McXal's Reviews

The first couple of months of Ring Of Honor's 2017 was slow going. Not necessarily bad, but largely unremarkable. It was, however, somewhat out of necessity as they needed to move all their pieces around the board - including getting their top belt away from a champion who'd decided to leave before he'd made a single defence of the title - for a big triple header of shows to exit Q1. Manhattan Mayhem 6 was a good show. 15th Anniversary was an excellent show. Now we reach the third leg of the triple header and it is, in some ways, the biggest ROH show of all time. Admittedly inflated by taking place during WrestleMania weekend, Ring Of Honor will draw the biggest crowd in their history for this bumper, feature-length event. The card is jammed (a double-disc set no less) but in reality the house is here to see the Hardyz and the Young Bucks in a Ladder Match. That's not the only enticing match on the line-up; it also includes Daniels/Dalton for the World Title, Scurll/Cole for the TV Title, the Lethal/Cody Bull Rope Match and more. There's even a bonus Women Of Honor pre-show Supercard which features luchadoras from Mexico for the first time, and a big 'dark main event' of Kelly Klein taking on Deonna Purrazzo. Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly and Colt Cabana provide commentary from Lakeland, FL. Estimates have the crowd north of 3000, maybe even 3500...

This is a Women Of Honor debut for both women. Brandi was trained by Jay Lethal apparently and had already spent time in Impact Wrestling before coming to WOH. She has competed under other names, including Ava Storie, so may be a familiar face if not name. Steelz is a vocal athlete with Puerto Rican heritage that I can easily see entertaining some fans but REALLY annoying others.

Steelz rocks Lauren with a dropkick and is sufficiently pumped up to chase her opponent to the floor. Lauren uses that aggression against her to hit a Stunner-style guillotine over the middle rope. She seems more willing to work heel and chokes Tasha in the ropes. All of her offence is focused on the neck - following it with a rear chinlock then a high clothesline. Steelz tries a butterfly suplex only for Brandi to counter with a neckbreaker for 2. Tasha hits the 'Boricua Butterfly Suplex' to take the win in a low key 04:02

Rating - * - Less than four years in-ring experience between both of them and sent out with more than an hour before the main show starts, I actually thought these women did a decent job. Lauren impressed me with her stoic, relaxed presence and precise work on Tasha's neck. In turn I thought Steelz had some fire and energy too. It's a pre-show match so I wasn't expecting a great deal, but there were glimmers of promise in both performances.

Apparently the veteran Sumie has taken young ROH Dojo graduate Faye under her wing and has become a mentor to her. She defeated both of her opponents in a triple threat match on the Manhattan Mayhem pre-show (with Mandy in particular seeming frustrated and showing a heelish edge to her character) so will have a target on her back as they try to avenge that loss.

Leon acts like a bit of a cocky prick with Faye, then has her partner join her so they can drop Jackson with a double bulldog. They double team her behind referee Paul Turner's back (with Sakai trying to get involved)...until Faye squashes them both with a body avalanche. TOP ROPE SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR by Sumie! Bowling-show ugly tope suicide by Jackson follows that! God bless the one fan who tries to get an 'ROH' chant going after that. Jenny attacks Sakai from behind and throttles her in the ropes to turn the match in the direction of her team. They isolate the veteran for a couple of minutes, until Sakai hits the Smash Mouse on Rose and tags out. Stereo sleeper holds by Leon and Rose...countered to stereo backpack stunners by Faye and Sumie! Triple Spun Milkshake by Jackson - and then by Sumie as well! Cannonball senton gets 2 on Leon...but Sakai accidentally levels her own partner with a missile dropkick. Rose profits with a diving clothesline off the top, setting her opponents up for a somersault senton off the apron by Leon. Spear on Faye! Sakai breaks the pin. Mandy follows with an Unprettier to nab the win for her team at 08:34

Rating - ** - This was much better than I'd expected. Jackson is pretty green, Leon is limited, Sumie is solid but not particularly exciting, and Jenny is wildly inconsistent. The four of them got on the same page for this however. Rose and Leon were really good to watch as an antagonistic jerk team. It was Jenny's best ROH match that I've seen, whilst Mandy looks so much more comfortable as a heel. 

To some this is actually the main draw of the Women Of Honor pre-show as ROH leverage their relationship with CMLL to bring luchadoras to Ring Of Honor for the first time. Marcela and Amapola have an extensive rivalry in Mexico and now bring it stateside. At this time Marcela was a 4-time CMLL Women's Champion - including starting one of her reigns by ending a FOUR YEAR stretch as champion by Amapola back in 2011.

