ROH 374 – Supercard Of Honor 9 – 27th March 2015
The Conquest Tour takes a break to allow Ring Of Honor to present it’s annual WrestleMania weekend event. This year I’m not quite sure how to interpret ROH’s trip to California. On the one hand Sinclair haven’t seen this event as important enough to ship their commentary team, lighting rig or even their own ring canvas across the country...meaning stylistically the presentation looks second rate when compared to some recent major shows and tapings. But the card is puzzlingly strong. Samoa Joe challenges Jay Briscoe for the World Title in a hotly anticipated main event. Jushin Liger has been flown in to challenge for the TV Title, and the red hot Kingdom duo of Mike Bennett and Matt Taven are reDRagon’s latest Tag Title opponents. Christopher Daniels and Roderick Strong meet in a battle of independent circuit veterans…and long-time friends/rivals BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs end their storied ROH journey together in a No DQ Match – which I presume makes more sense if you’ve read TV spoilers because I have no idea why it’s booked at all. It’s a major line up for a B-show with grand aspirations, and I really hope this can deliver a far better viewing experience than the last three ROH events I’ve sat through (13th Anniversary and Conquest Milwaukee/Chicago) which I view as serious disappointments. Kevin Kelly and Adam Cole have recorded commentary in post-production. The event was taped live in Redwood City, CA.
ACH vs Mark Briscoe
Both guys are exciting and athletic and popular – but fun as this match will be there’s nothing new or different here. Mark will do his thing, ACH will hit his usual spots, then we’ll go home. Any time Jay Briscoe has a big singles match I instantly dread what Mark is doing on the undercard. Here’s hoping they surprise me tonight…
The rather crummy building and set-up makes this look more like a Chikara show than ROH. It doesn’t help that the crowd noise has been turned way down to dub Kevin Kelly in. Briscoe dials up the aggression in a pleasing opening sequence – eventually violently booting ACH in the face after his usual goofy back flips. He then catches him going for more of his usual routine and grapples him to the ground in a release back suplex. This is already a candidate for my favourite Mark Briscoe match in forever…but of course the crowd aren’t interested in that and only want Redneck Kung Fu. Cactus Clothesline knocks ACH outside…only for ACH to DOUBLE BOOT MARK FROM THE FLOOR as Briscoe attempts to dropkick him through the ropes! He runs a complete lap of the ring which ends with a swing around the ringpost into a headscissors on the wooden floor as well. Finally the crowd get some Redneck Kung Fu, followed by the urinage for 2. ACH simply KICKS MARK IN THE HEAD as he goes for more idiotic karate crap…so Briscoe pulls him out of the ring for a suplex on the floor! This has been surprisingly good! UGLY Cactus Elbow nailed for 2. ACH blocks a fisherman buster into a STONE COLD STUNNER! HERO’S GRIP gets 2! 450 Splash blocked…CROWN BLOCKED! Love that Ready 2 Rumble reference. Briscoe wins with a flash pin at 11:18
Rating - *** - Putting Mark over makes no sense, but then again ACH is permanently over and has already jobbed to everyone else on the roster so why stop now? As I alluded to during play-by-play this was easily the best Mark Briscoe singles performance in quite a while. Eventually he reverted to type with his usual tired comedy kung fu routine – but I really liked the first half of the match where he aggressively bullied ACH in a style more akin to Mick Foley at his best. I will hold my hands up and admit that my cynicism during my introductory paragraph for this match was off the mark. This was a very solid start to SOH9.
