McXal's Reviews

One week removed from San Antonio, and one week out from Global Wars in Chicago the Ring Of Honor crew make their debut in another new town. The roster is different from last week though as in come Lio Rush, Donovan Dijak, Dalton Castle, Joey Daddiego and the debuting Kamaitachi (Hiromu Takahashi on excursion). Three top tier teams are put through their paces in our main event as current #1 contenders the Briscoes face their old rivals the Motor City Machine Guns, plus reDRagon re-entering the tag scene despite a packed calendar of singles commitments. Beneath that the aforementioned Kamaitachi arrives on excursion from New Japan (after a successful excursion in Mexico) and is welcomed by ACH. The Young Bucks face All Night Express in a renewal of a rivalry which goes back years, Donovan Dijak is actually booked and gets chance at payback on Joey Daddiego, whilst House Of Truth’s World Champion Jay Lethal offers a ‘local underdog’ a World Title Match, in the form of Vinny Marseglia. We are in West Warwick, RI (which must be a central location for fans from other areas to travel too because, reading up on the town, it doesn’t seem overly large at all). Commentary is a little different this week as Ian Riccaboni handles lead announce duties, alongside Kevin Kelly and ‘Mr Wrestling III’…but it’s actually BJ Whitmer under the mask, not Steve Corino.

This should be an interesting WOH match. Hendrix has fast become one of the most recognisable Women Of Honor thanks to her role in the House Of Truth (which has grown in the absence of Truth Martini), but hasn’t had much in-ring time on main shows (or DVD bonus features…maybe she’s on the YouTube uploads every week and I don’t see it). Sakai’s return to ROH and rise to prominence is one of the most unlikely stories anywhere in Ring Of Honor. She debuted for the company all the way back in 2002 and is now part of the attempted rejuvenation of the Women Of Honor despite being well into her 40’s. A tenured veteran, she poses a substantial challenge to Hendrix.

Hendrix jumps Sakai, with Ian explaining that she is still fired up following a loss to Sumie in late-2015. It’s nothing Sumie hasn’t seen before and she rides the attack with ease before fighting back with hiptosses and dropkicks. Taeler tries to keep her experienced (and MMA proficient) opponent on the ground with chokes. It’s set up for the ‘Poison Pill’ which is apparently a variant of the Sleeper hold (thanks Ian). Working submissions with Sumie isn’t something that will end up well for her though and the Japanese competitor counters to a cross armbreaker which sends Hendrix scurrying to the ropes. Last Chancery applied by Hendrix, doing more damage to Sakai’s neck. Still Sumie fights the Poison Pill then heads upstairs for her signature missile dropkick. She tries it a second time only for Hendrix to counter with a HEADSTAND frankensteiner for 2. She palm strikes the throat to counter her Fisherman Neckbreaker…only for Sakai to small package her and come perilously close to victory. Taeler symbolically kisses a confused Sumie, before levelling her with a Tombstone (which she calls the ‘Kiss Goodnight’) to secure victory for the House Of Truth at 07:57

Rating - ** - This was very decent; good enough to get a sparse crowd who were basically silent during the introductions and early stages REALLY into things by the closing moments. Sakai is a savvy addition to the Women Of Honor division from the perspective that she is US-based, her age makes her less likely to be picked up by another promotion, and she has the chops to help some of the less-experienced or capable women in the division. In all fairness to Hendrix, she contributed plenty to this as well, and definitely isn’t lacking in experience having made her professional wrestling debut in 2008 and subsequently spent time in promotions like Queens Of Combat, OVW and TNA. Her provocative character definitely makes her stand out, her House Of Truth alignment makes her a prominent member of the division, and she looked a solid hand as a worker here too. Had Sakai made more of an effort to put over the work on the neck/throat I’d have possibly gone higher on my rating.

I believe this triple threat brings together three graduates of the ROH wrestling school. Leon is probably more recognisable as a personality on the ROH TV show than she is for her in-ring work right now, but last time we saw her on these bonus feature matches I thought she looked decent. Veda (who is from Rhode Island so gets a decent ovation and a few streamers) and Rose are supposedly old rivals and training partners. Jenny recently returned to ROH after an extended period of time in Japan. She originally graduated from the SHIMMER class at the ROH school taught by Daizee Haze and previously used to compete under a mask as ‘Jumping’ Jamilia Craft.

