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.

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.