The growing crowd is excited for lucha libre and respectful as they start the match rolling through some lucha basics. Lots of work centres around the arms, we get plenty of armdrags...but they keep fighting to a stalemate such is the extent of how evenly matched they are. Marcela grows frustrated and is the first to up the stakes - springing off the bottom rope into a headscissors takedown. Amapola retaliates with a chokebomb for 2...but she then stands there like a goon as Marcela slowly climbs up the ropes and hits another headscissors. Double underhook backbreaker gets 2 for Marcela. She knocks Ama's shoulder into the ring post, and she is still nursing that as Marcela dives at her with a somersault senton from the apron. Missile dropkick back in gets a nearfall as the tanks start to empty for both luchadoras. Marcela keeps going for pinfalls but La Amapola doesn't look ready to give in - even when Marcela dives at her with a flying crossbody. She hits a double knee drop out of the corner, into a Michinoku Driver...and Marcela takes the win at 11:28

Rating - * - This wasn't to my taste at all. At times it came off as a competitive lucha libre exhibition, but for the most part I thought this was a total drag. Neither woman seemed particularly mobile (Amapola in particular could barely move and stumbled around like a drunk), but rather than acknowledge that and work accordingly they kept going through generic, basic lucha spots...sloppily executed and at a fraction of the pace you'd expect or want to see. Perhaps connoisseurs of the lucha style will appreciate this more than I did. 

As far as potential matches that could be put together from the current Women Of Honor roster this is probably as big as it gets. Klein is still dominant and undefeated, but Purrazzo continues to gather respect and momentum due to an incredible work ethic, a willingness to go anywhere to wrestle and a rapidly improving skillset. According to Ian she is just back from a tour of Japan with Stardom which will only further her development. QT Marshall puts Klein over for putting Scarlett Bordeaux out of ROH, which is at least some nice continuity and acknowledgement of her recent accomplishments.

Size, strength and experience advantages all go the way of Klein so Deonna knows she is up against it. She tries to go right after the arm to set up her Fujiwara Armbar finish. Kelly has it scouted though and blasts her with a couple of knee strikes. Next she repeatedly whips Purrazzo into the turnbuckles; each one whiplashing her neck and leaving her more vulnerable to the End Of The Match. Mounted front choke with knee strikes follows, all of which punishing that neck. Deonna is flat out on the mat, apparently on the cusp of defeat, meaning Kelly takes the time to taunt and humiliate her. Michinoku Driver blocked by Purrazzo...who starts popping Klein in the jaw with elbow strikes! JUMPING DDT by Kelly snaps that neck once again though. Both women start to look fatigued...but are still absolutely pasting each other with elbows and forearms. Purrazzo visibly rocks Klein with a punt to the chest, but the Gatekeeper is still so confident she pulls Deonna's shoulders up on a subsequent pin because she wants a tap-out victory. FUJIWARA APPLIED...KLEIN TAPS! But referee Paul Turner got his eyes raked in the set-up for that and didn't see it. Deonna tries to get his attention, but turns her back on Klein - who delivers a northern lights suplex and nabs a win at 08:02

Rating - *** - The finish was well-intentioned but corny. Thankfully before that we got one of the best WOH matches I've seen in a while. Klein gets a lot of criticism, some of which is undeserved. She isn't anywhere near as bad as some make out, but gets exposed because of the spot ROH puts her in due to the limited strength and depth of the WOH roster. Usually when she gets to work better talent (such as Deonna tonight) she is capable of stepping up. This felt competitive, it was far more intense than anything else we've seen on this Women Of Honor pre-show and was the only match to get any real crowd reaction. I would have liked to have seen a little more time spent with Purrazzo setting up Klein's arm (if they were going to do the cheesy missed submission finish), but I did appreciate Kelly's laser-focus on the neck. I did like that she didn't win with one of her finishing moves too. Having just moments earlier declined a win because she wanted a submission, to then he humbled and forced to accept a quick pin victory just to escape Deonna does give a genuine rub to her opponent.

I watch all ROH VOD, iPPV, PPV and TV shows, and not once have I heard this match mentioned. I've not had it clarified to me once why Adam Cole is getting a random TV Title shot. I'm not complaining because this should be a great match, and one I'm glad they've found time to squeeze in with Cole very obviously on his way out. But I can't find any logic in why this is happening. Scurll has been vocal about the lack of competition in ROH and has already proven himself willing to defend the belt against outsiders (such as Sonjay Dutt in New York)...but why would the ROH 'Board Of Directors' sanction a dethroned former champion with no singles wins since losing, and a member of a faction who has openly defied ROH rules for a year or more, getting this title opportunity?

You can hear how big this crowd is. It sounds unlike any other ROH show I've ever seen to this point. Even the hard cam is visibly much further from the ring too. Plenty of Brits in the crowd mean Scurll is extremely popular as they face off. Cole clearly wants to intimidate The Villain, but Marty doesn't back down at all. NXT LAST SHOT! Well that was a hell of a blow from the challenger. It's momentary though, with Scurll countering a Last Shot attempt into an armwrench. Cole gets pissed off and threatens him with his own umbrella...so Marty arms himself with the belt! Cole tries a Superkick instead but it is blocked so the champ can kick him in the side of the head. Adam is happy throwing strikes though and uses them to set up the DVD over the knee for 2. Panama Sunrise countered with an uppercut...so Cole hits Just Kidding! Marty tries it right back AND EATS A SUPERKICK! JUST KIDDING TO THE FACE by Scurll! Brainbuster nailed for 2. Chickenwing countered with a jumping enzi into the Shining Wizard. Now Cole tries to be a jerk and use Marty's Chickenwing - and settles for raking him in the eyes when Scurll blocks it. He tries to yell 'Adam Cole Bay Bay'...AND MARTY SNAPS HIS F*CKING FINGER! SUPERKICK! PACKAGE PILEDRIVER! SCURLL KICKS OUT! A frustrated Cole grabs the TV Title belt now, but when the referee takes it away Scurll NAILS HIM WITH THE UMBRELLA! SNAP PILEDRIVER GETS 2! Cole blocks a Tombstone...into one of his own (eventually). He tries to stand up for a second, and collapses again. Marty snaps another finger, right into a CRADLE PILEDRIVER! CHICKENWING! COLE TAPS! Scurll retains at 13:00