Michael Elgin vs Frankie Kazarian
The downside of an exciting high profile Chris Daniels singles bout is that it normally means Kaz has a singles match too. I don’t have a problem with Frankie as a tag competitor but he is getting up there in years, he isn’t the genetic freak that Daniels is and he is really starting to show his age. Elgin is as aimless in the singles division as The Addiction are in the tag division in that he is a de facto ‘top contender’ for the World Title but in reality has no real storyline, no creative direction and is pretty much working perpetual undercard matches on autopilot. Having said all that, Mark and ACH just surprised me. Maybe these guys will too…
Frankie is from California so this one will have a strong babyface/heel dynamic at the very least. He tries to wrestle and use a degree of speed to his advantage after spending the opening minute getting clobbered by the stocky Canadian. Elgin counters the slingshot DDT into a NECK DROP slingshot suplex. He wants to hit Kazarian with the bell, then instead wraps a chair around his head and bashes it against the ringpost as the ref scrambles to clear the bell away. It means Kaz is now carrying a neck injury which he obviously favours even when trying to take the fight back to Unbreakable. He does hit the slingshot DDT second time around although he is then slow to cover thanks to the injury. It also means Big Mike easily counters the Tomikaze and SOMERSAULT LEG DROPS THE NECK! Up next is a barrage of strikes to the head and neck transitioning right into a big dead-lift German. Even when Kaz does string a few moves together it only takes one big diving lariat from the former World Champion to put him on the ground again. Dead-lift superplex blocked allowing Frankie to hit the slingshot cutter. Wave Of The Future COUNTERED TO AN AVALANCHE DVD! Kaz kicks out! SPINNING BACK FIST! ELGIN BOMB! Big Mike wins at 10:55
Rating - *** - Supercard Of Honor 9 goes 2-0 on pleasant surprises for the evening. My expectations for this were at rock bottom but they really brought it. I know plenty haven’t enjoyed the turn but I’ve found Elgin far more enjoyable since he went heel. His ring work is so much more precise and focused. The needless token displays of strength are gone, the tired clichéd routine he worked in every match is gone too. Now he carries himself like a bad ass. He looks like someone who is out there to really rough his opponents up which is precisely how it should be. Frankie was fine for him to work that around. The selling of the neck wasn’t great and conveniently disappeared altogether whenever it was time for Kaz to hit one of his signature spots (which look slower and more contrived with each month that passes) but he elicited plenty of sympathy from the crowd. I imagine it’s this kind of performance which made Elgin such a hit on New Japan undercards when he finally broke over there.
Christopher Daniels comes out to check on his tag partner…and gets levelled with a steel chair by Elgin, who is on a rampage to vent his frustration at failing to win the title back in Las Vegas.
Andrew Everett vs Moose vs Caprice Coleman vs Cedric Alexander vs Tommaso Ciampa vs Matt Sydal
The obligatory jam a load of guys on the card spotfest match – but everyone in this has something to offer so it should be enjoyable (even Moose has been improving recently). Everett makes his return to ROH after more than a year out with a knee injury, although since he’s also taken a few bookings with Evolve/WWNLive and works PWG almost full-time I’m not sure he’s close to a permanent roster spot. Coleman and Alexander are former partners. Moose is undefeated and has stated his desire to get into World Title contention. Matt Sydal is the veteran who made a big comeback to ROH, a much smaller company than WWE, only to find himself in almost exactly the same spot he was pre-injury in McMahon Land. That leaves Ciampa, who rumour has it is finishing off his ROH dates having failed to agree a new contract – and has also managed to return to the ring ridiculously quickly after breaking his ribs at the 13th Anniversary Show and can be nowhere near 100%.
Veda Scott orders Moose not to follow the Code Of Honor. Sydal and Everett start at a fast and flip-tastic pace, allowing Andrew to demonstrate how recovered his knee is. Cedric forcibly tags his way in and looks more cranky and aggressive than usual…but the target of his aggression is Moose who beats the sh*t out of him. Ciampa gets the One Inch Punch from Coleman, which he duly sells almost a minute later as he prepares to deliver a Bare Knee. C&C reunion next as they hit the Hart Attack leg lariat on Tommaso, only for Alexander to turn his back on his old mentor to attack him. Everett is the first to dive…attempting a somersault plancha to the floor, only to be caught and POWERBOMBED INTO THE APRON by Moose! Moonsault to the floor by Caprice! TOPE ATOMICO by Cedric! His reward is a Bare Knee from Ciampa! PROJECT CIAMPA on Everett! Sydal saves with the standing moonsault for 2. Moose then catches Reborn for an effortless toss over the top rope to the floor. POP-UP MURDER CLOTHESLINE from Moose to Everett! On the other side of the ring Cedric captures Ciampa in the corner for REPEATED IED’S! HEAD DROP HURRICANRANA from Everett to Alexander! ROLLING SPEAR from Moose to Coleman! SYDAL PRESS ON EVERETT! Matt sneaks the victory at 10:17
Rating - *** - Very much the match you’d expect it to be; totally inconsequential but genuinely entertaining all the same. I really liked the new heel elements to Cedric Alexander’s character which is a completely organic and natural character progression for a guy who has been stuck in the same spot spinning his wheels for a very long time now. Beyond that Everett looked enthusiastic and exciting, but I think he has too much of a fun, PWG-esque vibe to him and doesn’t have the muscular, made-for-TV look that Sinclair tends to favour (so don’t expect him back just yet). Moose was also very well protected, hitting some impressive power spots here and there but mostly sitting back and letting the more experienced wrestlers do their sh*t. You could be negative and point out that there is a whole lot of talent in this match with very little creative direction – and I’d support that theory because I detest how Delirious books his midcards. BUT this was precisely the match the live audience wanted
Once again Veda prevents Moose from following the Code Of Honor…and on the other side of the ring Cedric is being petulant and refusing to shake hands with anyone – including his mentor Caprice.
