McXal's Reviews

I thought the Toronto WOTW 2017 show was something of an under-rated hit. The main event, whilst bloated and sadly indicative of ROH's heavy reliance on The Elite and NJPW to sell tickets and/or merch, was fun and beneath that bouts like Cody/Ospreay and Lethal/Kushida were outstanding. We cross into the United States for the second show of the tour, and the stakes are upped this evening with several championships up for grabs. Marty Scurll wasn't in Canada, but is on this show and will participate in a TV Title 'Instant Reward' Proving Ground multi-man match, so could potentially be defending his belt against anyone of his six fellow combatants there. Christopher Daniels defends the World Title against Matt Taven in a match you'd think would be the main event...but isn't because obviously that slot is reserved for the Bullet Club/Being The Elite crew. The Young Bucks, Cody and Adam Page face a CHAOS team, represented by Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto and RPG Vice. Los Ingobernables are out in force too - Naito faces Punishment Martinez in a match which could steal the show if Naito is motivated to do so, whilst EVIL, BUSHI and SANADA challenge the Briscoes and Bully Ray for the Six-Man Titles. This card is packed with decent looking matches in truth, to the point that I'm immediately suspicious as to how much time anything will get, and whether any bout will truly live up to its true potential. Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly and Colt Cabana are in Dearborn, MI.

Many thought Bobby was done with ROH after his failure to take the World Title from Adam Cole at Manhattan Mayhem, shortly followed by his loss to Jay Lethal in a critically acclaimed match at the 15th Anniversary. But he made an unscheduled appearance at Supercard Of Honor to announce unfinished business - calling for a rematch with Lethal and picking a fight with Silas Young (which he subsequently lost at the ensuing Baltimore TV taping). He has a few more dates to run down, and now we are getting a rematch from Best In The World 2016. On that night Dalton unsuccessfully challenged for the TV Title, falling to Fish in a match which tested the documented friendship between these two men. Still in hot pursuit of the World Title despite losing to Daniels at Supercard, Dalton will know he needs wins over big names like Fish if he is to get back into the championship scene...

What I like about this is that these guys set the scene for a stall-heavy, jovial, comedy match early on. They muck around shaking hands, both are visibly stalling, Bobby kills more time going after The Boys for no reason. But then BAM the intensity kicks up a notch with Fish full-on booting Dalton in the face so hard he falls out of the ring. That pisses Castle off so much he stomps back in and Greco-Roman throws his opponent so hard that Bobby bounces out of the ring like a rubber ball. Now both men know this is serious...with Fish reacting first and trying to go right into the Fish Hook. It fails but exposes Castle's legs for a series of attacks which quickly open up an injury on his knee. It means he can brilliantly counter a Bang-A-Rang attempt into the Fish Hook...which further hobbles the Party Peacock. Recognising that Dalton is in serious peril The Boys start to make a spectacle of themselves; distracting Fish for just long enough to allow Dalton to land a hobbling knee strike. His knee is so injured that initially Dalton's only option to follow-up is to collapse on top of his opponent and smother him with a grounded bearhug. It works twofold in that it wears Bobby down whilst buying Castle's leg time to recover - which it clearly has as he delivers a jumping knee and a judo suplex for 2. TURNBUCKLE EXPLODER by Fish, rattling the bad leg against the metal bolts in the process. LEG CAPTURE SUPLEX by Dalton as the former TV Champ tries to pepper him with his trademark MMA-influenced kicks. In the end they wind up in the middle of the ring absolutely blasting each other with elbows and chops as the tanks start to empty. Castle struggles to execute the Everest German...so instead busts multiple Karelin lifts to scramble Bobby's brains. Fish retreats to the apron...but then kicks the bad leg out from under Castle again. More strikes from Fish, setting up a BACK DROP DRIVER for 2. Dalton drops to the deck to block the Falcon Arrow and hits his own Back Drop Driver moments later. RUNNING KNEE MISSES - causing Dalton to fall to the floor. GUARDRAIL SPEAR BY FISH! BANG-A-RANG OUT OF NOWHERE! Dalton wins at 14:00

Rating - **** - A gripping opening match which blew their PPV bout from last year out of the water. I wasn't the biggest fan of the finish; it felt sudden and gave off the impression that Castle was lucky, rather than better than Bobby. But everything before that was outstanding - a superb exhibition of their skills, a well-told and executed story to highlight the strengths of each man and hugely exciting without going overboard on spots to kill the crowd. Everyone knew by this point that Bobby was leaving. It was an open secret which, even complicated by his re-emergence in Florida, made every show he worked after the Anniversary feel like an elongated farewell tour. Which probably furthers my frustration at the finish. Yes Dalton won clean...but the manner of his victory didn't present him in the most favourable light. This was, however, a stark reminder of the talent and quality that Bobby will be taking with him to NXT when he does finally go...