Rating - **** - My rating feels a little generous because that Tombstone spot was ugly as hell. But everything around it was so fun. Ostensibly both are heels...but complicated by the fact that they usually get 'cool' babyface pops regardless of how villainous they act. Putting them together, therefore was solid gold. They acted like complete dicks to each other the whole time and the crowd went nuts for it. There was some depth to the wrestling content too, with each men countering the other's signature moves. Cole breaking out Kevin Steen's finishing move was a nice touch and further elevated this match so it felt special. A hell of a start to the show. 

Kevin Kelly and Colt Cabana do a solid job thinking on their feet and using the botched Tombstone stuff to further Cole's dissension with The Elite/Bullet Club angle (as he was, again, too arrogant and over-confident to his own detriment). 

Obviously it would make more sense if all the content taped in Las Vegas had already been broadcast, but I love that they've put this match on a big show. Silas and Bruiser wanting a Six-Man Title shot has been a random comedy undercard plot since the titles were announced, and they show clips of it somewhat paying off in Vegas. With the unfortunate TK O'Ryan breaking his leg (who is at ringside tonight) at the Anniversary Show, Silas saw an opportunity and agreed to fill in for TK in their scheduled defence against the Briscoes and Bully Ray - on the understanding that The Kingdom give he, Bruiser and their thus far-undiscovered partner a shot when TK heals. They lost, with The Kingdom blaming Silas and he they. It means there is some real bitterness between these four men going into this...

The Kingdom get on the mic to antagonise the crowd, as much to ensure they get heel heat as to say anything relevant. Silas gets mic time too and steals the show by saying TK 'snapped under pressure' and that they 'knocked on [his] door' just seconds after a video package clearly showed Silas going to Taven and Vinny. Bruiser slaps Vinny across the face to get the battle underway, starting a brawl which immediately spills to the outside. Tumbleweed senton by Marseglia, only for Bruiser to block the Proton Pack and counter it to a double team Killer Combo with Silas for 2. BCB and Vinny have a weird chemistry together and are sort of fun whenever they interact. Taven has to break a Bruiser pinfall with a springboard elbow drop...so Beer City hits a Banzai Drop on Marseglia. Taven lands the Climax on Bruiser! Young hits a rebound clothesline on Taven, right into a superplex on Vinny! Five Star Frog Splash by Taven...at the same time as Bruiser hits the Keg Splash! Cannonball off the apron from BCB to Matt. Marseglia decides to break off from the match to light up and start smoking Bruiser's cigar....and tries to stub it out in Young's eyes! COUNTERED TO MISERY! Silas smokes the cigar and takes the win at 06:53

Rating - *** - I might catch some flak for this...but I thought this match was pretty good. Marseglia and Bruiser aren't my favourite talents in ROH, but they were oddly entertaining together in this one. The combination of their over-exaggerated characters and impressive physicality when they came to blows was perhaps the highlight of the match. Silas was one of ROH's stand-out performers in 2016, culminating in a couple of great matches (against Jay Lethal and Adam Cole) in the last part of the year. But he has been completely overlooked thus far in 2017 so it was nice to see him get back to what he does best, and pick up a win whilst doing it, on ROH's biggest show of the year.

Bully Ray gets time to talk...again. He calls his finisher with the Briscoes the 'Super 3-D' and recaps his big couple of weeks in Ring Of Honor. He puts over Guerrillas Of Destiny hard, but relishes the opportunity to beat his students tonight.

The Briscoes have a long history with Bullet Club, and Jay has a long-term rivalry with Hangman Page too. At Manhattan Mayhem Bully interjected himself into the ongoing fight against Bullet Club when he debuted to save the Briscoes and Bobby Fish, before putting then-World Champion Adam Cole through a table. Since then he has formed a respectful trios unit with Jay and Mark, and are now 2-0 with a big win over War Machine and Davey Boy Smith Jr at the 15th Anniversary followed by a win over two thirds of The Kingdom (with Silas Young) to take the Six-Man belts at the post-PPV TV taping. Hangman Page is pushed as the 'problem solver' of Bullet Club apparently. He is coming tonight to get payback on Bully and the Briscoes by taking the belts they were so happy to have won.

