a Thesz Press, tagging in Cobb who works Mark over with a series of shoulder charges then a delayed vertical suplex. Jay is tagged in and he employs some surprising technical prowess in an effort to wear down Cobb. The Briscoes employ various quick in an effort to further weaken the World Television champ.

The brothers continue their punishment on Cobb as they send him to the outside, where Mark hits him and Mack with a top rope corkscrew senton. They continue their isolation of Cobb before he hits Mark with a desperation dropkick; Mack gets the hot tag and he flies in like a bat out of hell, throwing in as many strikes and kicks as he can muster at the brothers. It's to no avail, as they halt Mack's momentum with classic tag team fundamentals.

Mack eventually fights back with a pop-up flatliner to Mark; Cobb gets the hot tag and he goes to work tossing the brothers, eventually suplexing them both at the same time. The brothers try to halt their opponents' momentum once again before Cobb superkicks Jay and Mack gets the hot tag. Jay is sent to the outside and Mack teases a somersault tope; Jay eggs him on to come outside the ring and Mack takes the bait as Mark hits him with a wrecking ball dropkick, then connects with a blockbuster off the apron to Cobb.

Back in the ring, the brothers plant Mack with a Doomsday Device. Cobb helps Mack fight out a Redneck Boogie attempt as they subsequently hit a stunner/german suplex/frog splash combo on Mark. Trying to conjure up some more tag offense, Cobb is sent to the outside where's he met with big boot from Jay. Mack trades hands with Mark for a bit before Jay is tagged in; he hits Mack with a snap hurricanrana/Jay Driller combo to get the win and secure a spot in the Crockett Cup.

A damn fine match and a great way to cap the show off. While not an all-time classic, you could definitely use this match as an example of what tag team wrestling should look like. The chemistry these teams had with one another was second to none; it really didn't feel like this was the first time they'd ever faced off. The counters and psychology employed in this match is second to none, especially from The Briscoes. Say what you want about them as people, but as wrestlers, they're the cornerstone of modern tag team wrestling and I will hear no argument to the contrary. But that's nothing to take away from Cobb and Mack, as they also displayed excellent cohesion as a team.

While it was a decent show overall, the only must-see match here is the main event. Then again, if you're up to witnessing the power and glory of Luchasaurus, watch the opening match as well. I can definitely tell you one thing: this episode has helped build my hype for the Crockett Cup, which is coming in almost two weeks' time. And that's about it. If you like some good old-fashioned tag team wrasslin' with a modern twist, then give the main event a peep.

ROH Wrestling Episode #394: 4/8/19

It's the last episode filmed before last Saturday's SuperCard, and everyone (mostly me) is wondering: Who's gonna show up? What's gonna happen? Well, we're definitely getting Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young. As for the rest of the card? We'll just have to wait and find out.

Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Clark Connors, Alex Coglon and Carl Fredericks

The LA Dojo trio try their best to keep up, but to no avail as Castle & the Boys keep steady control of the match from the get-go, tagging in and out and throwing various tag-team maneuvers, working over each opponent in the process. After another attempt at fighting back, the LA Dojo gang fall when Boy 2 catches Fredericks in a small package pin to pick up the W for his team.

Honestly, this was kind of a blur and I barely remember most of the match. Both teams looked good, but it was hard to care. Not sure what they're doing with Castle at this moment, but here's hoping it's something interesting from here on out. Moving on.

The Voros Twins (Chris and Patrick) vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas)

The Bouncers do their usual job of overpowering their much smaller opponents straight from the start. Following a quick counter, the Voros Twins attempt to work Bruiser over with some tag-team offense. This proves to be ineffective as Bruiser eventually powers out and tags in Milonas, who commences tossing the brothers around like it's nothing. The Bouncers hit their superplex/frog splash combo to secure the victory.

A short but fun squash, apropos of The Bouncers at this point. As far as tag teams go, they're becoming one of my favorites to watch. They're incredibly entertaining and you can tell how much fun they're having with each subsequent match. Hopefully we'll get to see more substantial characters in the future, but until then, I'm having a blast watching them toss around some vanilla midgets for a couple minutes every week.

