McXal's Reviews

This is the third time Ring Of Honor has let an 'Unauthorized' show take place. The first was in 2013 when Truth Martini put together the extremely enjoyable 'Night Of Hoopla'. It was zany, fun, off-the-wall and a delightfully off-kilter way to present the ROH product. A year later they did it again for Michael Bennett's Bachelor Party which was also a lot of fun, albeit slightly derivative of the original. I'm not surprised they shelved the concept for a while after that - but it is back tonight. It doesn't have a theme which is a shame, but Silas Young appears to have been made the 'host' - a popular choice given that it is in his hometown. He is on the DVD cover, he has featured heavily in the marketing and promos for the show...and he's also in a main event grudge match with Jay Lethal. The rest of the line-up will be filled is promised to be 'unbelievable, unpredictable and unauthorized' too, and you can be sure that Delirious will pop up somewhere after being a focal point of both the Night Of Hoopla and Bennett's Bachelor Party. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana call the action from Milwaukee, WI.

Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser open the show to a raucous welcome. Silas confirms the 'Board Of Directors' aren't here tonight, so he and Bruiser are get drunk and do 'whatever the hell [they] want'. He also decides he wants to be Ring Announcer since Bobby Cruise isn't here...

The Kingdom getting booked on a show 'hosted' by Silas Young is something of a surprise, given that they don't particularly like each other after the events of Las Vegas and Florida. The Last Real Man will be pulling for the Machine Guns tonight for sure. We haven't actually seen Shelley and Sabin join forces too often of late, with Alex missing plenty of ring-time for unspecified reasons (although they did explain it as a concussion caused by the Rebellion at the last TV tapings at least). Both teams will want to get into the Tag Title picture, so need to use their opposition this evening as a stepping stone. Riccaboni points out that Taven is also deep in preparations for a World Title shot during the War Of The Worlds Tour...

This Milwaukee crowd is easily among ROH's best. They literally have a back catalogue of their own chants and in-joke references going back three or four years (like chanting 'shots' for Taven). MCMG dump The Kingdom to the outside before flying at them with stereo pescados. We go into the crowd (since it's relaxed rules tonight), with all four men quickly finding their way over to the bar for a brawl. TAVEN AND VINNY DO SHOTS! The crowd absolutely love that. Their moment of triumph doesn't last long though and soon Taven finds himself back at ringside getting guillotined on the ropes by Alex. Sabin thinks about another dive but instead runs into a back suplex from Vinny. Taven rattles Shelley's skull with a springboard enzi, which makes sense if he has been struggling with concussions. He is still reeling as Kingdom hit a Russian legsweep/quebrada combo for 2. Double crossbody from Sabin rescues his partner. He steps off Marseglia's face into a tornado DDT on Matt...so Vinny sweeps his leg into an apron faceplant. Through the legs tope by Sabin! In response Kingdom hit him with the Proton Pack for 2. Taven tries to swing his cane at Sabin...but accidentally nails Marseglia! Skull & Bones wins it for the Machine Guns at 10:11

Rating - *** - This was entertaining. The 'shots' thing may get a little annoying, but the crowd were really hot throughout and without doing anything outrageous the four competitors strung together a fun back and forth tag battle. This was as competitive and intense as Alex Shelley has worked all year, and it was great to see him back in action as he has been sorely missed.

Silas is back in the ring and proposes shots...but Bruiser objects because he only has one bottle of alcohol. BCB grabs it and tries to get wasted before his match...

'You've gotta be kidding me' - Silas Young's ring announcer reaction as Burger steps through the curtain to compete against three massive individuals. Is there anything Cheeseburger can do to make an impact which includes The Rebellion's enforcer, the monstrous Punishment Martinez and hometown favourite Beer City Bruiser?

Burger jumps off the top rope into a suicide dive at Martinez during his entrance! Bruiser springs into life as well with a cannonball off the apron to wipe out Taylor. Shane responds by dumping him into the railings then swatting Cheese away like a child. He press slams him to the floor, into BCB's lap. Punisher bludgeons Taylor out of the ring with repeated strikes but in turn takes a couple of strikes and a suplex from Beer City. Taylor stops BCB hitting the Keg Splash and climbs the ropes after him. To much hilarity Burger tries to hit the Tower Of Doom spot. Bruiser pummels Shane off the top, but makes it look like Burger powerbombed him, which the crowd loves. HIGH FLY FLOW BY BRUISER! You read that right. Cheese tries to mount the Bruiser with a sleeper...only for BCB to cannonball senton him INTO Taylor. Springboard punch from Punishment to Bruiser...who absorbs it and responds with an OCEAN CYCLONE SUPLEX! The big boys are left alone in the ring, trading punches in a triangle and getting progressively more exhausted. Burger barges in on proceedings - throwing elbows at all of them and royally pissing them off. TRIPLE knockout boot on him! EXPLODER SUPLEX from Taylor to Bruiser! Cyclone Kick from Punisher to Shane! SHOTEI from Burger to Martinez! BCB mists Burger and hits him with the Beer City Driver for the win at 08:29