Jay marking out for the size of the crowd and getting pyro is a really touching moment for a guy who was in the first ROH match (in a rec center). Kevin Kelly implies that GOD didn't like the tutelage of Bubba and D-Von at the Team 3-D Academy so will have extra motivation to beat their former trainer. Tonga and Mark start - both are weird dudes who move in unpredictable ways and they don't hold back at all in really beating the sh*t out of each other in the first couple of minutes. Jay tags and walks straight past the fallen Tonga trying to pick a fight with Page. It opens the door firstly for Tama to tag and secondly for Loa to maul the former World Champion in the corner. Jay fires back with headbutts, which only have minimal impact on a son of Haku. Tanga catches Mark coming in and flattens him with a running powerslam for 2. Bully tags in...going face to face with both halves of GOD. He wants a handshake but they jump him 2-on-1 and drag him back into their corner. Loa calls Bully 'Bubba' the whole time and slaps him hard in the face. Ray fights off all three Bullet Club members at once (obviously) - ending in a flying crossbody from the top and a triple team 'Wassup' Froggy Bow variant on Hangman. Bully wants tables, because why challenge himself by doing anything different. The Briscoes agree like idiotic young boys only to be jumped on the floor by Tonga and Loa. In the ring Bubba hits a spear on Page so he can tag out. Urinage from Mark to Tama before he feeds Loa into Jay's running lariat. FROGGY CROSSBODY TO THE FLOOR by Mark! SSP OFF THE APRON by Page! He taunts Jay Briscoe only to be popped across the throat with a lariat. Buckshot Lariat nailed! Mark makes the save with a Fisherman Buster. Tonga spears Bubba in the back (only partially because Ray was too slow to turn around for him) which makes for quite a cool visual. DOUBLE DOOMSDAY DEVICE on Tonga and Page. Super 3-D puts Loa down for a loss at 13:30

Rating - ** - I didn't like this as much as the Briscoes/Bubba match with War Machine and Harry Smith in Las Vegas. Elements of the action were more exciting and memorable here, but as a total package viewing experience this felt uneven. Bully and the Guerrillas didn't actually interact all that much and certainly didn't come to any kind of satisfactory conclusion. Briscoe and Page paid lip service to their rivalry, but similarly they didn't actually interact much either. Bully didn't do a whole lot to put over the Bullet Club trio, and everything felt pretty devoid of purpose. Why has Delirious put the belts on the Briscoes and Bully? Does he have an exit strategy from this title reign which doesn't make the Six-Man belts look like total garbage?

At Final Battle Lethal thought Cody was coming to ROH to fight with honour and prove he could hang with the 'best wrestlers on the planet'. Instead Rhodes cheated and kicked him in the dick to get a win and tick appearing at Final Battle off his post-WWE release bucket list. After that he went to Japan for Wrestle Kingdom as a member of Bullet Club, only antagonising Lethal further since he has had issues with Bullet Club since Global Wars 2016. He is so desperate to fight Cody he has even agreed to enter a stipulation match which, as a member of the Rhodes family, is almost ingrained into Cody's DNA.

Cody appears to have a special entrance involving a motorcycle coming through the crowd, but cameras capture nothing of it. He is hesitant to allow the rope to be fastened to his wrist and then similarly hesitant to make contact with his opponent. When he does he is slowed by the rope getting caught up in his legs and Jay tries to profit by choking him. Next he uses the rope to low blow Rhodes, before rolling into his classic cartwheel dropkick sequence for 2. Using the bullrope he slings Cody up and into repeated clotheslines until Rhodes break the sequence with his drop-down palm strike. Jay ties him in the rope now, unable to raise his hands as Lethal rams the cowbell into his forehead. The method of untying Cody is entertaining too - Lethal spins him like a top straight into the ringpost, busting him open. Lethal goes right after the blood by jagging the bell into the laceration. Springboard attempted by a woozy Cody...only for Jay to jerk the bullrope and cause him to crash down bloody face-first. Rhodes retaliates by jerking his opponent head-first into an open chair. Lethal lines up the Injection...CODY COUNTERS USING THE ROPE! Lethal seemed to bump that right on his neck and head; it looked brutal. He is visibly shaken...and Rhodes capitalises to ram the cowbell into his almost permanently-injured knee. Cody plays a little joke with the fans by pulling out his old gimmick protective facemask, only to toss it aside and bring out a table. Springboard dropkick by Jay, only for Cody to deliver the same move right back. Figure 4 Leglock applied to Lethal's bad leg! Cowbell shots to the bloody head offer an easy escape route for Jay however. He wants to hit Hail To The King, but the bullrope offers some additional logistical challenges to getting to the top. CODY PRESS SLAMS HIM THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR! Disaster Kick into Cross Rhodes...for 2! He blasts Lethal with his cowboy boot which provokes Jay to counter an attempted superplex...into Hail To The King, but Cody GETS THE BELL UP! DISASTER KICK COUNTERED TO AN ACE CRUSHER! LETHAL INJECTION! Lethal wins at 17:22

Rating - **** - Slow to get going and with a completely different and very old-school vibe, I can't see this being to everyone's taste but I thought they delivered something rather special. Variants on the bullrope/chain/dog collar/wrestlers tied together match stipulation aren't easy to pull off. At times both men came a little unstuck working around the rope, but on the whole I thought they produced a compelling and believable grudge match which actually utilised and was enhanced by the Bullrope stipulations. Given that Rhodes was fast-tracked into the World Title picture I'm not quite sure why he didn't go over here (Lethal wore a shirt which openly points out that he is 'the franchise of ROH' - he didn't need a win as much as Cody) but that feels like a minor quibble and I did really like the finishing sequence. This could've sucked but instead wound up being Rhodes' best ROH match so far...