BJ Whitmer vs Jimmy Jacobs – No DQ Match
Since almost none of the build-up to this match has been on TV yet this feels quite undercooked which is a real shame. Colby Corino is now in BJ’s corner as the newest Decade young boy, Jimmy is now apparently at odds with his old partner (last I’d seen they were still together and had just had a few arguments) and things have escalated so much these two storied rivals return to Supercard Of Honor, the scene of their finest match together, to end it all with no rules. Jacobs is at breaking point, having seen The Decade fall apart and having failed to win the World Title from Jay Briscoe in an explosive televised main event. Rumours are swirling that he is on his way out. Can he salvage some pride by putting down his bullying Decade co-founder? On a non-kayfabe level, my main concern is whether SBG will let these two off the leash enough to even scratch the surface of what they did together during their great feud of the Sapolsky era. I can’t see Sinclair sanctioning powerbombs into the crowd or the kind of blood-letting violence of their Cage Match.
Jacobs is in tears as he comes through the curtain, and the amount of streamers he gets would suggest that the fans are very aware he is on his way out of ROH regardless of the result here. He and BJ hug – then start punching lumps out of each other. SUPLEX OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR! After recovering from that they each grab a chair to duel with…and it is Whitmer’s heavy hitting power that sees him victorious there. He destroys Jimmy’s back, absolutely crushing it with chairs repeatedly. A lesser man would call it a day but Jacobs isn’t a regular competitor – and hits back with the rebound cutter ON A CHAIR! POWERSLAM INTO A CHAIR in the corner by BJ! Contra Code by Jimmy as they unleash all the greatest hits of their feud but neither man do enough damage to get the win. Jacobs brings a table into the ring and SENTON BOMB’S Whitmer through it. Except the table doesn’t break to rather murder the effectiveness of the spot. SENTON BOMB THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR INSTEAD! END TIME! COUNTERED into a brainbuster! BRAINBUSTER THROUGH AN OPEN CHAIR! How is Jimmy not dead? He kicks out at 2 despite not looking conscious. They tease their infamous top rope powerbomb to the floor spot, which of course Sinclair haven’t sanctioned this time, but it does lead to Jimmy landing the avalanche Contra Code. EXPLODER ’98 THROUGH TWO OPEN CHAIRS! Whitmer wins at 15:45
Rating - *** - Not quite the epic farewell match for Jacobs I think they were attempting, but I’d heard some pretty bad things about this match so I actually found it another rather pleasant surprise on this show. It sorely missed have the mayhem, violence or intensity of their great feud of years ago. The crowd did their best to kill it with a combination of silence and moronic chants, Kevin Kelly was solo on commentary and was abysmal as usual, and everything seemed so slow and watered down. But there was no doubt that these two were putting their bodies through hell (especially Jimmy) to deliver something presentable. They did a fine job in a match which got almost no build and had too many restrictions placed upon them to ever hit the heights of 2006/7.