Rating - *** - This was really great stuff. The big lads impressed not only with their power but with their willingness to throw their bodies around and take incredible punishment. Most crucially, Cheeseburger's contributions were brilliantly judged. Other than Punisher selling the Shotei by diving over the top rope I never once felt like any of the three huge dudes were being made to look like idiots selling his offence. He picked his moments perfectly and made for a zany accompaniment to the super heavyweights battering each other.

Our illustrious host is back in the ring and on the microphone, this time to run down his rival Jay Lethal and berate the Milwaukee fans for attending a meet and greet with him. He says he is going to shut Lethal's mouth for good in the main event tonight...

By the end of 2017 neither of these two men will be plying their trade in ROH any longer. White has been on a prolonged excursion from New Japan. Although he is a member of Search & Destroy and is embroiled in their feud with The Rebellion, his mind will start becoming distracted with pondering when the NJPW office are going to call him back to Japan. Cole has even fewer dates left, but comes into this strong having put on a display of Bullet Club unity at the most recent TV tapings in Baltimore. He wants back into the World Title picture, and will know beating a man like White (who has just one singles defeat on his ROH record thus far) would be a significant boost to his championship prospects. The Young Bucks are on commentary to shed some light on the current Bullet Club situation...and they insist that 'things are alright' before incessantly plugging Being The Elite on YouTube.

White makes most of the running when they get on the mat and wrestle. His experience in the UK and the NJPW dojo have given him an incredible grounding and Cole has to resort to hair pulling and other such shenanigans to stifle him. He has the guns to out-strike Adam as well; driving the former World Champion to the floor with his hitting power. Even on the floor Jay chases his opponent around the ring peppering him with chops and kicks. Cole is an experienced campaigner though, and the second Jay makes a mistake he pounces. White hops to the top rope looking for a dive...and Cole is on him instantly - tossing him from the top to the floor then battering him against the guardrails. Adam starts targeting the neck. The lighting rig switches to an odd yellow set-up instead which at least means the action is more visible, if rather weird-looking. The New Zealander is carrying a neck injury now, and it shows when he drops Cole with a DDT but is too hurt to follow up with anything. Eventually he follows with uppercuts and elbows, setting up a Saito suplex for 2. Urinage blocked...Superkick blocked too. ROLLING judo suplexes by White, right into the Urinage for another nearfall. Cole shuts him down with the DVD over the knee which crunches Jay's bad neck again. Last Shot blocked with more heavy-handed strikes from the Kiwi. Flatliner, into a DEAD-LIFT GERMAN SUPLEX! But White's neck gives way so he can't maintain the bridge for a three-count. He lines up the half nelson suplex...only for Cole to pile into his neck some more with a jumping enzi and the Shining Wizard. Superkick snaps the head back, quickly followed by a German suplex and the NXT Last Shot for 2. MMA ELBOWS BY WHITE! CROSSFACE! COLE TAPS! But Todd Sinclair misses it because Hangman Page runs to ringside and distracts him. Panama Sunrise blocked...HALF NELSON SUPLEX! Now Page tries to stop Jay jumping off the top rope! Missile dropkick COUNTERED WITH A SUPERKICK! LAST SHOT! Cole picks up a tainted win at 15:56

Rating - **** - Both men may be running down the clock on their ROH careers, but there was no let-up in intensity or effort here. This was a phenomenal effort, telling a great story through little more than no-thrills, high impact and aggressive pro-wrestling. I didn't really need Page out there at the end and it did detract from the finish in a major way, but I can see some logic given that Jay White has been SO heavily protected through his ROH run, it'd be weird to see him suddenly drop two matches in a row without some kind of tomfoolery. I loved the idea that Cole, only in his mid-20's, would need to use his 'veteran instincts' to win this. It was such a neat twist, and he really did work the young veteran card perfectly. White's time in the dojo made him a fearsome proposition on the canvas and he proved repeatedly that he had the striking power to threaten the former champ...so Cole used strategy and cunning to best him. When Jay made a mistake he was punished. When Cole was on top he worked a body part to set-up his finish. If only this had had a better finish I think more people would've raved about this one. 