The Rebellion have been in a feud of sorts with Shelley, Sabin and crew for most of the year. You'd be forgiven for missing it because it hasn't been particularly well publicised, and has struggled since a load of guys who would've been involved (Dijak, Rush, Gresham or Shelley) have all either left the company, barely been booked or been out injured whilst they've struggled to get this program off the ground. Kenny King and Rhett Titus haven't worked many shows together as of late either. But here we have the 'OG's' of Search & Destroy - the Motor City Machine Guns and their friend Jay White - gunning for revenge on a Rebellion trio. Shelley recently missed time due to concussion injuries suffered at the hands of The Rebellion - who are also claiming credit for driving Lio Rush out of Ring Of Honor. Who leaves Dearborn with the bragging rights in this intensely personal feud? Can the Rebels strike a damning blow to the Machine Guns in their home state?

Taylor's ring jacket literally says 'Enforcer' on it, which feels a little on the nose. Obviously there is no Code Of Honor here and we go straight into a six-man brawl. It takes all three members of Search & Destroy to get Taylor out of the ring...and when he lands on his feet Sabin is on hand to fly after him with a cannonball senton. Shelley dropkicks Rhett's ass in the corner then watches as White dives at him with a flying crossbody. Hart Attack Sky Splitter from Titus and Coleman on Jay! Caprice hits a 619 around the ringpost to wipe out Sabin...as inside the ring Shane is using his bulk to maul the New Zealander. The Rebellion isolate White; Coleman and Titus happy to mop-up after Taylor has done a real number on him. But it's they who make the mistake and let Jay escape, allowing him to slip through their clutches into a hot tag to Sabin. He scatters the Rebels, before being joined by Shelley and White for tandem dives to the outside. SUPERKICK DOUBLE ARM DDT TRIPLE TEAM gets 2 on Caprice. That looked like total death and really should be a finisher! Vertical leap frankensteiner by Coleman, once again teeing up poor White for a volley of offence. Sky Splitter/Big Dawg Splash combo...setting up the big second rope splash from Taylor for 2, albeit only because the Machine Guns made a save. ASCS RUSH on Taylor...then Jay gives him a body slam! Through the legs tope suicida by Sabin! KNOCK-OUT PUNCH by Taylor sends Shelley out! White to the top rope, hitting a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR! Skull & Bones finishes Rhett at 11:41

Rating - *** - There were things I liked and things I didn't here, but the good definitely outweighed the bad and I came away feeling like this match reinvigorated my interest in seeing more S&D vs Rebels matches in the future. Taylor once again looked really good. He has started finding his niche in ROH after stepping out of Keith Lee's shadow and is by far the most interesting part of The Rebellion from an in-ring perspective. He was very well protected in this too, rarely made to look weak and frequently being the man to carry the offence for his team. It was pleasing to see White pick up a win too, although he was the whipping boy for most of the match whilst Sabin got to look almost invincible (and Shelley once again didn't do a whole lot). Skull & Bones is also a much weaker-looking finish than that crazy superkick/diving double arm DDT triple team they used as a random nearfall in the middle of the match as well. Another benefit of this match - someone actually explained to me why Kenny King has been appearing so irregularly. I presume it was mentioned on the internet/social media at the time - but watching this years later I had totally forgotten he was part of the cast for the latest season of a reality TV show at this point...

I've championed Silas Young as one of the unsung stars of the current ROH product for some time; his delivery of his character is so perfect that it is accessible immediately for new fans - yet also layered and developed enough to satisfy longer-term viewers like myself. For instance, as a result of the Shibata match he had on PPV last year, we know that he doesn't like the New Japan talents and feels like every time they come over he and his contemporaries are at risk of being bumped out of their spots and bigger paydays to accommodate them. It immediately adds some spice to this one, as he looks to make a point at the expense of the popular Kushida. His motivation will be even higher knowing that Kushida scored a win over one of his bigger rivals Jay Lethal in Toronto earlier in the week. Can he rub Lethal's face it in by succeeding where 'the franchise of ROH' failed?

