ROH 378 – Global Wars 2015: Night 1 – 15th May 2015
By the (admittedly lowered) standards by which I am judging 2015 Ring Of Honor, I can’t deny that the War Of The Worlds 2015 midweek double shot was a relative success. They had their limitations, but matches like Styles/Cole, Strong/Kushida and Bullet Club/Kingdom really left a lasting impression. So much so that I’m sceptical as to whether this, arguably the biggest show of the 2015 New Japan tour, can match up. This show is the centrepiece of the week-long festivities – airing live on internet pay-per-view (War Of The Worlds was a VOD double shot, and Night 2 of Global Wars is a TV taping) meaning maximum exposure for all the talent working the show this evening. And the amount of talent working this weekend is drastically beefed up from the Philadelphia line-ups. Matt Sydal, Cedric Alexander, ACH, Chris Sabin, Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, Silas Young, BJ Whitmer, Hanson, Raymond Rowe, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson are joining the party – with only Adam Cole and Bobby Fish (who was stopped at the Canadian border) dropping out. It means ring-time is going to be at a premium tonight. We have plenty of multi-man matches, a strict 3-hour air slot and LOTS to get through. The main event is an ROH All Stars vs Bullet Club 10-man tag. 5-on-5 matches are themselves something of a rarity in Ring Of Honor terms, simply because it’s so rare that they have so much talent that they can afford to waste ten guys in a single match. The lone championship on the line this evening sees Jay Lethal defend the TV Championship against Tetsuya Naito – but there is plenty at stake in other high profile ROH vs NJPW matches like ACH/Nakamura, Elgin/Tanahashi and Alexander/Okada. This show should be an adrenaline rush if nothing else! Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino have crossed the border into Toronto, ONT.
Silas Young/Takaaki Watanabe vs Moose/Gedo
I like this concept. On a night littered with inter-promotional showdowns, the idea of throwing in a ‘mixed tag’ with guys from New Japan and ROH teaming up against each other is a good one. The pairings are unique too, as each team features an experienced, entertaining grouchy veteran (Young and Gedo) teaming up with a younger, less charismatic powerhouse (Watanabe and Moose). On the surface the experience of Gedo and raw power of Moose make their team the favourites – but it would be foolish to discount the Last Real Man making his first appearance of the week…
The New Japan guys start, against the unique crowd backdrop of an even 50/50 split between fans that like Moose and fans that very vocally don’t. Young is so good at his job he quickly starts converting Canadians into Moose fans with his antics…and his skill is such that he even nearly polishes off the veteran Gedo with the Killer Combo. He and Watanabe isolate Gedo, which is quite a feat given his experience of tag team wrestling…and also quite a statement as to how much they fear the power of Moose. Finally the hot tag comes, courtesy of Moose swatting Wata out of the way to clear Gedo’s path across the ring. ROPE RUN FLYING CROSSBODY BLOCK BY MOOSE! Young misses the Peegee Waja Plunge on Gedo…as Watanabe lands a GERMAN SUPLEX on Moose! The ex-NFL star just gets right back up though – and steamrolls Wata with a pop-up lariat for 2. Moose finishes Silas with the rolling Spear and takes the win at 07:34
Rating - ** - I wasn’t expecting miracles, and this wound up being a really effective little opening match. Moose is still a very green and limited worker, but I thought Gedo and Silas did a great job to both protect and promote him throughout the match. He didn’t work much, which helped, and everything he did made him look like a real star.
Chris Sabin vs Kushida vs Kyle O’Reilly
This was originally scheduled to be an interesting battle between Alex Shelley’s former tag partner in Motor City Machine Guns (Sabin) and his current tag partner in the Time Splitters (Kushida). The Canadian border authorities had other plans though, and when they stopped Bobby Fish from entering the country, officials wasted no time inserting O’Reilly into the match and giving him a chance to get some revenge for Sabin’s role in costing reDRagon the ROH Tag Titles. O’Reilly and Kushida also have something of a rivalry going in New Japan – with this match taking place not long before the two would collide in an epic final of the 2015 Best Of The Super Juniors tournament in New Japan.
