ROH Wrestling Episode #401 Recap/Review: 5/27/19

It's the last leg of the War Of The Worlds Tour, and we're in Chicago for what should be a promising card. The Kenny King/Jay Lethal rivalry comes to a head as the two square off, plus Jeff Cobb returns to ROH TV after dropping his World Television title to Shane Taylor. What's Cobb going to do next? How will Lethal/King play out? Let's tune in.

Karl Fredericks vs. Flip Gordon

The match starts at a fairly standard pace as Fredericks and Gordon exchange a series of basic holds in an attempt to gain leverage over the other. After trading shoulder blocks, Gordon comes out on top with a hurricanrana to Fredericks to the outside, followed up by a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Gordon hits a series of kicks then goes for a springboard attempt, which Fredericks counters with a spinebuster. Fredericks is in control for the time being, switching between stomping Gordon down and chooping him in the corner.

Gordon attempts a comeback, but Fredericks nails him with a front dropkick, then a stinger splash/hip toss/elbow drop sequence. Flipped over onto the ring apron, Gordon uses his agility and evasion ability to get Fredericks prone for a springboard missile dropkick. Hanging Fredericks up on the second rope, Gordon then hits him with a slingshot blockbuster. After superkicking Fredericks, Gordon executes a wheelbarrow facebuster then makes Fredericks tap out to the STF, securing the  victory.

Pretty much your standard young lion match. Fredericks got a fair portion of offense in and he ultimately took the fall as predicted. With that being said, Gordon's not a bad guy to have as a singles opponent. He's an excellent worker and does a good job bumping for his opponents. Kind of surprised he won via submission, but I guess that's part of the young lion process. Not too much more to say here.

Jeff Cobb Promo

Cobb comes to the ring and recounts dropping his title to Taylor at WOTW: Toronto, but reminding everyone that despite losing his title, he's still undefeated in ROH, having yet to be pinned or submitted. Not interested in a rematch against Taylor, Cobb proclaims he's after ROH World Champion Matt Taven. Taven comes out to gloat about his accomplishments, then chastise Cobb, claiming he isn't worried about Cobb trying to take his title away from him.

Taven then states while he's willing to defend his title anytime, anywhere, tonight isn't the night. He tosses his microphone at Taven and walks off, leaving Cobb in the ring.

Man, I am BEYOND hype for the prospect of a Cobb/Taven feud. These guys are two of my favorite in ROH right now, and the fact it'll be over the world title just makes this all the more salivating. Count me in, signed, sealed and delivered.

Silas Young vs. Baxter Belafonte

Prior to the match starting, Young states his intentions with Mr. Belafonte is not to engage in a standard match, but rather a "catch-as-catch-can" seminar of sorts. Demanding ring announcer Bobby Cruise to come to the ring, Young then displays the basics of catch wrestling, talking his way through the process. He demonstrates a wrist lock, then a basic armbar; with Belafonte prone, he displays what's frowned upon in catch wrestling such as hair-pulling and fish-hooking the opponent's mouth.

Explaining that all of this is up to the referee's discretion, he then displays another no-no of catch wrestling as he sticks a thumb to one of Belafonte's eyes; holding it for six seconds, Young explains using an illegal move for this long would result in a disqualification. He low-blows Belafonte, explaining to him this was all a part of the learning experience.

Dead serious here, Young's character work as of late has provided some of the most entertaining moments in ROH. He's really pulled off this transition from "The Last Real Man" to "The Technician Of Honor" really well, giving us great matches with Jonathan Gresham as this well as this perfectly-executed segment. He really pulls off the persona of a delusional, hypocritical supposed mat expert, and I'm on board 100% to see where this goes.

Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal

King and Lethal start the match off with a battle for leverage at the beginning, with King throwing out an impressive pinning combo. Taking a long breather on the outside, King gets back in the ring and counters Lethal's signature hip toss/cartwheel dropkick with a crossface attempt. King then tosses Lethal into the corner and throws a few chops at Lethal while dodging Lethal's chop attempts in the process.