Silas looks extremely motivated, with a clear mission to make a big statement at Kushida's expense. He gets the better of the opening exchanges and isn't shy about pointing it out. Kushida smartly quickens the pace...and embarrasses Young in the process. Silas hides behind the referee and takes a cheap shot to level Kushida, then slows things right back down. Ian Riccaboni tries to inject some genuine psychology into proceedings by pointing out that Lethal worked Kushida's back and neck - and Young tries to exploit it. He rams Kushida into the guardrails further exacerbating those injuries. They run a phenomenal near-miss sequence that goes from the ring, to the floor and back to the apron, ending with Young blasting the back again with a springboard lariat into the side of the ring. Visibly moving more slowly, Kushida tries to mount a comeback - with a hiptoss into a cross armbreaker. Immediately he injures Silas' arm in preparation for the Hoverboard Lock. Young shuts him down with a shady, unseen kick of the middle rope into Kushida's balls as he thinks about a springboard move. Plunge misses, setting up the Tanaka Punch from Kushida and they both go down to the mat. Tajiri Handspring Elbow blocked...HOVERBOARD LOCK INSTEAD! Silas stands up, but Kushida refuses to let go! COUNTERED TO THE PLUNGE! Both men flail around on the mat injured and struggling to get off the ground. MISERY BY SILAS! Huge win for the Last Real Man at 13:27

Rating - **** - A generous rating, but I thought they did a hell of a job with this and love that Silas won - not only giving him the rub but also continuing to push his feud with Jay Lethal. Kudos to Ian Riccaboni on commentary too, as he did a hell of a job selling the toll Kushida's hard-fought battle with Lethal in Toronto took out of him. It made his victory over Lethal seem all the more significant, and meant he loses very little even whilst putting Young over cleanly here. They couldn't have crammed much more into less than fourteen minutes of bell time. Putting Silas over Kushida tonight makes the decision to put Bully Ray and his big ego over Young at Masters Of The Craft seem even more ridiculous. If you remove that loss Young is on a hell of a run right now...

Silas kicks Ian Riccaboni off commentary so he can call the next match - featuring his rival Jay Lethal.

Hanson and Rowe are the reigning IWGP Tag Champions so, even if he is focused on winning back the World Title or getting a win back over Silas Young, Jay Lethal will be aware of the ramifications should he and Tanahashi score a win over them here. Their team will no doubt be referred to as a dream paring of the 'Ace' of NJPW with the 'franchise' of ROH, but they aren't an experienced team and will have their work cut out of they are to pose a threat to the experienced War Machine...

War Machine look hell-bent on making a statement, refusing to break the Code Of Honor and bringing their opponents to their knees with their vicelike grips. LETHAL INJECTION! SLING BLADE! That's one way to start a match! Hanson almost loses inside thirty seconds and continues to struggle as Lethal and Tana find entertaining ways to string together some of their trademark sequences. Figure 4 by Jay, and Tanahashi puts Rowe in an Air Guitar abdominal stretch when he tries to save. Lethal tries a tope suicida only to be caught and powerslammed on the floor of the arena. The size of the IWGP Tag Champs becomes a factor as they manhandle Lethal and keep him well away from his partner. I like the new mean streak they show as well - Rowe isn't afraid to rake the eyes or throw a really violent strike or two to ensure his team retain their advantage. Try as they might they can't put Jay away though and eventually he lands a Lethal Combination on Rowe before making one of the most theatrically over-acted hot tags you will ever see. Tanahashi somersault sentons in from the second rope for 2, and goes back to the corner for a springboard crossbody seconds later. Tana is having to fight both members of War Machine at the same time though - and soon he runs out of steam. Lethal rescues him from a double chokeslam attempt...so Hanson cartwheel lariats the pair of them. Sesame Street Sledgehammer strikes come out next - giving Kevin Kelly ample time to shill New Japan shows and talk about NJPW business all over an  ROH show. Bronco Buster blocked by Tanahashi, as Lethal runs through the ring into rolling tope suicidas aimed at both opponents. But Rowe plucks him out of the air with a right hand! ELBOW SUICIDA BY HANSON MISSES! TOPE ATOMICO BY LETHAL! HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE FLOOR BY TANAHASHI! Sling Blade on Rowe, setting up Hail To The King. High Fly Flow nailed...but Hanson breaks the pin! Twist & Shout on Hanson! Judo throw knee smash from Rowe to Tana! Rowe is so fired up he actually starts HEADBUTTING Lethal's arm to block his strikes. LETHAL INJECTION COUNTERED TO FALLOUT! TANA SHOVES HANSON OFF THE TOP! LETHAL INJECTION COUNTERED TO THOR'S HAMMER! ELBOW SUICIDA! Rowe pins Lethal to take the victory at 15:31