BJ Whitmer interrupts the fans giving thanks to Jacobs and slaps him in the face rather than shake hands with him. Colby Corino jumps Jimmy from behind…until a mysterious lady hops the guardrails. IT’S LACEY! This crowd is so out of touch with the golden era of ROH that most of them don’t even recognise her, but she chucks Colby out of the ring. Jimmy is crying again, and the two hug as ‘The Ballad Of Lacey’ plays. Love Saves, and Jimmy says goodbye by leaving through the crowd with Lacey. Such an awesome moment – and a fitting way for Jacobs to finally end his ROH career. I’m not entirely sure what his role with the WWE consists of, but I really do wish him all the best with it.
Christopher Daniels vs Roderick Strong
There isn’t necessarily a reason for these two to be wrestling but luckily they are both so good I’m not sure we need one. Strong is hell-bent on becoming the top dog in ROH again this year so will view a victory over a big name like Daniels as a must. He has been handed an advantage by his former House Of Truth colleague too – with Michael Elgin’s temper tantrum earlier leaving Daniels with a back injury which he carries to the ring with him now.
It’s a very mat intensive opening sequence, which suits Daniels because it keeps Strong away from his neck and also prevents him from doing any of that ‘gear changing’ stuff that Corino has a boner for. Most of it is fairly basic, but some of the talent in ROH is so bad now it is actually quite refreshing to see two wrestlers perform so crisply. The Fallen Angel is definitely nursing his back though, and things get much worse after he misses the Arabian Press to the floor and gets back suplexed into the ring apron. We are straight into Strong’s comfort zone now and he begins running through his repertoire of tricks to work the back with backbreakers, bearhugs, strikes and stretches tearing apart Daniels’ spine. Fallen Angel hits the Fall From Grace to cap off a fine comeback sequence although at every turn he is wincing in pain and clutching at his back. He can’t hit Angel’s Wings either and Strong counters back with an Olympic Slam for 2. Urinage backbreaker nailed to drive Daniels into the corner…and quick as a flash Roddy is on him again with a superplex. Stronghold blocked…BME misses…STRONGHOLD! Daniels rolls through it…SICK KICK INSTEAD! FOR 2! DEATH BY RODERICK! TORTURE RACK BACKBREAKER! STRONGHOLD AGAIN! Daniels taps at 12:50
Rating - *** - What a solid show this is. I’m still waiting for something to click into that next gear and wow me, but this was another really solid match. As I said during play-by-play, a lot of what they were doing was pretty basic – so it was the excellence and precision in the execution that particularly impressed me here. Neither man strayed too far from their usual routines or spots, it didn’t go too long and nobody did anything flashy. But the speed and seamless fluidity of their work was a joy to watch. The thirteen minute run-time flew by and left me wanting more.
reDRagon vs Michael Bennett/Matt Taven – ROH Tag Title Match
Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly have been Tag Champions for so long it’s hard to imagine them losing sleep over anybody that challenges them at this stage. However, they will have faced few teams on more of a hot streak than The Kingdom right now. They mowed down the Briscoes in Tag Team Armageddon on the Winter Warriors Tour, defeated The Addiction and survived the Bullet Club at the 13th Anniversary and now hold a televised victory over the Young Bucks too. It would be easy to consider the controversial and often unpopular duo of Bennett and Taven as underdogs here, but they have beaten some truly elite teams already in 2015. Is it really that unlikely that they can do it again to finally dethrone reDRagon tonight? Tom Lawlor accompanies the champs once again.