They don't shake hands after the match but Cody hands the cowbell over to Lethal as a ceremonial victory trophy. Given all that Lethal has been through with Bullet Club I don't know that I liked a show of respect here, although I will concede it wasn't like they 'made up' or hugged/shook hands...

This is a weird collection of guys. Sabin and Shelley feel completely wasted, but given Alex's lack of ring time at all this year I wonder whether he is dealing with something behind the scenes which is limiting his ring-time. We saw King and Caprice represent The Rebellion in Las Vegas, but the other half of the faction - Titus, now apparently not injured, and Taylor, making his first in-ring appearance as a member - are here looking to continue the war with MCMG/Search & Destroy. Burger and Ferrara are the odd men out, and are struggling to maintain unity in their team as well. 

Taylor's weight loss is noticeable, though he still remains a sizeable and intimidating man. Kelly and Riccaboni's commentary implies that Rhett's knee injury was bogus, which comes off as odd. If it was an angle shouldn't they have him talk about it, or go somewhere with it? Ferrara impresses me with his character work in the opening minutes - barrelling into multiple pin attempts, entirely in keeping with his frustration at the lack of success he and his partner have endured. Sabin press slams Burger at him to clear them both from the ring. He comes back in with a neckbreaker on Sabin...only to walk into a front slam from his old friend Titus for 2. Rhett and Shane start violently attacking Ferrara which forces him to tag out to Cheese. Kobashi chops no sold by Titus, but Burger hits a springboard knee strike instead for 2. Chokeslam by Taylor, setting Burger up for the Big Dawg Splash. Will breaks the pin...only to be absolutely flattened with a running tackle by Taylor. He tries a tope suicida, but BOUNCES OFF Shane and eats the arena floor. That was an error, but actually adds some realism. Taylor should be swatting little guys like Will away. Burger hits the Shotei to block Skull & Bones by the Machine Guns, although Shelley and Sabin still find a way to crank up the pressure with the double Rubix Cube. Machine Guns win at 09:26

Rating - ** - Messy, chaotic and not needed at all, this was just a vehicle to get all six men out in front of the biggest crowd ROH has ever drawn. But having said that, the best performers within it surprised me a little. I thought Will Ferrara was really good. I'm not his biggest fan, but his story right now is that he is fed up of losing as a team with Cheeseburger. As a result everything he did was pumped up, amped and geared towards trying to win. Similarly, for The Rebellion I found Shane Taylor's presence to be impressive. He wasn't in for much of the match, but everything he did made an impact. ROH's shambolic mishandling of the recruitment of he and Keith Lee left him at a loose end, and getting shunted into The Rebellion certainly isn't the best way to reinvent yourself. But he looked equipped to do so based on this showing.

Taylor and Titus attack the Machine Guns after the bell and brawl to the locker room. Inside the ring Ferrara angrily yells at the fallen Cheeseburger...until out walks Punishment Martinez. He's beaten the sh*t out of these guys so many times I almost rolled my eyes as soon as he appeared, but Ferrara TOTALLY saves it by running away and leaving Burger to get destroyed. That is at least logical progression and believable storyline development...

Martinez was scheduled for this singles match, so he sticks around after destroying Burger. It's a big match for him as it gives him the opportunity to increase his stock by beating not only a respected veteran, but also the current TV Title #1 contender. 

Frankie tries to jump Martinez - driving him into the corner and delivering a springboard leg drop. Punisher responds by knocking him right out of the ring with a cyclone kick. SUICIDE DIVE OVER THE RINGPOST! In just two moves Punishment obliterates more than a minute of Kazarian offence, and he has lots more in the tank as well. Springboard tumbleweed senton splash gets 2...and it takes both a lungblower and a springboard DDT just for Frankie to take him off his feet. Tomikaze countered into a rack bomb from Punisher for 2. Frankie gives him a slingshot DDT...and when Martinez crawls to the apron Kaz gives him another on the edge of the ring. He brings him back in with a slingshot cutter, for a ONE COUNT! An angry flurry of springboard leg drops follow and even they barely scrape 2. Adam Page comes out to distract him...and Punisher wins with South Of Heaven at 06:03

Rating - ** - Another impressive performance for Martinez, with Kazarian generously providing a platform for Punisher to play his 'greatest hits'. As with the previous match, I don't feel like this was necessary at all and I'm certain there could have been more of a 'star-making' match lined up for Punishment on a show of this magnitude because he has unreal potential. BUT for a six minute sprint with a cheap finish it certainly kept me entertained. I came away feeling like Punishment's reputation had been enhanced.

We switch to disc 2 with Bobby Fish making an 'unscheduled' appearance, dressed in his gear. He announces that he is 'not done with Ring Of Honor' and he still has issues with Jay Lethal. Silas Young interrupts to call him a 'dime store chump', leading to an impromptu match.

Could Silas not have pointed out that he too has had issues with Jay Lethal to at least make this relevant? That promo segment came off as weird. Bobby Fish isn't leaving, he wants to fight Jay Lethal, but instead has Silas Young...who has already had a match, but was just loitering around in his gear just waiting around for something to provoke him into coming out and deciding to wrestle again? These are two of my favourite guys on the roster, but I don't get this at all...