Rating - **** - Where did that come from? The first hour of this show has been so good, and this didn't disappoint either. My favourite part about it was that this felt like New Japan's version of War Machine. I commented when reviewing the Honor Rising 2017 shows that it was a major concern that NJPW were booking Hanson and Rowe SO much better than Delirious was - and this was a glimpse of that. I loved their mean streak. I loved that they did less predictable, pop the children, play the hits offence here and started acting like giant, bearded thugs. They f*cked Lethal up in this. 'The Franchise' took a real beating - in the ring and on the floor - and it was a perfectly realistic conclusion to the match to see him eat the pin. It's far too late to salvage War Machine's ROH credibility, that was shot to pieces by their idiotic booking when feuding with The Addiction last year. They are another act working through their dates until they can leave. If they work like this for the remainder of the shows they appear on I'll have no complaints though. As an aside, the match was perfectly laid out to protect Tanahashi. Everyone knew he was only there to hit his signature spots - so Lethal, Hanson and Rowe busted their asses, did the heavy lifting and created an environment whereby he could do that in a manner which actually contributed. This show has produced three genuine hidden gems so far...

One thing you couldn't level at the Briscoes and Bubba is that they duck challengers for their Trios belts. Here they defend against Los Ingobernables de Japon, in a match you could conceivably call them the underdogs due to the vast amount of experience the LIJ guys have of working multi-man tags together (they come in as reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Champions in New Japan as well). The defending champions have decades of experience working tags though, so even if they are still a relatively new trio they do have plenty of knowledge to fall back on. Can LIJ return to Japan with some Ring Of Honor gold around their waists?

Bully skips the crap and just comes out carrying a table this evening. Of course he needs a microphone to trot out more ECW nostalgia tediousness too, and book his own match to be No DQ. Cabana questioning whether the LIJ guys even understood him to know it's now no rules is pretty funny. Mark drags Sanada into the guardrails with a Delaware Legsweep on one side of the ring...as on the other Evil almost gets into a fight with Colt Cabana pissing off announcers is what Los Ingobernables do. He and Jay contest a chair swinging duel. Jay sits Sanada in an open chair for Mark to cannonball senton through, clearing the ring so Bully can have his way with Bushi. The veteran isn't interested in selling for Bushi of course...so Evil and Sanada crotch him against the ringpost. Every piece of offence on Bully is either a weapon shot, a double team or no sold - which makes it a wholly uninteresting heat segment - not that a heat segment even makes sense in a No DQ match. It obviously ends with him fighting all of LIJ off by himself as well too. Urinage from Mark to Sanada, then a fisherman buster on Evil for 2. Bushi rescues with a fisherman neckbreaker, although his only reward is some jabs and the Day One Neckbreaker from Jay. Triple team lungblower combo from LIJ on the former World Champion gets 2. Bushi accidentally mists his own partners! Evil and Sanada are blinded and incapacitated, clearing the path of the champs to send up the Wassup spot. Bubba wants a table, which the Briscoes oblige. Powerbomb through the table finishes Bushi - the champs retain at 12:36

Rating - ** - I'll dog on Bully Ray in a moment, but this match wasn't entirely terrible. Mark and SANADA had some really decent exchanges, and there was some genuine comedy to be found with BUSHI failing miserable to stand up to Bubba. The big problem here - as always - is the big, loud-mouthed, tired and sad ECW tribute act that Bully has become. Hearing him talk on EVERY SHOW is annoying. Watching his massive ego get appeased at the expense of vastly more relevant talents is brutal. Here he stomped all over one of NJPW's biggest groups (admittedly the lower ranking members thereof), had no interest in selling for anybody, continued to drag the Briscoes down by association with them and won the match for his team - even if Jay actually got the pin. In 2017 there is absolutely no place for Bubba Ray Dudley to be as prevalent in Ring Of Honor as he already is. 