Bennett starts with O’Reilly…and is so comprehensively out-wrestled he almost succumbs to the Arm-ageddon inside the first minute. His attempt at some ‘strong style’ strikes fails miserably too, leaving him with no choice but to retreat and let Taven take over. He doesn’t have much success either and finds his arm picked apart by Fish. Such is their dominance reDRagon find time to start fighting both opponents at once…but the melee it causes comes back to haunt them. Bennett rocks Kyle with a spear on the apron as Taven drops Bobby with a springboard enzi to hand the challengers the advantage. They isolate O’Reilly, dialling up the cheap tactics, slowing the pace and doing all they possibly can to negate the lethal strikes and lightning-fast mat skills of the Davey Richards-trained athlete. At points it is a real group effort but The Kingdom keep him away from his partner for several minutes – before losing control and allowing Fish in. Tilta-whirl backbreaker/knee drop combo (Two Man Smash Machine) nailed, before Bobby slingshots over the turnbuckles into a somersault plancha to take Matt out. O’Reilly snaps Bennett’s arm with a double stomp then leaves him exposed to a cross armbreaker by Fish. Maria tries to interfere…but is carried away by Tom Lawlor! The Kingdom throw superkicks around inside the ring, then the bicycle kick/Stunner combo to take Kyle out. Twist Of Fate/Swanton Bomb combo gets 2 on Fish. FLYING KNEE OFF THE APRON BY O’REILLY! But as he feels the consequences of that high risk move he leaves his partner vulnerable to another Spear. Todd Sinclair is outside the ring checking on Kyle, and doesn’t see a KRD Red Mask invade the ring to start attacking Bobby Fish. Fish survives that and gives Bennett a falcon arrow to win at 17:47
Rating - *** - I probably expected too much from this match because I come away a little disappointed. It was pretty good, and I liked the contrasting styles of the two duos – with two elite level wrestlers locking horns against very traditional sports entertainment influenced performers. I’m not sure how serious or legitimate O’Reilly’s injury was but whether it was planned or genuine it really did derail the finish (which was further marred by another KRD run-in). Delirious has done such a good job building up The Kingdom’s momentum over recent months that it does seem a shame to see the air let out of the balloon in quite such a lame fashion.
Jay Lethal vs Jushin Liger – ROH TV Title Match
As we saw at War Of The Worlds last year, Jushin Liger is such a legendary figure he doesn’t need to earn title shots in Ring Of Honor. If a champion wants to enhance his reputation by attempting to defeat one of the greatest workers of all time then ROH is more than happy to sanction it. Lethal is the man looking to bolster his stock at the expense of the legend this evening. He is in the midst of an outstanding TV Title reign, and has already seen off a lucha libre legend in Alberto El Patron. Can he do the same to Liger, or will the years of experience that the veteran possesses see him spring a surprise on the precocious House Of Truth frontman?
ROH hasn’t paid for Truth Martini’s flight, so the champ is flying solo this evening. He looks uncertain and spends the opening period either getting schooled by the veteran of fleeing from him to the floor. He is stretched, beaten and battered but crucially evades the Shotei and any other of Liger’s signature finishing holds. Impressively, the New Japan star also has Lethal’s moves scouted – and casually dodges the hiptoss/dropkick spot that so many others have fallen foul of. Jay’s evasive action finally rewards him as yet another trip outside the ring presents him with the opportunity to smash the fifty-plus year old challenger into the guardrails. The pace slows as Lethal looks to keep Liger grounded and unable to use any of his power, striking skills or submission skills to his advantage. None of his offence is particularly exciting but the logic is sound – and soon he feels he has Jushin beaten down sufficiently to attempt Hail To The King. Liger puts up the boots to block him though…then wipes him off his feet with the Capo Kick! Liger begs the champion to hit him – which of course suits him just fine. LETHAL ATTEMPTS THE LIGERBOMB! BLOCKED! LETHAL INJECTION…COUNTERED TO THE SHOTEI! Frankensteiner nailed by a guy who is so old he frankly shouldn’t be able to do that anymore…and perhaps it takes the wind out of his sails as Lethal is able to block his attempt at a frog splash with knees moments later. Lethal Combination gets 2! We have come full circle from the start of the match as Liger crawls out of the ring to avoid the Macho Elbow. Jay lines up the rolling tope’s ONLY FOR LIGER TO COUNTER TO A BRAINBUSTER ON THE FLOOR! A desperate Lethal makes a grab for his title belt, then tries to pin the challenger using the ropes. Both are thwarted by the ref…LETHAL INJECTION! Lethal retains at 15:03
Rating - **** - A showstealing match, probably even pipping Liger/Danielson from the Weekend Of Thunder as my favourite Jushin Liger singles match in ROH. In fact, it’s probably the best singles match I’ve seen of Liger’s anywhere in quite a while. Unlike Liger/Cole from War Of The Worlds last year, these guys really played with Liger’s status as a legend. Liger wasn’t a junior heavyweight here – he was a big, bad, bruising, ultra-experienced and incredibly dangerous threat to Jay Lethal’s title. They spent the first third of the match crafting that illusion supremely well with ‘Thunder’ on top of his game and Lethal selling like a pro for him. This match also felt like a much bigger deal for all the familiarity counters Liger threw in to Lethal signature spots. Frustratingly it felt like they needed another five minutes to really bring this home in style though. I think we got three quarters of a top class match before a rushed finish which took the edge off somewhat. Was there seriously not time on this show for Liger to hit a Ligerbomb for one false finish or tease of a title change? Was there really not time for Liger to escape at least one Lethal Injection? I didn’t have a problem with Jay trying to cheat – it made perfect sense in the context of a match that saw him take a real ass kicking – but I did have a problem with rushing straight from that to an immediate finish. Throw a more fluent and befitting finish on this and my rating could have gone higher. I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting to, and a welcome return to form for Jay Lethal after that brutally disappointing 13th Anniversary TV Title defence against Alberto El Patron.