Young sprints into the ring and tackles an unsuspecting Fish, quickly spilling to the floor where he and Silas trade savage strikes. Ian Riccaboni makes Kevin Kelly's brain explode by referencing these guys teaming together as an enhancement team on the ROH on HDNet show back in 2009 just trying to earn a spot on the roster. Paul Turner accidentally gets bumped via a mis-placed leg kick, bringing Todd Sinclair to the ring just in time to stop Young using a chair as a weapon. Silas shoves Todd on his ass, and is disqualified at 02:31

Rating - DUD - Everything about this felt weird. Bobby Fish is back, although he never really left and even though he is clearly still running down dates until he actually can leave. But he's not back for the World Title, or even the TV Title he's never had a rematch for...but just for a rematch with Jay Lethal? Meanwhile Silas comes out to look like an idiot, when it would've been far better just to leave him backstage having made an impression with the shockingly decent tag match against The Kingdom earlier. There was a non-finish, a non-weapon shot and the whole match was a brawl on the floor. You certainly couldn't accuse ROH/Delirious of being predictable here. Boring it certainly wasn't. The issue is it wasn't good either. To praise the wrestlers themselves, the intensity and physicality of their performance here was outstanding. It isn't their fault the booking was so completely muddled.

The fight on the outside continues until Silas puts Fish through two steel chairs with a spinebuster. Then when medical and security personnel think they've separated them the fight breaks out again on the stage.

Dragon Lee's music is terrible. In fact, all of the CMLL guys so far have had terrible music. This is an international tag dream match, and an amazing clash of styles. Jay White is from New Zealand, has trained extensively in the UK but represents New Japan and is a product of their dojo. Will Ospreay is from the UK, spends a large proportion of his time in Japan and travelling the world but is also loosely connected to Ring Of Honor as a former TV Champion. Dragon Lee returns having already participated in some spectacular, acrobatic and thrilling matches in an ROH ring - many of which also including Ospreay (whom he defeated at Manhattan Mayhem). His fellow CMLL luchador, Volador Jr., is debuting in ROH tonight...

White and Ospreay start and, to give him his credit, Kevin Kelly does a great job of pointing out the importance of this match to White to show NJPW he is no longer a Young Lion. He doesn't start well and is made to look foolish at the hands of the Englishman. Dragon and Volador replace them and immediately get into a groove of endless lucha counters and sequences. Lee gives up a lot of experience, but that doesn't stop him hitting a CRAZY TOPE SUICIDA to the floor! He and Jay put the boots to Volador, albeit things get a little messy with a number of noticeable mis-steps and clumsy moments. Volador caves Jay's face in with a superkick and brings back Ospreay, who hits Pip Pip Cheerio on Lee. Handspring double backflip kick lands, setting Dragon up for a springboard moonsault from Volador. SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW SENTON gets 2 for Will. FLYING RANA TO THE FLOOR from Dragon! ASAI MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR by Volador! White steamrolls into him with an elbow suicida. HANDSPRING MOONSAULT BY OSPREAY...BUT WHITE CATCHES HIM FOR AN APRON BRAINBUSTER! Volador tries a monkey flip only to be dumped over the top rope by White. The New Zealander hits a German suplex on Ospreay...who no sells to hit RUSH HOUR! Volador gets slapped in a tree of woe...GHETTO STOMP BY LEE! The two luchadors stare down once again before unloading a flurry of wild strikes at 100mph. German by Lee...no sold into a satellite DDT by Volador. MEXICAN DESTROYER NAILED...but Dragon collapses out of the ring rather than getting pinned. ROPE RUN SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR TO THE FLOOR BY OSPREAY! NECK DROP GERMAN from White to Volador! Volador gets back up and hits a SPRINGBOARD SUPER RANA! Volador pins White to win at 13:47

Rating - **** - Will Ospreay and Dragon Lee were on another level to their opponents here. I don't say that to criticise White or Volador (in all fairness to Jay, flipping around with luchadors and Ospreay isn't really his comfort zone), but they were completely spectacular. They were so innovative, so exciting and so downright courageous in what they brought to the table. If I were being critical, I didn't particularly rate Volador's performance at all. He did some good things...but he was also really sloppy and felt a step off the other three guys at all times. That said, this was perfect for a WrestleMania weekend ROH show - an international dream match, bringing together multiple styles into one offensive masterclass of a match.

The Ring General fought his entire career to become a World Champion and finally climbed the mountain at the 15th Anniversary. The last thing he will want is to relinquish the belt on his first defence. Castle, on the other hand, was deep in preparations to face Adam Cole at this show. He owns a pinfall victory over then-World Champion Adam Cole during Champions vs All-Stars. So Daniels throwing an almighty spanner into the works by taking the belt from Cole in turn makes this a harder match for Dalton. But it's an opportunity he has waited his whole career for too - and not one he'll want to miss out on.