The premise for this one is simple. Martinez earned the respect of Naito and Los Ingobernables when teaming with them during the Honor Rising Tour...but he eschewed their show of respect which greatly offended them. Naito in particular is someone who has made his name being disrespectful, so took that show of defiance personally. He wants payback on Punisher - who in turn wants to further enhance his reputation at the hands of one of New Japan's biggest stars.

Naito flips Martinez off before the bell - pissing him off then further ruffling his feathers by ducking and dodging him when he tries to advance. Punishment can't control his rage, chasing his opponent on the floor and walking into a capo kick. Naito scampers to the apron to avoid repercussions...so Punisher grabs him for a LAST RIDE INTO THE SIDE OF THE RING! Super spinning heel kick back in gets 2 for the imposing Martinez. Naito counters the springboard punch though, then dropkicks Martinez's legs from under him. The IWGP Intercontinental Champion continues to target Punisher's leg, although it doesn't impact his ability to deliver a Psycho Driver (Ian called it that, so it means I can too). South Of Heaven blocked into a frankensteiner by Naito...for ONE! Destino easily blocked...so Naito smiles, kicks at the leg some more and spits in his face. NO SOLD! LARIAT by Punishment. Springboard Punch decks the leader of LIJ for another nearfall. Cyclone kick countered to a tornado DDT but still he can't hit Destino - this time Martinez counters to an emphatic falcon arrow. Naito grabs the leg to block South Of Heaven and counters into a kneebar! SOUTH OF HEAVEN COUNTERED TO DESTINO! FOR 2! Punishment flips Naito off now. DESTINO AGAIN! Naito wins at 11:16

Rating - *** - It was a little bit scrappy at times, but told a great story. I give Naito sh*t for not working hard on these US tours, but he was generous with his time here and let Martinez get a lot in before grabbing the inevitable win that his status in New Japan mandates. It was a very 'Naito' type of match too. He effectively conveyed that he didn't like Punisher, but did so in the most lethargic and half-assed manner possible. He realised he couldn't beat him in a fight, so set about pissing him off instead. And it worked, albeit with bumps along the way. The final moments, with an angry but defiant Punishment flipping Naito off as he stands over him - both knowing that Naito has the match won and both awaiting the final Destino to be administered - was a powerful visual. Ring Of Honor must surely realise they are onto something special with Punishment Martinez and come up with something to elevate him to the upper echelons of the promotion. Right??...

This is a Proving Ground Instant Reward Match meaning if Marty doesn't win, whomever is victorious will get an immediate shot at the TV Title. Kazarian just lost a title shot to Marty at the Baltimore TV taping so would love another opportunity. Ferrara and Burger come out as a team, seemingly united after their recent victory at Masters Of The Craft. Bruiser and Gedo are the wildcards - both unique and unpredictable individuals with specific skills which may pose real problems to the champ. Could he survive the size of the Bruiser? Is Gedo more villainous than even he? Can The Villain win outright and shut out a whole host of contenders for the evening? Vinny wasn't initially booked in this, but comes out still covered in BUSHI's mist from Toronto and inserts himself. Is wrestlers getting to book anything they want, at any time, without warning part of ROH's gimmick for 2017? 

Marty villainously pops Vinny in the head with the microphone to get us started. Kazariam rewards him with a lungblower then blasts the still-dazed Marseglia with the Jerry Lynn Drop in the ropes. Gedo looks thoroughly confused by Vinny's decision to put his stupid hockey mask on...and grins as Marty SMASHES the mask using his umbrella. Is that not a DQ? Of course not, because in ROH people do whatever they want now. Cheeseburger tries to grapple with Bruiser which is apparently 'funny' and not 'illogically retarded'. BCB, of course, has to sell for Cheeseburger albeit mercifully not for long before Scurll steals the focus by jumping Ferrara from behind. Five of the second guys put themselves in submission holds simultaneously - hilariously broken by Bruiser who just starts punching them all in their exposed faces. Next they all try grounded headscissors, human centipede style, until Marty turns them ALL over into the 'world's longest Boston Crab'. Marseglia wasn't a part of that and has fun strutting around mugging off the fans. Kaz and Ferrara chase him up the turnbuckles, before f*cking Cheeseburger uses 'superhuman strength' to powerbomb them both into a superplex. Finger Snap from Scurll to Burger. Shotei from Burger to Gedo. Vinny apparently has a Shotei-resistant force-field (why not), delaying the diminutive worker just long enough for Frankie to come back with a series of slingshot cutters. Burger Shotei's Bruiser and wins at 10:37