Jay Briscoe vs Samoa Joe – ROH World Title Match
Time constraints with ROH’s TV scheduling, and the relatively brief period with which they had managed to book Joe for mean that this hasn’t gone the amount of hype it should have – but this still feels like a pretty big deal to main event ROH’s WrestleMania weekend show. Back during Joe’s reign as World Champion Jay Briscoe was nothing more than a rowdy, up and coming punk with ideas above his station. He and little brother Mark picked a fight with Joe – and to an extent made their names at his expense. Joe tried and failed on multiple occasions to beat them in Tag Title matches – but delivered resounding beatings whenever they met for the World Championship. That feud finally ended on a notorious night in Elizabeth, New Jersey at At Our Best. Joe and Jay locked horns inside a steel cage, contesting a match which quickly turned into (and still remains) the bloodiest spectacle Ring Of Honor has ever witnessed. Jay bled so much that I doubt the match would even be released in the modern era of PG-rated, watered down wrestling we live in today. Despite being one of the iconic matches of Samoa Joe’s career it’s never been included in any of the SBG-released Samoa Joe compilations either. The beating he took that night earned Joe’s respect and helped make Jay Briscoe the whole-hearted warrior with bottomless levels of toughness that we see today. And that’s why things are so interesting now. Joe has been away from ROH for a long time – and the years haven’t been kind. He’s slowed down, his weight has fluctuated and he has spent years treading water in a company which didn’t always give him the calibre of opponents he enjoyed in his Ring Of Honor pomp. Briscoe, on the other hand, is in the midst of a two-year undefeated streak. Even Samoa Joe couldn’t go years without a single pinfall loss. Joe returns to a Ring Of Honor where Jay Briscoe is the man, in much the same way he was back in the day. This is Jay’s chance to avenge those defeats of (what feels like) a lifetime ago. This is his chance to notch his name amongst the truly great ROH Champions – by defeating arguably the greatest of them all.
The crowd is almost completely silent as the match begins. I can’t decide if it’s a respectful silence or just a poor crowd for one of the more interesting title defences of Jay Briscoe’s two reigns. They start with plenty of chain-wrestling, and it’s hard to tell who prefers it that way. On the one hand Jay is a proficient brawler these days but on the other grappling with the big Samoan means Joe has no chance of locking in the Choke or hitting any of his signature combinations. They trade strikes next – and Briscoe takes some of the challenger’s biggest shots without going down. Tellingly he takes steps to put Joe back on the deck soon afterwards to avoid anymore though. Samoa Joe recovers on the floor before mounting a comeback, and perhaps my favourite moment of the show happens soon afterwards as he gives a DEATH STARE to some guy in the crowd who is shouting out all his spots before he does them. The guy is a jerk, but in fairness Joe does pretty much do the same thing and the same time in almost every match these days. He is selling a knee injury in this one though which admittedly makes things more interesting. ELBOW SUICIIIIIDAAAAAAA! Briscoe’s bad shoulder smashes the guardrails…but Joe comes up limping again. Limping Ole Kick BLOCKED with a chair thrown into his face! The champ tosses him leg-first into the railings next…SO JOE PICKS HIM UP AND SWINGS HIM HEAD-FIRST INTO THEM! Insert the obligatory Ole Kicks next despite the Samoan’s increasingly pronounced limp. Musclebuster blocked INTO the Rude Awakening – a really sweet transition that I really liked. BACK DROP DRIVER! Joe kicks out! CHOKE BLOCKED! RUNNING DVD BY JAY! Joe goes low to escape the Jay Driller – delivering his big boot/senton combo but it looks very ragged as a result of the punishment Briscoe has inflicted. POWERBOMB/SAMOAN CRAB/STF TRILOGY! THROW IN A CROSSFACE TOO! THEN A RINGS OF SATURN! Jay survives that reel of submission holds but apparently now has his shoulder hanging by a thread. E HONDA SLAPS! NO SOLD! JUMPING ENZIGURIIIIIIIIII! BOTH MEN DOWN! They are all messed up, Jay has a bloody nose…and still they are swinging at each other. ST-JOE! Briscoe escapes the Musclebuster again…JAY DRILLER NAILED! Briscoe retains at 20:15