Page tries to hang White with his noose, but gets distracted by a surprise appearance from Romantic Touch and his completely bonkers fake accent. 

The Hangman is now the 'problem solver' of Bullet Club and as such has been putting out fires all over the ROH scene for his stable-mates. He still harbours his own singles ambitions of course so needs a win over the mysterious, returning Romantic Touch character.

Page flies out of the gate with the Buckshot Lariat for 2. He stomps the crap out of Touch in the corner before he has had a chance to get his jacket off. Adam Cole is still at ringside and tries to distract RT further...so Touch makes out with him! Cole tries to get revenge with a Superkick but accidentally lays out Hangman! Jay White is back up and chases Cole away, leaving both combatants flat on the canvas. RITE OF PASSAGE! Page wins at 02:56

Rating - N/A - I've been banging the 'push Adam Page' drum for so long even I'm bored of it now. They smartly kept this short and emphatic which helps Hangman out. Romantic Touch's appearance adds to the 'unsanctioned' nature of the show this evening and his totally goofy gimmick did contrast well with the raw aggression of Page. 

Determined that he will get to hang someone, Page puts the noose around Touch's neck and hangs him from the ropes before staff and referees (including Eli Isom) rush to break it up. Our host Silas Young is ok with Hangman's antics though, because he doesn't think Romantic Touch is a 'real man' unsurprisingly...

The Briscoes and War Machine are no strangers to fighting each other and will relish another chance to go into battle. Since we are 'Unauthorized' tonight, War Machine (now IWGP Tag Champions) have taken it upon themselves to dress up as Dalton's Boys for the night. In a nice piece of continuity to their feud from last year, Silas runs Dalton down during his ring introductions.

Is getting time to talk on the mic at every damn show written into Bully's contract? He puts Dalton down for making War Machine look stupid and for running his mouth...and demands that the match be made a Street Fight. Mark dives over the top rope at Rowe before tossing a chair into his face. On the ramp Bubba cracks a can of beer over Castle's head...but at ringside War Machine have started throwing chairs violently back in the direction of the Briscoes. Sesame Street Sledgehammer strikes leave the 8-time former ROH Tag Champions on the ground. ELBOW SUICIDA UP THE AISLE from Jay to Hanson! He pops up from that to drive steel chair into Rowe's ribs. Mark then puts him through the same chair with a senton off the apron. Bully teases a ludicrous dive into the crowd. It is all very funny, but it basically turns Castle heel when he stops him...which is a lousy position for Dalton to be in given that ROH are building him as a main event babyface. Dalton and Bully take turns ripping off each others poses and mannerisms which is far more entertaining and has the crowd going nuts! The Briscoes and War Machine watching from the floor in total confusion makes the scene even funnier. Mark jumps into the crowd so he can join in banging the guardrails, then grabs a camera and starts filming the action for himself...whilst Hanson and Rowe take to fanning Dalton to cool him down. It ends with Ray giving Castle such a fierce overhand chop you can literally see a handprint on Dalton's pec. Wisely he vacates the ring and allows War Machine to use their muscle to dominate Jay Briscoe. Cartwheel lariat from Hanson to Bubba which leaves him in the corner for Sesame Street running clotheslines. Mark comes in with some Redneck Kung Fu, scattering Hanson and Rowe in so doing. Day One Neckbreaker/Froggy Bow combo gets 2 before Dalton breaks the pin. 'This is going to happen in every Bully Ray match' - Colt's cynical assessment of fans calling for tables. War Machine hit a pop-up powerslam on Mark and immediately follow it with a Hanson tope suicida to the outside. Bully drops Dalton for a Wassup Froggy Bow variant! Ray orders his partners to get the tables, erecting one in the ring only for War Machine to return and break up the fun. Mark uses a chair to stop them hitting Fallout through the table! Powerbomb through a table from Bully to Ray Rowe! Super 3-D nailed on Castle! The Briscoes and Bully win at 19:53

Rating - *** - OK this was my favourite Bully Ray ROH match so far. I didn't love all of it, having Dalton take the finish is absolute bullsh*t (more on that momentarily) and the crowd were as much the stars as the wrestlers here...but this was totally weird, completely different and the live crowd went bonkers for it. Dalton was so fun to watch as a character playing in an environment filled with big, beardy, rugged dudes. Some of the interplay between he and Bubba, he and the Briscoes and even he and his own partners had me in stitches. But here is my problem - ROH are building him as a future main event babyface star, and NOTHING about this match furthered that billing. He came off like a heel in every exchange with Bully Ray, which isn't smart at all. The fact that NJPW has such seniority in this 'relationship' that War Machine need to be protected on an ROH show, in front of ROH fans and therefore someone ROH are trying to heat up as a future champion has to lose instead is total crap. It literally makes more sense for Dalton and War Machine to have won this to maybe cue a future Six-Man Title rematch than it does having Castle drop the fall here. 