Is Sammy Guevara one of Dalton's Boys? Dalton has an elaborate entrance and looks pumped up - but Daniels instantly starts using that against him and noticeably gets the better of the opening exchanges. The champ feels so confident he tries to get The Boys to fan him. Eventually he steals the feathers and fans himself when they refuse. The Boys actually get into the ring after that, causing such a scene that Dalton has an open invitation to start grappling Daniels. He quickly goes to work on the champ's back, effortlessly catching him when attempting a flying crossbody and delivering an overhead suplex. Koji Clutch applied by Daniels, as much to slow Castle down as to force a submission. It opens up an injury to his neck though and he is quick to follow up with a neckbreaker. Greco-Roman throws by Dalton though, repeatedly slamming Daniels down onto his back. He drives the General to the floor with a knee strike, right in position for the tiger feint headscissors off the apron. Daniels tries an Arabian Press...but only succeeds in laying out The Boys! Castle dodged the dive and hits the ring to score with a heat seeking missile. Fall From Grace snaps Castle's neck again. BME COUNTERED TO THE EVEREST GERMAN for 2! Back Drop Driver nailed by the challenger, followed by Bang-A-Rang. Daniels kicks out at 2! The champ goes back to the Koji Clutch, destroying Dalton's neck. Castle stands up and breaks it by ramming his back into the turnbuckles. Angel's Wings blocked...Bang-A-Rang blocked! Everest German COUNTERED to a neck cradle roll-up, and Daniels retains at 15:38

Rating - *** - Something felt flat here. The match was good, and I loved the climax with Daniels not able to hit one of his big finishes but still having a strategy and a 'get-out plan' to beat Dalton. But the crowd wasn't there, and nor was the drama. It didn't feel like anyone expected a title change, and in truth it didn't feel much like anyone really wanted to see this match. The total lack of heat on the Bang-A-Rang nearfall was completely brutal, considering this is a move Castle has beaten guys relentlessly with for the last two years. I don't think their spot on the card helped, going after the crazy junior heavyweight tag and before the Ladder Match that everyone is here to see. They needed a lot more than just some smart work to have this resonate with the audience - and didn't seem to have anything else in the locker to offer. Watching it back on DVD was fine, but it didn't amount to more than pretty, heat-less wrestling.

Cody Rhodes ruins the post-match show of respect by running out, kicking Dalton in the dick then hitting Cross Rhodes on Daniels. He poses with the World Title in an obvious show of intent before Frankie Kazarian charges out for a belated save. This probably would've been a lot more impactful if he'd have won earlier...

This is technically the first Ladder 'Match' in ROH history, since the rest have been Ladder 'Wars'. Back at Final Battle, Matt Hardy made a splash by appearing on the Carytron to announce that he and his brother were coming to ROH to face the 'Bucks Of Youth'. Despite the ongoing legal wrangling following their departure from Impact/TNA, the Hardyz would eventually make an unscheduled appearance at Manhattan Mayhem 6. They convinced the Bucks to put the belts on the line in an impromptu title defence...and duly won them. The 'greatest team in all of time and space' had another belt for their collection (they'd also steal the Bucks' own 'Superkick Party' Title belts too), and proved it wasn't a fluke by winning a total war of a Vegas Street Fight against the Bucks and RPG Vice at the Anniversary Show. They also claimed to have signed with ROH on an even bigger contract than the Bucks as well! The Young Bucks pulled some strings to get this huge rematch, which is so hotly anticipated it has drawn the biggest house in ROH history (by far), made into a Ladder Match. They view it as their specialty...but they tread a Ladder Match path that Matt and Jeff Hardy pioneered with their contemporaries in the late-90's/early-00's. Can the veterans roll back the years and dig deep into their bag of tricks to retain the belts again? 