Sabin is a general jerk before the match, which starts when he disrespectfully pops O’Reilly in the mouth. The frantic three-way near-miss sequence that follows, culminating in a triangle dropkick spot, is awesome. Kushida dives off the apron into a press which takes Sabin out…then hauls him back into the ring to give him an Alex Shelley tribute Skullf*ck. Chris gets his payback by putting Kushida in a tree of woe then BACK DROPPING O’Reilly directly into his exposed torso for 2. MMA strike flurry from Kyle takes out Sabin…but O’Reilly gets distracted trying to put Kushida in a hanging armbar and EATS thrust kick to the face from the KRD member. Cradle Shock blocked, before Kushida snaps the arms of both opponents over the ropes at the same time! Hoverboard Lock on Sabin! GUILLOTINE CHOKE from O’Reilly to Kushida at the same time! REGALPLEX gets 2! Sabin makes the save then steps off Kushida’s face into a tornado DDT on Kyle. Axe & Smash! DOUBLE JAWBREAKER MCLARIAT! ARM-AGEDDON on Sabin! KUSHIDA BREAKS IT WITH A MOONSAULT! CRADLE SHOCK…COUNTERED TO THE HOVERBOARD LOCK! Sabin taps at 09:46!
Rating - *** - Kushida has something really special about him. Every time I’ve seen him compete he brings an energy to his matches – regardless of opponent or position on the card. Here he got to share the ring with two world-travelled and experienced junior heavyweights who were more than capable of keeping up with him. I’ve read pretty mixed reviews of his performances since returning to ROH, but I thought Sabin held up his end of the deal here. He is in his mid-30’s now, and has had a number of pretty serious injuries so it is only natural that he has slowed down considerably since his prime. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if he can find a character that works for him – and his slimy weener heel routine here provided some entertaining moments. He was arguably the highlight of this one for me, which says something given who he was sharing a ring with.
Michael Bennett/Matt Taven vs Jushin Liger/Matt Sydal
The Kingdom, with Bennett and Taven at the forefront, have been racking up some incredible victories in 2015. That trend continued when they scored a major victory over the Bullet Club in the main event of War Of The Worlds 2015 Night 2. Even though they’ve lost a title match relatively recently, their form over the year means that Bennett and Taven remain premier contenders for the ROH Tag Titles. They’ll know a victory over well respected veterans like Liger and Sydal tonight will only serve as a further boost to their credentials.
Kevin Kelly really won’t stop trying to get ‘Internet Darlings’ over as Bennett and Taven’s team name. This guy is so chronically un-cool. Sydal double boots Taven in the face before doing the honourable thing and stepping aside so Liger can tag in and get his usual insane pop. Sydal takes out Taven again with a flying knee strike off the apron but inside the ring Maria distracts Liger allowing Bennett to floor him with a superkick. The Kingdom isolate the legendary masked junior, and although nothing is particularly fancy I really notice how quickly they are improving as a tag team. Taven is still a little dry, but Bennett in particular makes sure everything is really entertaining. Sydal gets 2 with the standing moonsault then scoops up both opponents for a Slice/jawbreaker combo. Yet again Maria tries to distract Liger…and she really looks like she’s marking out herself as she tries to seduce him with a sexy dance. DOUBLE SHOTEI ON THE KINGDOM! LIGER MOTORBOATS MARIA! DOUBLE SUPERKICK ON HIM! Sydal attempts the Sydal Press…RIGHT INTO A TAVEN SUPERKICK! SPIKE PILEDRIVER! The Kingdom get yet another big win at 08:58
Rating - ** - Yet again it was too short to amount to anything of real consequence, but I had fun watching this match too. I’ve always been more of a Bennett fan than most, but it feels like he’s been on a great run recently – and I tend to find his habit of narrating his own matches quite amusing. The Kingdom actually worked quite hard here, and it meant that the two veterans across the ring from them didn’t have to do much at all. Liger hit a few of his usual spots and Sydal was a total non-entity. The real highlight was the Liger/Maria sequence – one of the most entertaining moments of the tour.
Cedric Alexander vs Kazuchika Okada
A year ago at the 2014 Global Wars show, Cedric Alexander should have been enjoying a career highlight. He’d defeated Roderick Strong, and was preparing to face Okada in the Hammerstein Ballroom at War Of The Worlds…but The Decade took it away from him with a vicious post-match assault. A year later he finally does get his match with the Rainmaker and the stakes are high for him as he plans to use this match to finally elevate himself into championship contention in ROH. As it’s a singles match there is a real chance Okada might have to do some work tonight (for the first time on the tour so far).