Bully gets the microphone AGAIN after the match. Christ man, get your ego in check and stop talking. He even tries to get his own 'this is awesome' chant going (and fails). Luckily after that most of the content is putting over his fellow performers over. 

INTERMISSION - Beer City Bruiser replaces Silas as ring announcer for the second half of the show.

I feel like I've seen Jared appear in squash matches for ROH before but I can't find any record of it on Cagematch. Cagematch also reveals that the guy is in his late 30's and has matches listed for him going all the way back to 2002 so he certainly isn't a rookie. The fact that ROH have simply recycled Jon Gresham's old entrance music for him suggests they don't have any long-term plans for him. Ferrara has made no secret of his frustration at teaming with Cheeseburger and losing consistently. Here has a chance to prove he can win matches all by himself...

Jackson enjoys strutting and dancing (to the point that he's actually quite annoying), but Ferrara is all business and is looking to get this done early. Single arm DDT has Jared writhing in pain, and signals Will's attempt to start working that arm. I really like this strategy as it shows that Will is learning from working a couple of very decent matches with Jon Gresham this year. Shoulderbreaker gets 2 but still Jared won't stop dancing. He then uses the arm Will has been working on to hit a diving elbow smash like a f*cking idiot. Fifteen years of experience should have taught him better than that. Will grabs the bad arm to hit his version of the Rainmaker (the GLL), and follows it with Eyes Wide Shut - now renamed the 'Facewrecker' apparently...and gets the win at 05:54

Rating - DUD - I felt bad giving this a DUD rating because I thought Ferrara worked hard and delivered a solid individual performance. Sadly for him everything else sucked. This went on way too long, Jackson's gimmick was super annoying and his refusal to sell the arm that Ferrara had spent the whole match working over was atrocious. When you're a job guy only getting paid to make your opponent look good it usually helps to actually sell their offence!

Will celebrates by stealing one of Bruiser's beers then running away! 

The TV Title isn't on the line here, which we'll say is because this whole event is technically unsanctioned. Delirious coming out of hiding to work Marty makes sense from a kayfabe perspective given that The Villain has spoken openly about being disappointed by the lack of competition the regular ROH roster has provided him with. His resume is now seriously impressive with wins over Will Ospreay, Dalton Castle, Adam Cole, Donovan Dijak, Lio Rush, Jon Gresham, Juice Robinson and more chalked up in pretty short order. Delirious is a staple of these 'unauthorized' events, and will of course be eyeing up a win over the TV Champion as a route to getting a title shot down the line...

Another night, another rockstar reaction for Marty. In another shift into the bizarre, Delirious DOESN'T lose his mind at the ring bell and instead runs like a manic in Marty's direction and frantically tries to pin him. He then hides under the ring to escape reprisals from The Villain. The Lizard Man emerges with a beer can in his mouth...which Marty promptly and violently kicks through his teeth. The TV Champ cranks on Delirious' arm in the ropes. As ever Scurll is relentless in his pursuit of his opponent's arm...which Delirious counters with his whacky rope-running sequences into the Leaping Lariat. DDT/sliding flatliner combo gets 2 for the Lizard Man! He looks for the Cobra Stretch, which of course Marty is able to counter by ripping at the arm again. Just Kidding nailed, followed by a brainbuster. Delirious drops to his knees in the foetal position to prevent Scurrl putting him in the Chickenwing though! A battle over a backslide ensues...until Scurll grabs the bad arm and SNAPS THE FINGERS! SO DELIRIOUS EATS SCURLL'S!  He rakes Marty's eyes, and whilst blinded Scurll almost snaps Todd Sinclair's fingers too! Panic Attack scores, but Shadows Over Hell misses. Scurll brings the umbrella in as a weapon...BUT SNAPS DELIRIOUS' TOES INSTEAD! CHICKENWING! Delirious taps at 09:32

Rating - *** - I almost went to 4* on this, but in the end thought it was probably a little too gimmicky and goofy. But I won't mask the fact that I thought this was really good. For all my problems with him as a booker, I've always been a strong advocate for Delirious the worker. It's actually remarkable the level he can still work at considering his part-time status and all the other sh*t he has going on in his life. What I liked here was that the goal was clearly to promote Marty as a star. Sure there were typical Delirious spots - but this wasn't an outright comedy match and wasn't a showcase for Delirious messing around. He had his (metaphorical) working boots on, busted his ass and held his own in a fast-paced, technically sound sprint. Scurll exudes future World Champion potential.