Frustrated, Lethal starts throwing straight punches. Tossing King onto the apron, Lethal goes for a springboard dropkick, but King evades. His back turned to Lethal, King mockingly throws up Lethal's signature pose. Lethal responds with a dropkick and attempts a suicide dive; King catches him and drives him into a ring post. Seemingly having an answer for everything Lethal throws at him, King has been firmly in control from the get-go. King evades another cartwheel dropkick attempt, then a spinning kick, grounding Lethal in a camel clutch.

Back to their feet, Lethal attempts to fight back with chops, but King responds with an eye poke then sends Lethal into the corner. Lethal evades a stinger splash attempt and the two go off the ropes; King sends Lethal onto the ring apron and hits him with his own take Lethal's signature springboard dropkick. He hints at duplicating Lethal's suicide dives, only to stop and swerve the audience in the process.

King prevents Lethal from getting back in the ring, only for Lethal to plant him with a DDT. Back in the ring, Lethal seemingly gets back into the groove, hitting all of his signature spots. He then heads to the top and hits King with his Hail To The King elbow drop. King kicks out and Lethal calls for Lethal injection only for King to get to his feet and drop Lethal with a blue thunder bomb. King picks Lethal back up and attempts his Royal Flush finisher, only for Lethal to get out and hit him with a bicycle kick/spinning enzuguiri combo.

King dodges several Lethal Injection attempts, then low-blows Lethal while the ref is distracted and hits Lethal with his own finisher, picking up the first W in their Best of 3 series.

A surprising affair, but believe it or not, I actually quite liked this match for what it was. It was a nice bit of storytelling; Lethal going through the motions while King finds an answer for everything, stealing Lethal's moves in the process. Sure, they may not have been executed the cleanest, but given it was outside King's normal repertoire, there's some leeway to be had. While I'm not going to say this was an absolute game-changer, it was still quite a bit of fun. I'm interested to see what they do with this feud. It's not much, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Another solid episode from ROH. A step down from last week, but that was to be expected given it was such a momentous occasion. The top highlights were the main event and the Silas Young segment (God, I love that man). Gordon/Fredericks was an okay opener and I definitely dig a potential Cobb/Taven feud, but they pale in comparison to Young's character brilliance and Lethal/King. Peep this episode if only for those two parts.

ROH Wrestling Episode #400 Recap/Review: 5/20/19

There's certainly some sort of celebration to be had as ROH Wrestling has finally hit 400 episodes. And they're certainly taking advantage of the occasion, as we've got ourselves a jam-packed episode. Matt Taven defends his ROH World Championship against Flip Gordon. Villain Enterprises defend their World 6-Man Tag Championships against the team of Jay Lethal, RUSH and Jeff Cobb. This should prove to be an exciting one, folks, so let's dive right into it.

Jeff Cobb, Jay Lethal & RUSH vs. Villain Enterprises (C) (Marty Scurll, Brody King & PCO), ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Championship match

Lethal and PCO start this match out with PCO constantly egging Lethal on to hit him. Lethal briefly take him with a couple of hip toss/cartwheel dropkick combos, sending him to the outside. Lethal teases a suicide dive, only to stop when PCO commences his goading once again. Lethal attempts to oblige, but is stopped by Scurll. RUSH is tagged in, and he and Scurll exchange a quick series of evasions off the ropes. Following this exchange, King and Cobb are tagged in.

They have a similar exchange, only to culminate in a dropkick from Cobb. Lethal is tagged in and King dodges the double clothesline and connects with a running crossbody to the both of them. King then sends Cobb to the outside with a hurricanrana; Lethal evens the odds with a springboard dropkick, then attempts a suicide dive only for Scurll to stop it once again. Lethal responds by dropkick Scurll off the ring apron and hitting him with a suicide dive.