Scott takes a cheap-shot at both opponents…who can’t kick her back quickly enough and then bicker over who gets to pin her. That’s enough for Veda, who leaves the ring and joins commentary. She watches her two opponents go at it, with Leon doing her best to bridge the experience gap between her and Jenny. Scott returns to the match to prevent Jenny pinning Mandy, and looks to capitalise for herself after levelling the Exotic Goddess with a version of the Stratusfaction. Split-legged palm strike by Leon…who lines up a DDT on Veda and winds up putting extra stink on it because Rose elbows her full-force in the face. POWERBOMB/LUNGBLOWER combo by Mandy and Jenny, but again they argue about who gets to pin Scott. Rose comes off the top with a flying clothesline to both opponents, but Leon gets off the ground and lands a headlock/headscissors takedown on both opponents. Scott hits a Back Drop Driver on Leon, then a German on Rose! Leon-sault MISSES for Mandy…but Scott eats the Spear from Rose. Leon tries to put her in Havana Dreams…but is kicked in the throat by Veda. The move has already inflicted major damage on Jenny though, leaving Scott with the job of pinning her and taking the victory in her home state at 06:29

Rating - ** - I preferred Hendrix/Sakai, but this wasn’t half bad either. Sure it was a little rough, but you can look past a little bit of sloppy execution when you see hard-working competitors who are visibly busting their asses to do the best job they possibly can. All three moved at a rapid pace throughout, and they were all blowing HARD by the time it came to an end. 

Former Top Prospect Tournament competitor ‘Wildman’ Kongo, who looks less like he is from ‘South America’ every time we see him, returns to action against the Party Peacock. These two actually have the TPT in common as Dalton is a former TPT participant as well. Like Kongo in 2014, he went out at the first round stage in 2015. He has enjoyed significantly more Ring Of Honor success than the 'Wildman' since then, but like all of Kongo’s opponents, Castle must find a way to overcome his considerable size, weight and girth. 

Kevin reveals that Castle is just back from a tour of the UK…and he is apparently in a crabby mood, almost losing his sh*t when Kongo makes a move towards the Boys. Immediately we see that Kongo is too big for Castle to utilise his preferred grappling/suplex-heavy style…and the Wildman profits by dragging him out of the ring for a brawl. Dalton tricks the big man into colliding with the ringpost, then mows him down with the Heat Seeking Missile. But he still can’t get Kongo off his feet and his glass back gives out on him when attempting a body slam. The Wildman flattens him with a Black Hole Slam for 2…and then puts the exclamation point on it with a diving splash. The Boys distract Kongo causing him to miss another splash, but are powerless to prevent him landing a running crossbody. EVEREST GERMAN NAILED! Incredible strength by Dalton, who wins the match at 06:21

Rating - ** - I won’t say I’m keen to see more of Kongo in ROH, but he is athletic and capable enough that when he does show up his matches usually aren’t bad. Here the contrast between his character and Castle’s was pronounced, and his size led to some interesting in-ring moments as Castle struggled to change from the style he has basically worked for his entire run in this company because he couldn't grapple and toss Kongo around like he can to most other opponents.

Kevin Kelly and BJ Whitmer (as Mr Wrestling III) are already incredibly annoying on commentary. I’d much rather have Ian on his own than listen to their ridiculous ‘banter’ (and the interminable Corino/BJ feud). Kelly walks out before the next match however, and is replaced by Will Ferrara.

J. Diesel is the House Of Truth’s hitman in their quest for vengeance on Dijak for breaking Truth Martini’s neck. At Supercard Of Honor 10 he used a chair to inflict rib injuries on the 2015 TPT winner...but now has to face the consequences as the big man he used to team with is now out for blood. Can Dijak drag a good match out of Diesel?