Nick Jackson has fake-tanned so hard he is almost luminous orange. The Hardyz taunt them with the Superkick Party Title belts, leading to a hot and heavy start with boosts and fists flying. Signature Hardy combo moves see them grab an early advantage...until Nick COUNTERS Poetry In Motion with a Superkick. Broken Matt tries to eat the fake tan off his face for that, so Matt J knocks his block off with a kick as well. Stereo Twists Of Fate in retaliation from the Hardyz! The veterans want to introduce a ladder, only to get it kicked into their faces so the Bucks can take flight with Rise Of The Terminator. Two ladders are set up in the ring, although it's too early for the Jacksons to climb. They are stopped with the Delete/Obsolete chop flurry, then Broken Matt and Brother Nero take turns tossing their flailing bodies into ladders. Jeff grabs a ladder and uses it to RAM Matt Jackson through a table on the floor! Nero sets up a ladder seesaw in the ring, with Colt Cabana immediately bringing up Joey Mercury and the injuries he sustained in a similar predicament. Broken Matt hits the Splash Mountain Bomb, soon followed by a jawbreaker from Jeff. The Hardy Boyz try to put Matt J through more tables on the floor...only for Matt to NAIL Jeff with a Superkick! SLINGSHOT FACEBUSTER THROUGH THE LADDER SEESAW BY NICK! ROLLING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! 450 SPLASH THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR! The Bucks are turning it up a notch and the champs can't live with them right now. Matt and Broken Matt race up a huge ladder towards the belts and trade punches at the very top - grazing the titles as they go. Eventually the Bucks drag Hardy off into a Buckle Bomb. WHEELBARROW SUPLEX THROUGH A LADDER from the Hardyz to Nick! Matt Jackson fights both champs at once just to prevent them from making a run for the gold - decimating Jeff with a springboard DDT on the apron. Jeff slumps onto a table on the floor, leaving Matt J torn between going after the belts and his desire to hit a reckless high spot. The indecision costs him as Broken Matt nails him with a back suplex. Nick goes for the belts...only for Broken Matt to shove the ladder. SO NICK STEPS ONTO ANOTHER LADDER, WHICH TEETERS INTO THE ROPES...INTO A SPRINGBOARD SOMERSAULT SENTON THROUGH JEFF AND A TABLE ON THE FLOOR! Holy sh*t that was insane! I swear the camera captures Jeff himself smiling at how cool that spot was. Once again the Matts are racing up a ladder going for gold...and wind up simultaneously punching each other off the top to the canvas below. All four men climb ladders now, and when Nick shoves Jeff off one he shows his Ladder Match experience by effortlessly stepping to the next ladder along. Meanwhile Broken Matt is literally biting Matt J's feet to stop him getting the belt. THEN SHOVES HIM OFF THE LADDER THROUGH TWO TABLES ON THE FLOOR! He took that ass-first, which looked completely brutal. Nick SPRINGBOARDS onto a ladder to chase Broken Matt...only to be hauled off and pummelled by both champions. Whisper In The Wind COUNTERED WITH A MID-AIR SUPERKICK! STEREO SUPERKICKS ON MATT! All four men collapse in a heap. BACK DROP THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR TO MATT J! SO NICK DOES THE SAME TO NERO! SIDE EFFECT OFF THE APRON THROUGH A TABLE from Broken Matt to Nick! All four men slither back in from the wreckage of broken tables like survivors of a multi-car pile-up. There are two ladders left and they all start climbing. The Hardyz, showing their experience, have a better position and are closer to the belts...STEREO SUPERKICKS OFF THE LADDER! NICK GRABS THE BELTS! THE BUCKS WIN! 25:17 is your time.

Rating - ****1/2 - I was sceptical about how good this would actually be. Of course it's a dream match, it has delivered the biggest house in Ring Of Honor history, and the Hardy Boyz have been in vintage form throughout this brief ROH run. But given the outrageously high bar the Bucks themselves set in Ladder War 6 just a few months earlier I didn't feel this one could ever live up to the hype. And whilst it wasn't as good as Ladder War 6, I thought it was better than it had any right to be. To put this into perspective, the Hardyz knew they were showing up for a huge moment at WrestleMania the same weekend. They had absolutely no reason to put their bodies through this complete carnage...but did so for the love of the sport and out of a desire to put the Bucks over. Similarly, Matt and Nick Jackson recognised what the Hardy Boyz were giving them - so went into complete overdrive, carrying the match and protecting the Hardyz as far as possible by bumping like complete maniacs themselves. And, as I always push with Young Bucks matches, dig a little deeper and there was a real story to be told here. There were so many neat touches where the Hardy Boyz used their veteran instincts in Ladder Matches to get an edge. And similarly, every time the pace quickened and high spots started flying, more often than not the ageing champs couldn't keep up with their younger challengers. It was a Ladder Match with all the trimmings - but the battle of age and experience versus the precocious fearlessness of youth is timeless and was beautifully told amidst the violence here. I am genuinely astonished at how good this actually was.

Broken Matt calls the Bucks the best team he and his brother have ever faced. They both get down on one knee to shake hands then fade away to classify themselves as Obsolete...

Tape Rating - *** - This show took me multiple sittings to get through and review. It certainly wasn't the flowing, easy and consistently high quality watch that the 15th Anniversary Show was. There were some seriously great moments, but some really odd pacing and a number of disappointments. Starting with the Women Of Honor show - a lot of the matches were really poor. The Luchadora match was a total bust (to me) with only Kelly and Deonna's match remotely worthy of your time. The main show itself was so bizarrely inconsistent I really struggled to get through it. You'd get a great match like Cole/Scurll or Cody/Lethal, but soon after you'd be watching something REALLY flat. Even the matches I liked I had major complaints with - such as Volador Jr's performance in the international dream tag match, or Lethal going over Cody in the Bull Rope Match only for Cody to then be set up as the next World Title challenger. And what the f*ck was with that Bobby Fish segment? It sucked AND murdered Silas Young's credibility for no reason! But, in all honesty, three thousand plus fans had been packed into this building for one match and one match only - they wanted to see Hardyz/Bucks. And that match smashed my expectations out of the park. Given the circumstances they were competing under (i.e. the proximity of Matt and Jeff returning to WWE), the age and condition of the Hardy Boyz' ailing bodies and the vast pressure that comes with delivering such a big house - it really is remarkable that they were able to step up and deliver arguably ROH's 2017 MOTY thus far. Ultimately the good on this show far outweighs the bad, so it is an easy show to recommend. But speaking from personal experience I found this one a bit of a slog to get through...

3) Will Ospreay/Volador Jr vs Jay White/Dragon Lee (****)

2) Jay Lethal vs Cody (****)

1) Hardy Boyz vs Young Bucks (****1/2)