Silas Young vs. Jonathan Gresham

To no surprise (especially from Gresham's end), it's a techincal bout from the start as both wrestlers exchange a series of holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. The action spills out onto the floor as Young and Gresham trade chops, evenly matched so far. Avoiding the 20-count, they get back in the ring and Young momentarily gets the advantage with his trademark backbreaker/lariat combo. Gresham tries to answer back with a pescado, then a diving crossbody.

Young avoids the crossbody, then peppers Gresham with punches and stomps in the corner, holding the advantage for the time-being. Gresham absorbs some more punishment before mounting a comeback, first with a pinning combination out of the corner then a DDT. Following a drop toe-hold into the corner, Gresham hits Young with a corner dropkick. After a quick exchange on the outside, the two get back inside, trading pinning combinations in an effort to eek out a quick victory.

After their technical exchange, they eventually start dishing out strikes and headbutts. Young brings out some of his impressive arsenal (including a death valley driver/double stomp combo) as Gresham tries to power through the punishment, attempting to mount a comeback. He throws various strikes at Young and tosses him with a couple of german suplexes, pure aggression and intensity fueling his momentum. He hits Young with a quebrada press moonsault, then a tope con hilo through the second rope.

Gresham then connects with a shooting star press, quickly transitioning into an ankle lock. Young rolls out of it and sends Gresham into the referee. With this quick distraction, Young low-blows Gresham then rolls him up to get the win.

Even though it dragged in parts, this was still a great match. I loved how the technical/hard-hitting dynamic of this bout, as both men exchanged fluid strikes, counters and holds, displaying some good chemistry in the process. Both wrestlers played their roles perfectly; Young as the sneaky brawler picking his spots and bending the rules, and Gresham as the plucky technician fighting from behind, constantly displaying a never-say-die attitude throughout. The spots were well-executed and both men got in some impressive signature offense (loved Gresham's transition into an ankle lock from a shooting star press). Despite the dodgy and occasional slow parts, a great match overall and a nice way to end the show.

Not gonna lie, this was a pretty "meh" episode save for Gresham/Young. Skip the first two matches and focus on the main event, unless you like chubby dudes beating small frys; in that case, watch The Bouncers' match. Overall, not the best episode, but I've seen worse. Here's hoping the quality picks back up next week.

ROH Wrestling Episode #393 Recap/Review: 4/1/2019

Apologies for my tardiness on this one, as computer issues combined with work prevented me from getting this out sooner. Moving on, it's the go-home show to G1 SuperCard, and we've got what should be a fantastic main event as The Kingdom defends their World 6-Man Tag Titles against Villain Enterprises. I'm already hooked, but let's get into the rest of the meal before we dine on the main course.

Mark Haskins vs. Rush

It's a technical bout at the start as the two wrestlers trade a series of quick holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. It then transitions into a brawl, with hard elbow strikes thrown between the two. Rush then shrugs off several rapid chops from Haskins before grounding him with a hard chop of his own. Haskins gets back up and delivers several more chops before the action spills outside the ring. Rush throws more hard chops at Haskins before tossing him into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Rush is in control for the moment, but Haskins fights backs with a series of shoot kicks before sending Rush to the outside with a dropkick. He then goes for a suicide dive; attempts an evasion, only for Haskins to swing through the ropes and drill him with one on the other side of the ring. Haskins hits Rush with a diving double stomp, but fails to connect with his signature pumphandle driver; Rush responds to this with a rebound german suplex, then a TKO cutter.

Rush teases his finisher and hits the "Tranquilo" pose, a signature move from his CMLL stable Los Ingobernables. Haskins interrupts the taunt with a bridging armbar attempt. Rush counters into a crossface attempt and Haskins counters with a triangle choke attempt. Rush then counters that with a bucklebomb, but is slow to pinfall. Haskins capitalizes on Rush's tardiness with penalty kick, then a Samoan driver.