Donovan goes for Feast Your Eyes right away, and when Daddiego blocks that he levels him with a standing corkscrew senton instead. Joey used to be a professional boxer didn’t you know? He tries to punch at Dijak’s ribs, and although Donovan is able to push him away it’s clear that those body shots hurt him. He throws Diesel clean over the top rope and surveys the damage whilst still holding his midsection in pain. Taeler Hendrix prevents him from attempting a big dive, allowing Joey to whip him hard into the guardrails. Daddiego then moves as quick as I’ve ever seen him in his ROH career to dish out a running kick deep into the ribcage. He follows that with a lovably clumsy flying double stomp into the midsection for 2. Abdominal stretch applied, and even when Dijak escapes he attempts a big biel but can barely get Joey off his feet. The move does minimal damage and Daddiego comes right back at him with a powerbomb. Dijak catches Joey attempting an axehandle…and abandons rib selling to do a nip-up for some reason. Taeler Hendrix gives Prince Nana a slap, creating a distraction which enables Joey to low blow Dijak. Nana pulls the ref out to stop him counting to three! Donovan lands the Chokeslam Backbreaker for 2. Taeler is on the apron trying to get involved again! She tries to goad Dijak as Daddiego approaches…only for Donovan to duck and watch as Joey inadvertently PUNCHES HER IN THE FACE! SHE IS OUT COLD! FEAST YOUR EYES ON DIESEL! Dijak wins at 07:56

Rating - *** - At the San Antonio show last week I had to come out and admit that two of my least favourite performers on the roster (Ferrara and Rhett Titus) delivered a very enjoyable match. This week I’m forced to admit that probably my absolute least favourite member of the roster (Daddiego) had an equally good one. There is a debate to be had around whether Dijak should really be wasting his time trying to make Joey Daddiego look like a credible threat, but sinc Diesel has been a lead weight dragging Donovan down for the entirety of his ROH career so far that’s hardly a new discussion. The angle around the ribs they built up in Texas gave them an accessible story to tell, and one that even Joey was good enough to execute. There won’t be a bigger surprise package all night than this one.

Kevin Kelly is back on commentary, cue more ‘you’re not Mr Wrestling III’, ‘yes I am’ childish banter with BJ Whitmer. Is this going to happen all night? 

Kevin Kelly acts like The Addiction are the biggest villains ever to walk Planet Earth for their post-match attack on Sabin last week. I’d be ok with that approach if the Machine Guns weren’t booked in the main event tonight, so clearly he can’t be too bad. Daniels has a reputation for getting great matches out of rising stars going back a LONG time (he was the veteran put into the Era Of Honor Begins main event with ‘rising stars’ Low Ki and Bryan Danielson remember). Lio showed what a dangerous competitor he can be when he challenged for the World Title in Dallas. Can he now provide a legitimate threat to the Ring General?

Daniels goes full Prophecy and refuses a handshake, even when Rush grabs his arm and tries to insist upon one. Like Lethal last week, the Ring General quickly finds Lio’s illusive style and almost snake-like ability to slither out of holds incredibly challenging. He ducks the heel kick spot that Daniels has used in every match he’s had since the beginning of time and starts working an armbar. ‘There’s not a lot of footage of Lio Rush out there’ – BJ Whitmer, who clearly doesn’t watch CZW where he has worked for more than a year. Daniels takes the youngster out of the ring and puts the boots to him against the railing. It is a huge compliment that the ‘Ring General’ has to resort to brawling on the floor to get the upper hand. He punishes the back and ribs (maybe he really likes Joey Daddiego’s work in the previous match), which will negate Rush’s ability to execute either the Rush Hour or the Dragon’s Call. Lio fights free of a bearhug, then gets his knees up to block an Arabian press before he rattles off strikes and tornadoes into a DDT on the veteran for a 2-count. ‘A star-making performance’ – BJ Whitmer, who also clearly doesn’t watch ROH’s own f*cking shows and didn’t see the Lethal match. Rush counters the Angel’s Wings with a rana and hits a back suplex…but as he climbs the ropes for the Dragon’s Call Kazarian runs through the curtain and attacks him. That’s a DQ win for Lio at 08:09

Rating - *** - That finish has really annoyed me, but I’ll start by saying that what came before it was really good. Lio Rush is an incredible talent, and almost freakishly good for someone who barely has two years in the business. The way he moves is unique and instantly identifiable, he seems to mesh well with a variety of opponents and this is the second time he has stepping into the ring at a live event with a legitimate main event level talent and not looked out of place at all. Daniels has worked matches like this his whole career and was great too (which in itself is an achievement considering he is on the back-side of his mid-40’s). ROH are going all in on getting Daniels and Kazarian over as the biggest heels in the tag division right now. I don’t mind that as they are good at what they do, and their feud with the Bucks and MCMG is one of ROH’s big ongoing storylines…but why on earth even book this match if you wanted to do this dumb ass finish? Is the moderate amount of additional heat Daniels and Frankie now get really worth it? If getting them over as the bad guys was so important why not stick to the Sabin injury angle from last week rather than have him work the main event?!