Rating - DUD - Among my least favourite matches of the year thus far. Other than some fun interactions between Gedo and Marty this was a boring, long, unexciting affair with a whole bunch of comedy spots that didn't land with me whatsoever. Vinny booking himself into the match because he wants to be TV Champion - but then acting like a disinterested doofus for the entire thing - was wholly annoying. Kazarian and Ferrara may as well have taken the night off. And Cheeseburger...f*cking Cheeseburger again. As if he wasn't annoying enough, now he has super powers, meaning he can have force battles with Marseglia and powerbomb three people at once? And slap a dude like Bruiser hard enough that he can win the match? Cheeseburger winning is also a sad, depressing example of where ROH and their booking is. He is (by far) the least interesting option to challenge Marty right now. But him winning is also a cheap, easy crowd pop. It means Delirious doesn't have to try anything, innovate or book an interesting story. Why bother when he can just put Cheeseburger over for a lazy, cheap pop? This sucked; the worst kind of sucking too, namely the kind where it's the sh*tty, uninspired and woefully misguided booking causing the problems rather than the wrestlers.

Sigh. The Villain is ROH's hottest performer outside of Bullet Club right now (yes, I know he's about to join, but still). Having him waste his time on sh*tty challengers that nobody wants to see him wrestle has held him back from the sort of legacy and respect his performances since joining the company should command. He's one of the most consistently impressive TV Champions ever. You just wouldn't know it because he's spent his time working Ken Anderson, Sonjay Dutt and now Cheeseburger. Hopefully this is short, hopefully Burger taps...and if Marty has to cheat to beat this jabroni I will absolutely despair...

Scurll jumps Burger from behind and tries to press slam him at all the defeated opponents they just overcame. They catch him and throw him back, leading to Cheese levelling Marty with the Shotei for 2. He tries the same spot again but its countered to Just Kidding. Chickenwing blocked, so Scurll goes for his umbrella. Ferrara stops him using it...Chickenwing instead. Burger taps at 02:07

Rating - N/A - It was over quickly, and Ferrara getting involved does at least continue the vaguely interesting story of Burger and Will's slow-burn split. As expected this contained far too much Marty having to sell like a clown for Cheeseburger, but I'm boring myself complaining now. If you like Burger more than me maybe this segment will appeal to you. Personally this felt like a huge waste of time...

This match not being the main event is just another reinforcement of the message that ROH only cares about Bullet Club, The Elite and New Japan. They sell the merch, they draw the house - no need to book storylines or treat the World Title like a priority when those guys are around right? Taven gets this shot after winning the Honor Royale at Manhattan Mayhem 6. If you'd forgotten that you're excused, it has hardly been mentioned, and his title shot isn't even the main event of a house show. Here's the thing though, since the beginning of time in ROH Daniels has built a legacy helping talented guys to a break-out, career-building match. Taven is obviously someone Ring Of Honor think highly of. He clearly isn't leaving here this evening with the World Title - but will gain some valuable knowledge by getting to work a semi-main with a consummate pro like the Fallen Angel.

Kelly and Cabana speculate that Taven may have tweaked his previously injured knee in Toronto. It doesn't show early on as his speed and athleticism come to the fore and he controls the contest. Daniels sits on his haunches as Matt verbally abuses him too. The champ drop toeholds the challenger (using the braced bad knee) for his first takedown of the match - kickstarting a sequence where he beats Matt all over ringside. Vinny Marseglia watches at ringside until he can take no more and distracts Daniels, allowing Taven to ram his ageing back into the guardrails. Russian legsweep into the guardrail follows - rattling the back and neck still further. Daniels is still staggering away from that when the challenger gives him a vertical suplex right to the concrete floor. They return to the ring where Taven continues to assault the back. Double underhook backbreaker gets 2. Daniels nose is busted as well, making his predicament even worse. Taven once again profits - delivering a precision springboard elbow drop to the ribs, right into a Lionsault. Five Star Frog Splash blocked by a heavily wounded Daniels; kicking Matt out of the ring and diving after him with an ARABIAN PRESS TO THE FLOOR! Blue Thunder Driver nailed back inside the ring - although that clearly hurts the champion's bad back and means it takes an eternity for him to cover. BME COUNTERED with knees to the ribs! Once again the champion collapses, nursing his midsection. CLIMAX gets 2. Marseglia doesn't like that at all and gets to work setting up an open table at ringside. SPRINGBOARD DROPKICK OFF THE APRON THROUGH THE TABLE by Taven! The referee isn't disqualifying him because he thinks the table moved itself there? It means The Kingdom have to retrieve Daniels...who duly kicks out at 2. Frankie Kazarian runs in to negate Marseglia - hauling him to the locker room. BEST MOONSAULT EVER! Daniels retains at 21:34