Lethal tries to dive onto King, only for King to catch him; he and Scurll then hit him with an apron superkick/suplex combo. Back in the ring, King and Lethal trade suplex attempts; Lethal hits a desperation cutter. RUSH gets the hot tag, followed by Scurll; Rush goes to work on King and PCO with a series of rapid-fire strikes and dropkicks. It's now Scurll and RUSH alone in the ring; Scurll hits him with a superkick/enzuguiri combo, then teases the Crossface Chickenwing. Rush rises and plants him with a desperation headbutt.

Cobb gets the hot tag and commences suplexing all of VE, culminating with a samoan drop/standing moonsault combo to Scurll. King and Scurll then attempt a double-team, only for Cobb to suplex both of them at the same time. PCO enters the fray and manages to send Cobb to the outside, allowing him and King to land consecutive somersault topes on their opponents. Back in the ring, King and Scurll attempt to further break down Cobb with a series of tag-team maneuvers.

PCO is tagged in and Cobb superkicks in an effort to stop the beating. RUSH takes out VE with another series of strikes and kicks as Lethal gets the tag, connecting with his Hail To The King elbow drop. PCO shrugs it off, only for RUSH to connect with a basement dropkick, which PCO also shrugs off. RUSH suplexes PCO into the corner and Lethal connects with another Hail To The King; Scurll breaks it up, and he and King get in some more tag-team offense on RUSH.

Lethal hits Scurll with a Lethal Injection, then attempts the same on King, who catches and plants him with a modified Blue Thunder Bomb. PCO hits the moonsault and picks up the W, retaining the titles for his team.

Hot. Damn. This right here? Being dead serious, this is what I call pitch-perfect tag-team wrestling. Everything was on point here: the sequences (both individual and tag) were well executed, the chemistry all six men had with one another was off the charts and the tempo was kept at a high-octane level throughout, which really speaks to the abilities of these performers. Even though Cobb/Lethal/RUSH was a temporary team, they worked so well together that you really couldn't tell the difference. And we all already know what VE is capable of, given my previous coverage of their work on this page. Just a fantastic match all around.

Flip Gordon vs. Matt Taven (w/TK O'Ryan) (C), ROH World Championship match

Gordon starts the match off hot with a shotgun dropkick to Taven into the corner, followed up by a series of forearms. After an irish whip into the corner, Taven tries to send Gordon to the outside, who lands on the apron and connects with a slingshot monkey flip. Back in the corner once again, Taven plants Gordon on the top rope and shoves him to the outside, halting his momentum for the time being.

However, Gordon regains his composure and attempts a sunset flip. Taven rolls out and attempts a running knee, which Gordon evades; he then schoolboy rolls Taven to the outside and connects with a suicide dive. Gordon gets Taven into the ring only for O'Ryan to distract him, giving Taven the opportunity to shove him off the apron and into the ring barricade. He works Gordon over on the outside, slamming and tossing him around. They get back in the ring and run the corner ropes; Gordon dodges a spin kick and connects with a snapmare/running kick/standing moonsault combo.

Taven dodges a pescado attempt from Gordon and gets back in the ring, tripping up Gordon on the ring apron in the process. On the outside, Gordon dodges a wrecking ball dropkick attempt from Taven then superkicks him. Gordon looks for further offense but Taven counters, hip-tossing him into a steel chair. Back in the ring, Taven starts targeting Gordon's left knee, supposedly 100% following an MCL tear earlier in the year. Gordon attempts to fight back, but to no avail as Taven continues the damage to Gordon's knee, sending him to the outside in the process.

O'Ryan stomps on Gordon then gets him back in the ring. They run the corners before Taven hits Gordon with an enzuguiri, then a back suplex into a powerbomb. Gordon kicks out and Taven rolls him into a single leg Boston Crab, attempting further damage to Gordon's knee. Gordon fights back with a springboard spear. The two trade blows for a bit before Gordon plants Taven with an inverted Alabama Slam into the corner, then connects with a jumping inverted DDT.

The two battle on the top rope before Taven connects with a superplex. Gordon counters with a small package attempt, then hits a couple of kicks before Taven meets him with one of his own. Gordon counters Taven's springboard attempt with a russian legsweep, then plants him with a falcon arrow. Taven wriggles out of a fireman's carry attempt, then drops Gordon with a pop-up powerbomb/running knee combo.