Moose runs in to save Lio…and Stokely Hathaway explains that he and Rush are friends, which comes off as lazy to me. Shouldn’t they have had at least SOME interaction previously to demonstrate that? Stoke goes full Teddy Long and proposes a tag match, which apparently they all have the authority to agree on…

With their sights set on the Tag Titles, with the Young Bucks and Motor City Machine Guns to deal with, and Jushin Liger also coming their way at Global Wars, the last thing Kazarian and Daniels really needed was to lock horns with big Moose too. Nevertheless, their experience as a team gives them a significant advantage, as does the fact that Lio is still carrying injuries to his midsection that Daniels just inflicted in their singles bout.

Lio gets things started with a crazy somersault plancha to wipe both villains out! Moose gives Daniels the guardrail swing but eats Frankie’s elbow when attempting an early Hitstick. Why on earth is doing WWE moves part of Moose’s gimmick now? He parodies The People’s Elbow, except with a twist as the ‘elbow’ portion is a pop-up flying elbow double team variant with Rush. Lio has abandoned selling the ribs and back, as evidenced by the fact that he uses a running senton in an attempt to win for his team. His inexperience is his undoing though as he steps too far into The Addiction’s corner and is tripped by Daniels. Quickly the former Tag Champions cut the ring in half and isolate him, going back to the ribs and back just like in the preceding match. It does allow Daniels to right a wrong from earlier in that he does land the Arabian Press this time around. Lio does manage to wriggle free of his captors and make the much-needed tag to Moose…who squashes them both with his rope-run crossbody block. But the veterans have the numbers on him and soon take him out with Bad Elimination. Moose dropkicks Kaz off the top rope and watches as Rush flips around kicking lumps out of both opponents too. Hitstick nailed, then Lio climbs onto Moose’s shoulders for a DRAGON’S CALL! He beats Daniels for the second time this evening at 09:10.

Rating - ** - I really feel like there was a better way to book this card. Did Moose and Stokely need to be shoehorned into this scenario? Is there not a better way to put Lio over (a sentiment I fully appreciate as he is a huge talent) than having Daniels lose to him twice? If The Addiction are being set up as the big heels of the super-deep ROH tag division should they really be losing to a makeshift duo? This was fun enough, albeit I could have done with Rush selling his injuries better. It didn’t do a lot for me though, and just felt so unnecessary and confused from a creative standpoint.

There’s a big jump cut to remove a chunk of footage (I wonder if anything happened there), but the edit picks up with Daniels and Kazarian attacking Lio Rush, giving him the BEST MELTZER EVER just like they did to Sabin last week. The Young Bucks come out to his (late) rescue

Matt Taven comes out to a big reaction from the crowd as he’s a New England talent. He continues the musical chairs at the announce booth, replacing Kevin Kelly for the next match

This one is billed as a ‘Local Underdog Championship Challenge’, with Lethal offering a World Title Match to a local independent talent so he can continue making the point that ROH has nobody left in the locker room to challenge him. Watching in 2019 it is of additional interest as we know that Marseglia would go on to become a contracted part of the roster before the end of the year. He debuted in the company as far back as 2012, and has looked absolutely terrible every time I’ve seen him thus far. Clumsy, unathletic and generally awkward ring skills hidden by a cool look and a whole bunch of tattoos is my overriding memory of him. He is friends with Taven (hence Matt is at ringside), calls West Warwick his hometown and is very active in the New England market. He hasn’t made a televised or main show appearance for some-time, so lets see if he’s improved. As he’s still a regular in 2019 I’m dearly hoping he has. 