Cedric is obviously pumped up for this, and he starts hot despite Okada being rather dismissive of him whenever there is a lull in the action. Alexander almost forces his opponent to take him seriously by putting a foot through his face in a ferocious dropkick. He keeps buzzing around the Rainmaker like a wasp – until Okada dropkicks him out of the ring…and all the lights go out. There’s an awesome few seconds where they fight in the dark with nothing but iPhone lights and a sole spotlight to illuminate them…but as the lights come back on Okada smiles broadly and PLANTS his hyperactive opponent with a DDT off the apron. Still Cedric is trying to force his opponent to take him seriously and throws some savage chops in his direction, only for Okada to shut him down with a simple chinlock. 540 Enzi from nothing by Alexander! SOMERSAULT PLANCHA UP THE AISLE! The lights go out again, this time as Alexander bounces off the top rope into a flying lariat. MICHINOKU DRIVER gets 2! Okada looks like he’s taking this seriously now…and gets SLAPPED IN THE FACE for blocking the Lumbar Check. A DDT knocks Alexander back, and the now focused Rainmaker runs him through with a running uppercut moments later. Flying elbow drop nailed…only for Cedric to counter the Rainmaker into a springboard tornado DDT! Kryptonite Neckbreaker gets 2 for Okada who seethes with rage now. HEAVY RAIN gets 2! Gedo demands a Tombstone PIledriver, and is shocked when Alexander COUNTERS it into Kick 2 Kill. ROLLING IED’S! OKADA GOES DOWN! TWO COUNT ONLY! Alexander flattens the former IWGP Champion again with a rebound enzi, but gets too excited and EATS dropkick. TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER! RAAAAAAINMAAAAKEEER! Alexander is toast, and Okada gets a win at 13:49
Rating - **** - One of the best singles matches that New Japan’s ‘big three’ (Tanahashi, Nakamura & Okada) have produced in a Ring Of Honor ring. I jokingly stated in my intro that Okada might have to work harder tonight, and he absolutely did that. And in such a beautifully organic way too. He started the match looking like he really wanted another easy night on this tour. He posed, he smiled and he dusted Cedric off. Just like Kenta Kobashi when he fought Samoa Joe in 2005, he was here for an exhibition match…but stood across the ring from a fired up combatant who wanted to treat it like the biggest fight of their career. Cedric just refused to back down and as the match progressed Okada became more and more intense. At the opening bell this was house show in Canada Okada…but by the climactic sequence he was working like he was in the Tokyo Dome. Alexander was great in this, but his biggest contribution was being the catalyst for a marvellously layered performance from the Rainmaker. This was the first time we’ve seen him really scratch the surface of his true in-ring capabilities in ROH…
Cedric seems devastated to have lost, and walks out without shaking Okada’s hand.
RPG Vice vs BJ Whitmer/Adam Page vs The Addiction
As discussed earlier, this was originally scheduled to be a four-team affair with reDRagon involved too, but with Fish getting stopped at the border plans have changed. Although their arch enemies are now removed from the match, Daniels and Kazarian will still find themselves with bullseyes on their backs this evening. As the reigning ROH Tag Champions they’ll know a slip up here immediately opens the door to potentially tough challengers. Both Rocky Romero and BJ Whitmer have held the Tag Titles multiple times previously, so the credentials of both opposing teams are strong.
The Addiction are supposed to be heels, which is something of a problem since Daniels is the most over babyface in the match. Kazarian has a lot to say for himself and backs up his words by sending Beretta packing after the opening exchanges. Vice try to utilise strength in numbers and unleash a flurry of double teams to both opponents…and just when that starts to get interesting Whitmer barges in to ruin the fun. Daniels squashes Trent with a perfect Asai moonsault enabling The Addiction to start isolating him. BJ prevents Daniels from landing Angel’s Wings to get even more heat, then capitalises on Addiction’s work like a dickhead to beat up Beretta himself. Page hits the shooting star torpedo headbutt off the apron and it’s The Decade who control proceedings for the first time. Romero puts a stop to that…as Beretta stops Decade from executing the All Seeing Eye. Page levels Romero with the somersault lariat instead for 2. Exploder ’98 from Whitmer to Daniels! Spike DDT from Page to Kazarian! Rite Of Passage countered into the Gobstopper Knee by Trent! STRONG ZERO! Daniels breaks the fall! Kazarian steals the pin instead, and Addiction win it at 15:08
Rating - ** - Going on after Okada/Alexander did them no favours. That match had a purpose and intensity about it from the outset, which was sadly lacking here. It wasn’t bad at all, but it did feel like six men with a generous time allowance and absolutely nothing planned for it, ad-libbing and killing time before their big finishing sequence. There was a really hot little exchange somewhere in there between Page and Daniels which I liked, and I don’t think it is unreasonable to say that they are considerably more interesting as performers than any of the other guys in this one.