Getting some time to recuperate, Gordon spins out of Taven's Climax finisher and hits him with his own spin on the TKO cutter. Gordon then gets up to the top rope for a 450 splash attempt; after another outside distraction, Taven hangs Gordon up on the top rope and drills him with a rope-hung Climax, picking up the W and retaining his title.

If the massive amount of detail I put into the recap tells you anything, it's saying I absolutely loved this match. Given maybe 15-20 minutes total, Taven and Gordon went out there and put on an absolute clinic, making excellent of their time and then some. It's another one of those instances where a match really exceeds your expectations. I knew these two were capable of putting a good match, but what they did out here tonight was absolutely killer. Everything was on point here: the sequences, the psychology, the storytelling, the 100% earned near-falls, etc. And the fact this was on free TV bumps it up just a little bit more.

So yeah, this episode was beyond lit, if you couldn't already tell given the probably excessive amount of detail I put into this post. Both matches were exceedingly entertaining and had me glued to the screen from bell to bell. Quite honestly, there was not a dull moment to be had with this episode. Whether you're a regular fan or an ROH newbie, do yourselves a favor and watch this episode ASAP. Trust me, it's that good.

ROH Wrestling Episode #399 Recap/Review: 5/13/19

A David vs. Goliath battle if there ever was one, Bandido takes his rising star power in ROH and clashes with one of ROH's powerhouse stalwarts in Shane Taylor. Aside from that, we'll see Coast To Coast, Shinobi Shadow Squad and Kenny King tonight, so let's not waste any more time and get right into it.

Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger & Ryan Nova) vs. Coast To Coast (Shaheem Ali & LSG) vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas)

Nova and LSG start the match off, exchanging a quick series of holds and counters. Cheeseburger is tagged; he and Nova work over LSG with some quick tag-team offense. The Bouncers soon halt this momentum and begin taking everyone out. C2C send them to the outside and Triple-S try to take them out with dives. This is ineffective, leading to Ali taking out the whole crew with a somersault tope.

Seemingly in control, C2C take advantage of the situation and work Cheeseburger over for a while before he musters enough strength to tag in Milonas; he and Bruiser start absolutely wrecking C2C. then make their way over to Triple-S. Despite Cheeseburger and Nova's best efforts, The Bouncers take the W here following a spinebuster/second-rope leg drop combo to Nova.

A fun, fairly solid opener and a decent execution of a multi-team tag match. Each team got enough of their signature moves as possible and got over in the process. Triple-S build their momentum as plucky underdogs, Coast To Coast tease a heel run and The Bouncers continue their streak as lovable powerhouses. As far as I'm concerned, everyone got something out of this match.

Kenny King Promo

King slowly saunters to the ring, feigning blindness following a mist attack from Great Muta during the Honor Rumble at G1 Supercard. He reviews his road to winning the Rumble, and recounts Muta blinding him with his signature mist. Because of his situation, he announces he won't be competing tonight, then addresses current ROH World Champion Matt Taven; he goes lightly on Taven, saying he has nothing against Taven and his interests are only in the title. He does, however, go after Jay Lethal, questioning his wrestling abilities as well as his integrity. King then declares once he has his eye surgery, Lethal will be his first target.

A pretty entertaining segment, if I'm being 100% honest. This whole blind schtick King is actually pretty fun and he works it well. Calling out Lethal was weird considering has #1 Contenderships honors to the World Title, but I can see why it was done. If not done well, heel/heel matches are kinda weird; plus if it's anything involving Jay Letha wrestling, I'm immediately on board regardless of the circumstances.

Flex Simmons vs. Josh "The Goods" Woods

Woods starts the match out a lightning-quick spear, then tosses Simmons around for a bit before debuting a new finisher called The Seismic Toss (a fireman's carry spinebuster of sorts) and takes the quick W.