This may be 'Unauthorized', but this is still a huge Ring Of Honor match. It brings old rivals the Bucks and The Addiction back together, this time with the Tag Title gold around the waist of the Jacksons (although has been through a Hardy-sized detour since, they initially won those belts from Daniels and Kaz in Ladder War 6) and the World Championship in the possession of Christopher Daniels. The Bucks have real problems with The Addiction after the rouse they pulled to get that belt onto Daniels, including Frankie infiltrating Bullet Club for a number of weeks. Since it is 'Unauthorized', The Addiction have decided they want to form a Road Warriors tribute act - calling themselves the 'Legion Of Boom' (Kazanimal and Falcon) and singing 'Iron Man' on their way to the ring.

Frankie calls this the Crockett Cup and refers to his opponents as the 'Midnight Rockers'. The Bucks are completely thrown off by the whole act. Daniels' mannerisms as Hawk are so good too. Double piledrivers by the Jacksons...which is of course no sold by the Legion Of Boom! Boomsday Device is blocked with stereo Superkicks however, and now The Addiction start selling! Rise Of The Terminator tope suicidas drive LOB up the aisle, before the Bucks capture Kazarian for a period of isolation and abuse. Daniels senses the danger and intervenes quickly - teeing Matt up for a slingshot DDT. The Addiction work over Matt's back, which is starting to become a renowned focal point for offence on him. He keeps the World Champion at bay with the flying cutter...but has to vacate the ring and leave Nick to fly the plane solo for the time being. He does so with gusto, changing his offence and hitting a somersault senton off the apron. Next he hides in the crowd before popping out and levelling Kaz with a Superkick. He springboards from the guardrail...to the apron...and into the ring for a facebuster on Daniels! The Ring General breaks up a Superkick Party and leads Nick into the hiptoss to powerbomb combo...setting him up perfectly for Kazanimal's Tomikaze for 2. Angel's Wings countered, allowing Matt to tag...only to get dropped on his ass with a spinebuster. ANGEL'S WINGS on Nick! SPRINGBOARD DDT ON THE APRON FROM MATT TO KAZ! Frankie no sells all Young Bucks offence by yelling 'What A Rush' in their faces...then mows Matt down with the Animal tackle! BOOMSDAY DEVICE...MATT BACK FLIPS INTO SUPERKICKS! Meltzer Driver blocked back to the BOOMSDAY DEVICE! FOR 2! Best Meltzer Ever blocked, allowing the Jacksons to give Kaz the elevated springboard Swanton Bomb. Referee Paul Turner is inadvertently destroyed with a wayward boot from one of the Bucks. BEST MOONSAULT EVER! Todd Sinclair is in...but Nick hauls him out before he can count the pin. ARABIAN PRESS WIPES OUT TODD! Nick crotches Daniels as they try to set up the Best Meltzer Ever. MELTZER DRIVER INSTEAD! Bucks pin Kaz at 18:21

Rating - **** - These two teams have had a lot of great matches against each other, and this is another addition to that pantheon. By this point we've seen them wrestle each other so many times, I thought that the addition of the 'Legion Of Boom' gimmick was a really fun addition to their routine. It all built to a whirlwind of high spots, dives, ref bumps and utter chaos which the live audience absolutely ate up. 

He is the host of the show, and has spoken openly about how he feels he has been overlooked by Ring Of Honor - so of course Silas is going to book himself in the main event. His issues with Lethal go back to Lockport on the Reloaded Tour last year. On that night they shared an ultra competitive match, Young viciously targeted a knee injury sustained by Lethal, and although he lost the match, he won the war by eliminating Lethal to win the 2016 Honor Rumble later the same evening. Hostilities flared again recently when Lethal tried to injure Silas' leg in a match, which the Last Real Man took personality. He assaulted Jay during a commercial shoot - calling him ROH's 'golden boy'. Bitter, desperate to prove himself and hungry to prove himself a top guy in this company - Young knows he needs a win over the man now calling himself the 'Franchise of ROH'...