Lethal starts by kicking at a shoulder injury Marseglia had recently recovered from, but the challenger knocks him back and gets a nearfall with a top rope crossbody. Taeler Hendrix distracts him before he can do any further damage though. To the floor we go, with Jay dumping his opponent against the guardrails then taking a cocky sit-down in the corner. Vinny’s back becomes the focal point of Lethal’s offence…and he hasn’t done his homework because he falls victim to the hiptoss dropkick. Lethal isn’t taking the match overly seriously still however – and demonstrates that fact when he refuses to hit a tope suicida. His smirking at the audience is a mistake though, which Marseglia capitalises on to give the champ a couple of trips into the barricades. He busts out a Russian Legsweep to counter the Lethal Injection, causing Riccaboni to ponder whether the champ has stretched himself too thin with World Title commitments all over the world and a title defence against Cabana just a week away. Fans have been chanting ‘CM Punk’ at Vinny all match, which I can only assume he’s used to as he hits ‘INKsanity’, his version of the double underhook backbreaker which Punk used to call Welcome To Chicago. A Boston Crab is used to do more damage to the champ’s back, but Lethal crawls into the ropes. An attempted superplex is blocked by Lethal who then comes off the top himself with Hail To The King…floated into a Figure 4 Leglock. Vinny sells that by jumping into a bicycle kick for some reason. An unimpressed ROH Champion kicks him right back then polishes him off with the Lethal Injection at 13:58

Rating - *** - I’ll preface the 3* rating by saying that I don’t think Marseglia did anything to stand-out or impress anyone…but on the flip side he didn’t mess much up and did look more fluent than I remember him. This did feel a lot like when Bryan Danielson, as World Champion, would randomly work matches way down the card and give random guys the best match of their ROH career…which I mean as a compliment to Lethal. He was the one carrying this match and driving it forward; he was the reason it was as entertaining as it was. Marseglia felt like a passenger along for the ride, but didn’t drop the ball. Taven’s presence here obviously sets up what was to come when he returned from injury later in the calendar year.

Taeler Hendrix and Jay Lethal want to beat Marseglia down to make an example of him, but are stopped when Donovan Dijak comes to the ring and lays out the champ with Feast Your Eyes.

Young didn’t get along with Dalton Castle because of his unorthodox personality. F*ck knows what he will make of a human Lizard who speaks in tongues, eats paper, wrestles barefoot and has psychotic episodes triggered by the ring bell then! Apparently this was signed late meaning the Last Real Man hasn’t even had time to prepare. ‘Who’s booking this crap’ – Silas Young, West Warwick, 2016. 

Delirious doesn’t take kindly to Young repeatedly trying to kick him. He wants to follow the Code Of Honor dammit! Young pokes him in the eyes instead, which only serves to piss Delirious off. He hits clotheslines in the corner then starts smearing his own lizard-saliva in Young’s face. Silas has seen enough, chasing him around ringside to eventually give him the Killer Combo. On the outside Silas gives him repeated body slams…and on commentary ‘Mr Wrestling III’ is openly being referred to as BJ Whitmer by Riccaboni but answers questions anyway. Delirious hides under the ring…and Cheeseburger slithers out the other side in a Delirious mask! Whitmer rightly wants to know why this isn’t a DQ. Burger is literally wearing his usual gear, adorned with pictures of cheeseburgers! Kevin and Ian are insistent that Delirious ‘put Cheeseburger’s gear on under the ring’. Burgerlirious attempts the Cobra Stretch, and when that doesn’t work he lands the BAM Leaping Lariat instead. Silas kicks him to the floor…and Cheese rolls under the ring allowing original Delirious to come back. Young low blows him and gives him Misery to take the win at 10:38

Rating - * - These two are capable of having a good wrestling match with each other, but that wasn’t the objective here. It was a ten minute goof-off match. Some of the comedy stuck, like Young’s pre-match promo and bits of the Cheeseburger switch…but some of it missed the mark. They definitely didn’t need more than ten minutes that’s for sure.

Silas fishes around under the ring and pulls out Cheeseburger to give him Misery too. 

These two teams just don’t like each other. They didn’t like each other back when Jim Cornette bothered to book Matt and Nick, and they still don’t like each other now. ANX are hugely jealous of the Young Bucks’ popularity…and were badly impacted by it in Vegas when the fans exhausted themselves going nuts for a Young Bucks match then crapped on King and Titus’ Tag Title shot against War Machine. This is the perfect opportunity for them to stick it to the fans they despise if they can beat their old rivals. Kenny ‘Broo-mega’ is back in the corner of the Jackson brothers.