A quick squash to build up Woods' reputation in ROH. I've never really been that big a fan of his, but whatever. The finisher looks cool, and with enough time, I might get on board. But we'll just wait and see until then.

Shane Taylor vs. Bandido

Bandido starts the match out with the stick-and-move strategy, throwing quick strikes and avoiding Taylor's clubbing blows. After sending Taylor to the outside, Bandido hits a couple of dives, seemingly in control for the time-being. This is stopped short following a thunderous chokeslam from Taylor, who starts breaking down Bandido, continuously taunting him throughout. After a rest, Bandido tries to fight back with a couple of quick strikes, but Taylor answers back with a brutal lariat.

Taylor throws a haymaker at Bandido, then counters Bandido's various attempts at offense before hitting him with a brutal knee strike. Bandido kicks out of a pinfall attempt, and throws out all of the offense he can possibly muster, adrenaline furiously pumping. Taylor halts his momentum with a pop-up spinebuster, and the two men throw hands after staggering back to their feet. Taylor catches Bandido off the ropes and hits him with an End Of Days variation. Bandido attempts some offense on the apron, only for Taylor to catch him with a rope-hung stunner.

Avoiding a corner attack, Bandido hits Taylor with a springboard corkscrew crossbody, then finally gets him up for a Go 2 Sleep. He puts the nail in the coffin by landing the 21-Plex on Taylor and securing the victory. Following the match, Bully Ray comes down to the ring to confront Bandido, only to be met by his Lifeblood cohorts Tracy Williams and Mark Haskins. Ray backs down, and a new tag team called the Sons Of Savagery enter the ring, taking out Lifeblood. Ray and Taylor are perplexed by the situation, wondering if either one hired them, and the show ends.

A great match muddled by a confusing aftermath. Taylor is continuing to impress me as an in-ring worker; he's really stepped up his moveset and his matches are that much more interesting to watch. Call me crazy, but he may be one of ROH's best-kept secrets. Given his feud with Jeff Cobb and his performance tonight, I'd say it's fair to throw his name into that equation. And as for Bandido, it's just another day on the job. Time and again, he puts on consistently great performances, showing why he's one of the best in-ring workers in wrestling today. As for the post-match altercation, uhhh...it was weird and I'm not sure what the hell to make of it right now. Hopefully it falls into place and starts making sense sooner than later.

Another solid episode tonight. We got a decent tag-team opener, some entertaining character work from Kenny King and a great main event out of Bandido and Shane Taylor (weird post-match happenings aside). Definitely peep the opening and main event matches (but skip the weirdness after the latter). Thanks for tuning in again. Cheers.

ROH Wrestling Episode #398 Recap/Review: 5/6/19

In this week's episode, Lifeblood looks to settle some unfinished business they with The Kingdom as Tracy Williams & Mark Haskins (Lifeblood) take on Vinny Marseglia & TK O'Ryan (Kingdom). We'll also see Dalton Castle, WOH Champion Kelly Klein, and much more. So without further ado, let's hop on in.

Eli Isom (w/Cheeseburger & Ryan Nova) vs. PJ Black

The match starts off with a series of holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. They run the corners for a bit before Isom attempts a springboard dropkick, which Black counters with a boston crab. Black gains control for the time being, locking Isom in a variety of submission attempts. After rolling through Black's springboard crossbody attempt, Isom hits a desperation german suplex. The gloves are off as the two trade strikes and chops in the center.

Furthering his comeback attempt, Isom hits Black with an Air Raid Crash, then connects with a suicide dive. His momentum is halted following a miscued springboard attempt, and Black takes advantage with a super hurricanrana. Black follows up with a springboard 450 Splash, then a moonsault double stomp to pick up the W.

A good match and a decent way to start the show off. Isom is showing match after match that while he's quite there yet, he has the potential to do so. He's been putting on consistently solid performances in the ring, and if he gets a chance to build up his personality, there's certainly some potential his stock will rise in ROH. Black once again shows off his veteran dependability here, displaying an interesting moveset while simultaneously doing a good job of putting Isom over as a legitimate threat. Not the best in the world, but a decent opener.