Rating - **** - As with Lethal/Liger, I felt like this would have really benefited from having a few more genuine moments where it felt like a title switch might occur…but the work here was excellent. I’d not heard great things about it so didn’t get my hopes up, but this was exactly the match I’d hoped Joe and Jay could produce. It wasn’t necessarily pretty, and would have come off much better in front of a ravenous crowd of ROH die hards (as opposed to a quiet group of WrestleMania weekend casuals) but this was the war I wanted them to have. They beat the hell out of each other in a way that reminded me of some of the matches Joe had with the likes of Homicide and Bryan Danielson way back in 2002/3. They also did a superb job of putting Briscoe over. Throughout the match Joe was made to look weak. Not in a manner which undermined his credibility – but in a way which made it very clear that this wasn’t going to be the same type of match these two had years ago. Jay Briscoe was to be presented as Joe’s equal and it worked. He stopped Joe exploding out of the traps and dominating the opening period. He inflicted an early leg injury which Joe never really recovered from and ultimately prevented him from even hitting the Musclebuster. The effect of Joe feeling so threatened was that when he finally did start hitting a lot of his signature combinations late in the match the people LOVED them. They rallied behind Joe and almost rejoiced in the familiarity of him hitting a powerbomb then float over into the crab. I get why people would want more from this match. There was never a real sense of urgency and nothing here to ever make you believe a title change might happen. It was missing a certain x-factor. However, this match also had a LOT going against it (SBG cared very little about this show, Delirious completely ignoring their history together in the build-up, and the fact that Joe was essentially finishing his ROH run here to concentrate on his pending WWE move)…so it went above and beyond my expectations. Joe has one more ROH date left (and a TV match against Kyle O’Reilly still to air), and I’ve loved having him back in Ring Of Honor…even though it always felt like a guest spot and never once felt like ‘the Champ’ coming home.
Tape Rating - *** - What a strange but enjoyable show. On the one hand the piped in, utterly boring commentary, average crowd and stream of middle-of-the-road matches mean you could forget about this DVD very easily. But on the other, not one match was bad and both main events (Lethal/Liger and Jay/Joe) were significantly better than I’d expected. In the end this event probably reflected the amount of effort Sinclair put into promoting it. They wanted to participate in the annual wrestling festival that has become WrestleMania weekend…and they didn’t want to be embarrassed by having a show so far below the standards of their competitors. Having Samoa Joe and Jushin Liger on their events helped draw some casuals too I’m sure. But California was far away, they didn’t have much TV-time after the 13th Anniversary to promote this and in the grand scheme of things this was little more than a B-show with a couple of major title matches tacked on top. No match got enough time. It followed the incredibly tired and predictable Sinclair/Delirious show structure (they don’t give a damn about the undercard, only the main events get time or matter). Watching potentially outstanding matches like Daniels/Strong and Lethal/Liger, that were begging out for 5-10 more minutes to really make them great, cut short is pretty much a standard feature on every Ring Of Honor event now. But with nothing bad, no Cheeseburger or Beer City Bruiser matches to sit through, a couple of top main events (along with Lacey’s surprise appearance to end Jimmy Jacobs’ ROH career perfectly) Sinclair got what they wanted. A solid, safe, decent house show…
Top 3 Matches
3) Any of the other matches on the show. They all blur into one decent but forgettable mass (***)
2) Jay Lethal vs Jushin Liger (****)
1) Jay Briscoe vs Samoa Joe (****)