ANX attack the Bucks during their entrance, then start disrespecting the streamers fans threw in the ring for them and even Broo-mega! They can’t keep the Bucks down for long though, and soon the brothers are back on their feet stringing together double teams. Rise Of The Terminator nailed! King and Titus block Superkicks and give Matt a swinging backbreaker/knee drop combo for 2. The midsection of Matt Jackson gets a real working over (as usual), and show their own prowess as a team by distracting referee Paul Turner to stop him seeing Matt tagging out. Matt hits a standing Shiranui on King, injuring himself further but allowing him to finally tag out. Nick wipes King out with the moonsault off the apron…before getting 2 with a big Superkick on Rhett. SUPERKICK PARTY ON KING! AND ON TITUS! King retreats to the floor…AND GETS SUPERKICKED THERE TOO! Titus is on his knees begging for mercy, but there is none! He gets Superkicked too! MELTZER DRIVER! The Young Bucks win at 09:29

Rating - *** - Suggestions that the Young Bucks’ intense schedule was starting to take its toll on their bodies were already prevalent as far back as this. ROH have tried to look after them a little bit with these last two shows. They’re on the card which obviously helps with the house, but last week they got a comedy squash with Delirious and Cheeseburger, whilst this week they had an abbreviated, house-show ten minute tag. The live crowd still loved it, and there was still some really enjoyable bits and pieces here, but both teams are capable of much better on higher profile shows. This never felt like anything more than playing a few hits to pop the crowd, before getting out with as little fuss as they possibly could.

The Addiction come back through the curtain ready to pick up the fight with the Young Bucks. ANX help out too…until Moose comes out for the save. He gets himself over with the Bucks by throwing Superkicks around too. 

This is Hiromu Takahashi’s in-ring ROH debut, under the ‘Kamaitachi’ gimmick which he adopted when he went on excursion to the CMLL promotion in Mexico. The reaction he gets in front of the live audience here is VERY different to the one he’d get if he came out in a years time under the Los Ingobernables gimmick. He makes his debut against another spectacular junior heavyweight star in the form of ACH. Across 2014, 2015 and 2016 very few wrestlers have been as consistent as ACH in ROH.

Kamai is as a heel – a point he emphatically makes with an exaggerated refusal to follow the Code Of Honor. He quickly shows he has a fierce chop on him…and ACH retaliates with some of his own. The ROH competitor takes him down with a tornado snap suplex, so Kamaitachi leaves the ring, builds up some steam then tackles ACH off the apron. RUNNING DROPKICK OFF THE APRON! That looked brutal and anyone not aware of his work is instantly made aware of what a threat Tachi possesses. ACH wisely comes back into the ring and f*cking DECKS him with a lariat. Hero’s Grip follows, but ACH looks like he’s feeling the effects of the match thus far. Kamaitachi blocks his slingshot flatliner and busts out rolling German suplexes. SUPERKICK ON THE APRON! TWISTING AIR JORDAN NAILED! Kamai refuses to allow himself to be rolled into the ring so ACH can pin him. Instead ACH pops to the top rope and lands a FLYING DOUBLE STOMP TO THE FLOOR! Unsurprisingly that makes a mess of his legs! He is slow to climb the ropes again and doesn’t get to execute the Midnight Star. Tachi knocks him over the top rope and climbs himself…and hits a DIVING LUNATIC SENTON TO THE FLOOR! He pulls ACH back inside for a brainbuster…but misses an attempted knee drop allowing ACH to give him the SPIRIT BOMB! MIDNIGHT STAR! ACH wins at 11:26

Rating - **** - The cynic in me wants to know why ROH couldn’t find more than eleven minutes for these guys, on a show which barely reaches two hours thirty minutes as is. However, in reality they made such a massive impact in the time they did have that I’m not sure it matters. I can understand the fan indifference to Kamaitachi/Hiromu during the introductions. The last NJPW excursion talent we had was Takaaki Watanabe, who was a total bust up until his last few matches (and, to me at least, still isn’t that enjoyable as EVIL back in NJPW). If they weren’t familiar with his work in Mexico then they probably didn’t know what to expect. He owned the room, however, and ‘had’ the live crowd from the very early going when he started blistering ACH with horrendous chops. This was the best match on the show thus far by a huge distance. Even if the rest of the event doesn’t strike your fancy, if you do have an Honor Club membership this one is worth digging out.