Kyle O’Reilly runs in to assault The Addiction, but ROH’s production is so retarded it basically misses the whole thing showing pointless replays of a match we just watched. O’Reilly roughs the Tag Champs up enough to pose with one of their belts as the iPPV prepares to go to intermission.
ACH vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Both of these guys have a strange, intangible charisma to their ring work and it should be a lot of fun to see them in the ring together. As with Cedric/Okada earlier, this represents a massive chance for ACH to really elevate himself into main event status in ROH. He’s had classic matches with some of the most notable names in modern wrestling – the likes of Alberto El Patron, Samoa Joe, Kevin Steen, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Davey Richards…but lost to almost all of them. Taking down the legendary King Of Strong Style would be an astronomically big deal for him…
ACH’s luggage got lost, so is wrestling in borrowed long tights today which looks really odd for some reason. Kind of like Okada/Cedric, Nakamura doesn’t look too phased by his opponent at all and spends the opening exchanges posing and having fun popping the crowd. Unlike Cedric though, ACH is happy to do that too and soon starts joking around making fun of Naka’s poses and taunts. Nakamura smiles…but is actually pissed off, and is even more angry when he can’t lay a strike on ACH as he flips around the ring. It all comes crashing down as ACH looks for a slingshot and gets SMASHED off the ropes to the ground! RUNNING KNEE over the guardrails by Nak! The New Japan star seems intent on kneeing his opponent all over the arena – to the point that it gets so predictable ACH starts easily countering them. Stone Cold Stunner puts Nakamura down although for nowhere near enough time for ACH to break out the Hero’s Grip. He dropkicks Naka to the floor instead, then gets MASSIVE hangtime on Air Jordan. 450 Splash misses…KNEE TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! BOMAYE KNEE! Nakamura wins at 13:31
Rating - *** - This lacked the layering and emotional punch of the Okada/Cedric match, but was still entertaining enough. It explored a lot of similar themes, with the up and coming ROH worker treating a clash with an NJPW megastar as the biggest match of his career and raising his game accordingly whilst the NJPW guy is on tour looking to take it easy. Crucially, this was different in that where Cedric got pissed off with Okada for not taking him seriously, ACH was just as adept at goofing off and messing around as Naka was. He actually got into Nakamura’s head and psyched him out by making fun of him…and I found that an exceptionally interesting dynamic which they really didn’t explore thoroughly enough for my liking.
Jay Lethal vs Tetsuya Naito – ROH TV Title Match
Naito is 2-0 on the tour thus far, and is another strong international challenger for Jay Lethal. He’s also been one of the laziest workers on the tour, sucking the life out of a great Kyle O’Reilly performance on one night and stinking up the joint with Michael Elgin on the other. He will need to step up out of the lower gears if he is to pose a threat to the most dominant ROH Television Champion ever – regardless of his credentials and previous success in New Japan. Truth Martini doesn’t walk the aisle with the champion tonight, so new House Of Truth heavy Donovan Dijak takes his place.