Rush kick out of the pinfall attempt, and the two trade kicks and counters and everything in between. After tossing Haskins into the corner with a belly-to-belly suplex, Rush finally connects with his Bull's Horns finisher and picks up the W.

A great match and damn fine way to start the show off. It was everything I expected it to be: fast-paced, hard-hitting, and lots of counters. It was really impressive how quickly they transitioned the match; at first, it was a fluid technical exchange, before turning into a 100 MPH brawl as both men threw out their strongest strikes while simultaneously pulling off smooth-as-butter counters (I especially loved the trading of submissions before Haskins' PK/Samoan driver combo). This match was a excellent mish-mash of styles, and ultimately a fantastic showing from both men.

Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO and Brody King) vs. The Kingdom (c) (Matt Taven, TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marsegila)

The match starts with Scurll and Taven in the ring as the rest of their respective teams brawl on the outside. The two soon make their way to the outside as the match turns into an all-out battle. The teams scuffle some more before King hits a picture-perfect somersault tope onto The Kingdom. It all eventually settles down as Scurll and Taven end up back in the ring as they started. Following a referee distraction, The Kingdom work quick to isolate Scurll from his teammates and pick him apart.

After being worked over for a brief respite, Scurll fights back with a sunset flip/enzuguiri combo to Taven. PCO gets the hot tag and he starts destroying The Kingdom, planting O'Ryan with a pop-up powerbomb and spiking Taven with a package piledriver. Marseglia gets back and throws chops with PCO, actually managing to ground him with his variation of Sliced Bread #2. Marseglia misses a swanton bomb attempt, and Villain Enterprises take advantage.

Scurll teases a crossface chickenwing attempt, leaving Marseglia enough time to make a quick tag to O'Ryan. The Kingdom hit Scurll with a spinebuster/diving headbutt/frog splash combo, only for King to break up the pinfall. The royal trio bust more tandem offense as they isolate Scurll once again. This doesn't last long as Scurll manages to send Marseglia and Taven to the outside before PCO barrels onto them with a Scurll-assisted somersault tope.

VE gets some more tag-team offense before The Kingdom once again halt their momentum, blocking a PCO moonsault attempt and hitting King with a russian legsweep/running knee strike combo courtesy of Marseglia and Taven. After further damaging King with their Rock Star Supernova powerbomb, The Kingdom continue their previous breakdown of Scurll. PCO interjects and counters respective suicide dives from O'Ryan and Marseglia. Taven manages to connect with his attempt, only PCO to jump back in the ring and deliver a somersault tope through the second rope to Taven.

Back in the ring, O'Ryan and Scurll are the legal men. Marseglia powerbombs PCO off the ring apron onto the entrance ramp, then does it again once PCO tries to fight back. After O'Ryan accidentally knocks Marseglia off the apron, Scurll locks in the crossface chickenwing on him while King holds Taven back; O'Ryan taps and Scurll gets the victory for Villain Enterprises as a new team is crowned champion.

A fantastic match from bell to bell, with a rather surprising ending. It was the very definition of a clash of styles as two polar opposite teams merged to create a wild, spontaneous affair: The Kingdom, with their expert tag-team precision and Villain Enterprises with their penchant for chaotic brawling. To say the very least, it was an absolute treat to see them mesh together. Add a surprise (and a welcome one, at that) finish, and you've got an excellent match and a damn good main event. While I don't know what this means for Scurll's fate at SuperCard, it's nice to see him going into the match with some added momentum, as well as holding ROH title gold in what seems like forever.

A damn good go-home show, if I do say so myself. While it was only a two-match card, both matches were excellent, with a shocking title change in the process. I was already hype for SuperCard, and the well-produced promo packages did a good job reaffirming it. A great episode from top to bottom. Even if the SuperCard-hyping segments took up a fair chunk of the show, we still had Haskins/Rush and VE/Kingdom, and that's most certainly nothing to complain about.