Ray Lyn vs. Kelly Klein

Lyn seems to have the upper hand at the start after a quick counter and a dropkick, taunting the crowd while throwing stomps and forearms in the process. This stops once Klein catches a crossbody attempt and turns it into a fallaway slam. After some build-up, Klein hits Lyn with her K-Power finisher and secures the victory. After the match, Klein addresses her status as champion and details her problem with the newly-found WOH stable The Allure (Mandy Leon, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky). The trio gang up on Klein and stand tall.

Don't get me wrong. I like Klein, but this new babyface turn is just seems...off to me. Like I get it's possible to simultaneously be a dominant powerhouse and a face, but with Klein it just doesn't seem to click. Perhaps I'm being a tad harsh as this feud literally just started, but first impressions are first impressions. Maybe down the road it'll gel better. Let's hope so.

Dalton Castle Promo

Castle addresses his attack on his Boys following his shockingly quick loss to Rush at G1 SuperCard. He asks the Boys to come the ring, assuring them it was a mistake and that it was a matter of frustration. He continues on and asks for forgiveness, which The Boys accept. Unfortunately, they take the bait as Castle attacks them, removing their masks (and identities) in the process. We're now left to wonder where Castle goes from here.

This one's interesting. With such an outlandish, flamboyant gimmick, it almost doesn't seem possible Castle could ever be a heel as far as modern wrestling standards go, and considering his run so far in ROH, I honestly didn't think it'd be possible. But I gotta say, this was a pretty well-executed segment. Castle put on a good performance here, shedding crocodile tears while expressing his perceived remorse, hooking the crowd in only to dash their hopes of a reunion, cementing his heel status. Not sure where his character is going to go from here, but for the most part, I'm interested.

The Kingdom (Vinny Marseglia & TK O'Ryan) vs. Lifeblood (Tracy Williams & Mark Haskins)

The Kingdom jump Lifeblood just as the bell rings in an effort to gain leverage from the start. Marseglia and Haskins start the match out, and is seemingly in trouble as O'Ryan is then tagged in. This ends as soon as it starts, as Haskins manages to fight back and tag in Williams, who start working over O'Ryan with fluid tag-team combos. Williams then manages to lock up Marseglia & O'Ryan, leading to him and Haskins throwing on dual camel clutches on their rivals.

This momentum only goes so far as a quick referee distraction causes The Kingdom to turn the tables in the match, working over Williams and targeting his left shoulder. Williams fights back, hits guillotine leg drop on Marseglia and manages to tag out. Haskins flies in like a bat out of hell, taking down Marseglia & O'Ryan with rapid-fire strikes; he furthers the punishment outside the ring with a penalty kick/apron suplex combo on Marseglia. Lifeblood then execute a shoot kick/frog splash combo, only for O'Ryan to kick out.

After planting him on the top turnbuckle with a single-arm DDT, Williams then lays out O'Ryan with a discus lariat, then follows up with an ankle lock. Marseglia breaks it up and calls O'Ryan out for their tag finisher; being apropos of his "Crazy Horse" moniker, O'Ryan is unable to execute due to a bum leg. Taking advantage, Haskins send Marseglia to the outside as Williams hits a knee-centric death valley driver. Haskins locks in the sharpshooter and taps out O'Ryan, getting the victory for his team.

A good tag team match and a nice way to end the show. The two teams displayed solid chemistry, trading momentum fluidly and dishing out some good-looking sequences in the process. I'd say the overall MVP of the match was Haskins; the dude is a fucking animal, displaying pitch-perfect cardio and altogether being the best part out of any spot in the match. But this isn't taking away from the other three men, as they all put a damn good showing. Both teams are super underrated, continuing to prove their limitless worth in ROH with this match.

A fairly decent show overall. The main highlights are the Black/Isom curtain jerker and the tag team main event, and if you want to see some decent character work, check out the Dalton Castle segment. Not too much more to say here, folks. Tune in next week and we'll see what happens.