Dijak starts interrupting before the bell even rings; grabbing Naito’s boot and allowing Lethal to jump him. The champion leaves the ring as Naito threatens a comeback…and as he tries to give chase pulls a Raven and drop toeholds him into an open chair. Some fans try to get a ‘Tina Turner’ chant going at Naito, which I sort of found funny even though else seems to like it. The challenger is still reeling as Jay hits the tope suicida trifecta. Macho Axehandle gets 2, and after five minutes Naito hasn’t even got out of the starting blocks. He explodes into life with the slingshot dropkick in the corner…and f*cking immediately gives up on selling any of Lethal’s offence to start dancing and playing to the crowd. I’ve never been a big fan but these last three shows are really starting to make me HATE Naito. Lethal Injection blocked…Lethal Combination instead! Hail To The King gets 2! A groggy Naito (who is selling again for the time-being) rolls into a heel kick…and when Dijak tries to grab him again referee Paul Turner ejects him from the match. Absolutely PERFECT frankensteiner gets the challenger a nearfall in the aftermath. Lethal Injection countered to a NECK DROP GERMAN SUPLEX! Stardust Press misses though and aggravates Naito’s previously-injured knee. Lethal Injection scores shortly afterwards, meaning the champion retains in 12:50
Rating - ** - Another crappy, lazy and arrogant showing from Naito who yet again didn’t appear to have any interest in helping the Ring Of Honor talent look good. As with the Naito/O’Reilly match though, this match wasn’t a complete bust almost entirely thanks to how hard his opponent was working. Structurally this was actually the best Naito match of the three so far because positioning Lethal as the heel aggressor gave the ‘Stardust Genius’ less time to pose and dance around like an idiot. He hit a couple of gorgeous spots at the end, but then again I’m not doubting his ability to hit his own moves. The problem is he is murdering matches because he’s either too lazy, too jet-lagged or too arrogant to work with his opponents to make them good.
Michael Elgin vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
The last time Elgin competed for ROH in this building he lost the World Title. It sent his career into a puzzling downward spiral, it triggered a period of enforced isolation north of the border and it has taken a long time for him to recover. Now in one night he has a real chance to repair all of that damage. He has dreamed about touring New Japan his entire career, and was devastated in 2014 when despite trialling for a spot he was passed over whilst the likes of Bennett, Taven and reDRagon have gotten regular bookings. He knows that all that misery goes away if he defeats Tanahashi tonight. Getting a victory over NJPW’s top gun puts him on a flight for the next tour, it makes amends for the World Title loss...it will rejuvenate his entire career. That is how high the personal stakes are for him here…
Elgin’s stony face suggests he knows how big this match is, and like a killer he starts the match by tossing Tana straight down onto his bad back. Tanahashi wants to use his speed and rebounds off the second rope into a crossbody. Immediately we know where the respective strengths of these two lie. Like Okada and Nakamura before him, Tanahashi looks like he wants an exhibition match…and gets caught air guitaring before Elgin drops the somersault leg drop across the back. A desperate Tanahashi misses another crossbody and gets booted in the stomach, then planted into the ground again with a northern lights suplex. The Japanese star cranks up the pace and hits back with the same running elbow smash that busted Roderick Strong open earlier in the week. He is swiftly punished with an enziguri to the side of the head followed by a DEAD-LIFT GERMAN! Wild High Fly Flow attempt is caught, into a RIPCORD ELBOW for 2! Unbreakable wants to win this match at all costs and angrily sweeps Tana’s legs from under him when he blocks a piledriver on the apron. Tanahashi swings limply into a swinging neckbreaker to buy him some time. HIGH FLY TOP ROPE CROSSBODY TO THE FLOOR NAILED! Still Michael comes up throwing elbow strikes…then swats Tanahashi aside as he looks for the Sling Blade. Technically they botched it, but it sort of makes sense in context with the action we’ve seen. More damage is piled onto the back as Elgin double stomps it hard. STRAIGHT JACKET GERMAN! HIGH FLY FLOW GETS KNEES! BUCKLE BOMB! NO SOLD! SLING BLADE! HIGH FLY FLOW SCORES! Tanahashi wins at 15:27
Rating - *** - The trio of singles matches starring New Japan’s big three tonight have all been extremely interesting to watch. They each had the dynamic of a Ring Of Honor star with everything to prove against a big name looking to coast along for some easy cash…and all three took slightly different approaches to flesh that out. Alexander was tenacious in forcing Okada to take him seriously. ACH flipped the script and started pissing Nakamura off. Elgin took another route and instead opted to bully Tanahashi. He knew Tana was here for a paycheck and a big pop, not to work…and he took advantage. From the opening bell he tossed the New Japan star around like a toy, smashing up his back like a monster and believably dismantling one of the biggest names in all of wrestling. Admittedly it fell apart a little in the final third (when a few botches and Tanahashi not wanting to sell really lessened my enjoyment), and a portion of the crowd seemed intent on ruining things for everyone else (probably the same group I was praising for calling Naito ‘Tina Turner ironically)…but this was still a great 3* contest. One of the best of the night.
Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe/Roderick Strong/Raymond Rowe/Hanson vs AJ Styles/Karl Anderson/Doc Gallows/Young Bucks
This is billed as ‘ROH All Stars versus Bullet Club’, and it should be a riot. The ROH and IWGP Champions will be in the ring together. The Young Bucks and the Briscoes will lock horns again. Last year at War Of The Worlds the Briscoes also contested a hell of a fight with Bullet Club’s Anderson and Gallows. What about Hanson and AJ potentially squaring off again after they beat the snot out of each other on TV in late 2014? Plenty of rivalries, plenty of big names, and some seriously big egos all looking to cram themselves into one iPPV main event.
‘Have you ever known me to go against the company?’ – Corino on why he’s cheering on Team ROH. Nick gets the party started throwing a spinning heel kick into the stitched up head of Roderick. War Machine capture Matt and hold him in position for a flying kick from Mark…before Styles flies out onto everyone with an elbow suicida. TOP ROPE CORKSCREW PRESS TO THE FLOOR by Nick! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S COUNTER TO THE CACTUS ELBOW! Inside the ring Strong is still suffering though, eating the Boot Of Doom from Doc and Karl. Mark tries to rescue him with Redneck Kung Fu…but instead gets ‘Suck It Punches’ from Matt Jackson. In turn Jay starts punching Nick’s lights out when he tries to start a Superkick Party. Bronco Buster by Hanson…before Rowe legit throws Nick around like a child. SPRINGBOARD ELBOW from Styles to Hanson! PELE INTO THE ROH CORNER! Gallows steps through the ropes into a titanic collision with Hanson – and comes off worst as Hanson lands the cartwheel lariat. FIVE MAN SUPERKICK PARTY from Bullet Club to Hanson gets 2! TRIPLE MOONSAULTS TO THE FLOOR by the Bucks and AJ! 450 SPLASH TRILOGY! Hanson kicks out again! He then climbs to the tope rope FOR A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR ONTO EVERYONE! SUPERFLEX FLURRY BY STRONG! ENDING WITH A SUPERPLEX TO THE FREAKING FLOOR ON NICK! GALLOWS POLE ON HANSON! CEMENT MIXER ON GALLOWS! GUN STUN ON ROWE! BLOODY SUNDAY ON ROWE! SICK KICK ON STYLES! END OF HEARTACHE ON MATT! JAY DRILLER NAILED! FROGGY BOW! The Briscoes win the match for the ROH All Stars at 17:01
Rating - **** - What a joyously mindless main event this was. Don’t get bogged down in the semantics, technicalities or legalities – this was just ten guys chucking spots around for almost twenty minutes and it made for thrilling viewing. The last ten minutes were almost impossible to keep up with on play-by-play. There is a slight chance I preferred the Kingdom/Bullet Club 6-man from Philadelphia, but not by much. Like I said at the start of this review – in independent wrestling (or whatever ROH is now) it is extremely rare to see a 10-man tag main event and even rarer to see one loaded with as much talent as this. At times the hapless production crew must have been tearing their hair out trying to get as much of this onto the iPPV feed as possible…
The show ends with Jay Briscoe and AJ Styles, each clasping their title belts, locking eyes…then both getting taken out by the belt of TV Champion Jay Lethal!
Tape Rating - *** - More of the same from the 2015 ROH/NJPW tour. Plenty of really decent wrestling, and some occasionally outstanding matches…but for the most part everything just felt a little uninspired. There isn’t a bad match on this show, and is probably the most consistent of the four shows this week. But as usual the midcard was bogged down with sterile, predictable and at times utterly lazy performances. It was one of those shows which flew by and was largely enjoyable to watch…but it was also one of those shows where I sat there and couldn’t help but pick apart how much better it could (and SHOULD) have been. That said, Okada/Cedric and the main event were great. I’ve reviewed plenty of wrestling shows in my time without anything approaching the quality of those two matches…
Top 3 Matches
3) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Michael Elgin (***)
2) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe/Roderick Strong/War Machine vs Bullet Club (****)
1) Kazuchika Okada vs Cedric Alexander (****)