Silas is obviously highly motivated, refusing to allow Lethal to settle into a rhythm of holds and elaborate counter sequences. The Last Real Man wants to strike or he wants to hold Jay on the mat with headlocks. Hiptopss dropkick blocked...Killer Combo blocked...Lethal Combination countered to a schoolboy for 2! What an awesome sequence that was. The success of his strategy is clear as it causes Lethal to abandon the pretty wrestling and get involved into a rough and ready, strike-heavy fight. Silas ducks Jay's springboard dropkick...only for Lethal to evade his signature slingshot double stomp. Springboard lariat to the apron by Young knocks the former World Champion to the ground. Silas openly disrespects and verbally abuses his rival - which again goads Lethal into strikes. Young leaves the ring to avoid the Lethal Injection...but Jay watches him go and without breaking step sprints into a TOPE SUICIDA! Battered and bruised, the weary competitors re-enter the ring and flail wildly, swinging punches with plenty of force but minimal accuracy. Roaring elbow by Lethal, quickly followed by a superkick but Young NO SELLS and decks him with a lariat. Lethal counters the Plunge, but gets the Killer Combo instead for 2! The intensive level of countering and familiarity in this match is superb. Plunge misses for a second time...LETHAL COMBINATION! Young rolls away to stop another of Jay's finishers - this time Hail To The King. Plunge nailed for 2! Riccaboni puts Silas over as fighting for all he is worth to win the big one in his hometown - a narrative which I love. He tries to put the Franchise away with a superplex...but is of course clobbered off the top and given Hail To The King. Lethal is too hurt to pin right away, losing valuable seconds and only getting a 2-count. Ace Crusher nailed, then Lethal tries to attack the leg as he did with success earlier in 2017. Figure 4 Leglock applied forcing Young to empty the tanks reaching the bottom rope. He still can't hit Lethal Injection though, with Silas countering with a knee strike. MISERY...LETHAL LANDS ON HIS FEET! LETHAL INJECTION...SILAS COUNTERS TO MISERY! YOUNG WINS! WHAT A MOMENT! Silas gets a colossal win at 19:56

Rating - ****1/2 - Talk about an under-rated, hidden gem; this was a phenomenal match. It was completely different to the Lockport bout, albeit with a number of references to make it clear this was a sequel. The level at which these two were countering, reversing and flipping the script on each other's trademark spots was world class. This felt like a dogfight between two ultra-intelligent and experienced pros, telling the story not of two men trying to work a body part...but of two rivals who know each other inside-out and are engaged in a gruelling and physical game of chess trying to pick out a winning combination. That theme continued all the way through to the thrilling finishing sequence where they just kept going with counters to each other's finishers. Add to the quality of the in-ring action a red-hot crowd (even after a Young Bucks match) who were biting on everything and vocally behind both participants. Even on a B-show with minimal exposure Silas winning felt like a huge moment and a big deal. Sinclair-owned ROH has NO track record of allowing potential rising stars to follow up on big wins (ACH, Lio Rush, Moose, Cedric Alexander, Adam Page all immediately come to mind as guys that ROH sh*t the bed with and blew their momentum after major victories)...but they really need to go somewhere with Silas. I'm not necessarily calling him a World Champion - but he is crucial to the product right now with a strong gimmick and incredible consistency at delivering in whatever role he is given (including commentary - where he has been wasted for the first part of 2017)...

Tape Rating - *** - I haven't seen masses of praise for this show, but I thought that in a weak year for ROH house shows (Manhattan Mayhem excluded) this was a really enjoyable night of wrestling. I wasn't in love with the card, and this felt far more like a traditional ROH show than the previous two 'Unauthorized' shows...but most of the in-ring stuff was solid and there were three tremendous matches which really stood out. Cole/White and Young/Lethal are sleeper hits; genuine top quality bouts that I can't believe more people weren't enthused about. In truth the lack of buzz around those matches probably indicates the scale and scope of ROH/Sinclair's mismanagement of the company now. They are so far down the rabbit hole of relying on the Young Bucks, Bullet Club and New Japan to draw that their own guys doing great things goes totally under the radar. Don't skip this one. It is a house show, it doesn't have masses of long-term relevance. But there is some good wrestling, the usual tag team brilliance from the Young Bucks...and holy hell does the main event deserve to be seen by more people

3) Adam Cole vs Jay White (****)

2) Young Bucks vs The Addiction (****)

1) Silas Young vs Jay Lethal (****1/2)