Apparently Chris Sabin is carrying a neck injury into this courtesy of being attacked by The Addiction last week. He’s not too worried about it though, and certainly didn’t mind when they tried to do it again to Lio Rush earlier. The Briscoe Brothers have had high profile battles over the ROH Tag Titles with both teams in the ring with them tonight. Their first match with MCMG at Good Times, Great Memories back in 2007 was a legendary 30+ minute tag battle, whilst reDRagon’s first ever Tag Title reign began when they defeated Jay and Mark at the 11th Anniversary Show in 2013. Jay and Mark are the next in line to challenge War Machine – on one week’s time at Global Wars. If they win here they get a substantial momentum boost going into it. If they lose they know they’ll instantly have a top ROH team knocking on the door demanding a title shot.

O’Reilly and Shelley start, which of course ensures us some entertaining high-end chain wrestling. They can’t be separated so clear the ring for Fish and Mark (Shelley not bringing Sabin in we’ll generously call putting over his neck injury). Bobby tries to capture Briscoe in an armbar but can’t get it locked in and he finds himself getting picked off by both Briscoe brothers. Sabin does make his way in, flanked by Shelley, to double-team first Mark, then Jay. Fish is entertaining as hell in the background, intentionally distracting the ref for longer so the Machine Guns get more time to double team. Urinage from Mark to O’Reilly, then he makes a grab on Bobby looking to isolate him in the ring and make him pay for allowing MCMG to double team him. Jay happily takes Fish to the floor and pummels him out there. Fish is in serious trouble and has nobody to tag out to after Jay boots his tag partner off the apron. With one last burst of energy he suplexes Mark into his own brother and finally brings Kyle back into play. O’Reilly meets Redneck Kung Fu with his own MMA strike-power then drops Mark on his head with a brainbuster for 2. Chasing The Dragon blocked and Alex Shelley forces his way in…only to eat the Two Man Smash Machine. Is Shelley enduring extra punishment because he doesn’t feel like he can tag his wounded partner in? He trades big strikes with Kyle…only to be strapped into Arm-ageddon. Sabin makes the save…only for Fish to latch onto his bad neck with a rear naked choke. Shelley manages to toss the Briscoes but looks towards his corner and sees Sabin too injured to tag in! He has no choice but to tag out to one of his opponents instead…bringing in the Briscoes who line up the Doomsday Device. Kyle blocks that but eats the Splash Mountain Neckbreaker instead for 2. Fish makes the save by spearing Jay into the guardrails…as inside the ring Kyle puts Mark in a front choke. Shelley breaks it with a double stomp! ASCS RUSH on Fish! They set up Skull & Bones…but Sabin is captured for the DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Mark pins him at 18:48

Rating - *** - More of a functional main event than a memorable one. Although it is understandable given that all of them are involved in high profile matches at a pay-per-view in a week’s time. Having trashed the handling of the Addiction/MCMG/Bucks feud all show, I did appreciate that they really went out of their way to out over Sabin as competing through injury in the lay-out here. He was hardly in the match at all, they engineered several scenarios whereby Shelley didn’t feel comfortable tagging him in, showed Fish (a renowned sh*thead) attacking it, and ultimately had him take the fall. There have been some astonishing multi-man tag matches in Ring Of Honor this year however, next to those this felt intensely lethargic and uninteresting. I understand the reasons why, but as a main event it certainly won't live long in the memory.

Tape Rating - ** - Comfortably ROH’s least enjoyable show of the year so far. The building wasn’t full, the crowd were quiet, the booking at times was horrendous, lots of great talents were working well within themselves…and the whole thing had a massive B-show vibe. It’s hard to justify the purchase of this as a standalone DVD or VOD under any circumstances. I’ve said my piece around how much I hated the Daniels/Kazarian/Rush/Moose segment (I really f*cking hated it), but there was plenty more indifferent content. Even worse was that the rotating cast of commentators made everything so much worse. The pantomime-esque ‘I’m Mr Wrestling III’…’oh no you’re not’…’oh yes I am’ jokes were tired after the first match, and excruciating by the end of the show (particularly when half the time Whitmer was just answering to ‘BJ’ anyway). Chopping and changing between every match meant they never really got into any kind of rhythm. Ian Riccaboni is a seriously promising announcing talent, but he has HORRIBLE chemistry with Kevin Kelly, who’s cringe-worthy ‘I’ll help you through this kid’ vibe is completely unpleasant to listen to. Kamaitachi’s debut was the only time this show really got out of the low gears…and the only thing worth watching from this show at all. 

3) Donovan Dijak vs Joey Daddiego (***)

2) Young Bucks vs All Night Express (***)

1) ACH vs Kamaitachi (****)