Rating - **** - I think they could have done more to amplify the drama of the last few minutes, mostly because I never truly felt like there was a chance of Taven winning here. But outside of that this was the type of match I wanted to see. Outside interference was nominal, they were brave and went for a smart and fundamentally sound story; quickly getting into the groove with Taven as the young antagonist and pretender to the Daniels throne. His work on the back was thorough, but what impressed me more was how Matt carried himself. The structure of the match never really made me believe he had a chance of winning. Crucially though, his performance never once made me doubt that he BELONGED in a World Championship setting. 

A timeless New Japan rivalry comes to Ring Of Honor in our main event as Bullet Club take on CHAOS. The Bucks and RPG Vice (and before them Romero's team with Alex Koslov) has seen multiple IWGP Jr Tag Title changes and is a storied one. Perhaps most interesting here is the reunion of Cody Rhodes and Will Ospreay who shared a classic battle in Toronto just a couple of days earlier. Which faction will return to Japan with bragging rights?

Tensions run high between the Bucks and RPG Vice, of course because we are building to a big match between them...in Japan rather than here. They cheap shot each other, they brawl...and Vice flee before any Superkicks can land. Hangman tags and demands to face 'the Japanese man' - which Goto duly obliges. They pummel each other for more than a minute until Goto finally bludgeons Page to the ground with a lariat. Cody and Ospreay renew acquaintances from Toronto, once again moving at speed. SHATTERED DREAMS BY WILL! The Bucks try to rescue Cody only to eat a double rana from the Aerial Assassin. Rhodes (wearing 'Arrow Season 5' tights to promote his presence on the show) stomps on Ospreay's head to kill his momentum...but is confronted by all four members of CHAOS joining forces for a four-man suplex. ASSISTED CORKSCREW PESCADO by Goto and Ospreay! Will tries a handspring back in but is muscled into an inverted DDT by Rhodes for 2. Ospreay is left alone and beaten to a pulp by all four opponents and barely avoids being pinned after an Alabamaslam/knee strike combo from Cody and Page. Trust Fall Superkicks nailed! FOUR MAN SUPERKICK ON THE FLOOR! Ospreay is out cold in the front row! The time it takes to get him back into the ring for a pin is probably what saves him from losing the match there and then. Rocky flies in for a crucial save, scattering Bullet Club for Forever Clotheslines to all four corners. Shiranui blocked, DOOMSDAY KNEE TO THE FLOOR INSTEAD! Beretta and Romero take turns laying in strikes on Matt, who is cut off from his partners and taking on serious damage. Nick comes in on a rescue mission - flipping his brother into an assisted Shiranui to take out RPG Vice, and make the tag to Goto. Cody meets him with the Disaster Kick! Nick and Will go crazy with near-miss flip counters...which gradually morphs into mirror image offence as Ospreay simultaneously hits a slingshot facecrusher into a rolling moonsault to the floor just like Nick always does. Nick tells Ospreay to 'suck it; SO WILL BITES HIS DICK! OsCutter blocked...Meltzer Driver countered! Cody hits a powerslam on Ospreay, only for Vice to save with tandem knee strikes. Buckshot Lariat by Page! SUPERKICK PARTY ON GOTO! HANDSPRING PELE BY OSPREAY! Springboard corkscrew senton gets 2 before every other member of Bullet Club dives in to break the pin. Superkick flurry by the Bucks! DOUBLE STOMP DOMINATOR on Romero! ROPE RUN SPRINGBOARD PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR BY RHODES! CROSS RHODES! RITE OF PASSAGE/MELTZER DRIVER COMBO! OSPREAY IS DEAD! BERETTA BREAKS THE PIN! ROPE RUN GERMAN SUPLEX by Trent to block More Bang For Your Buck. STRONG ZERO ON PAGE! DOUBLE REVERSE RANA BY OSPREAY! DOUBLE OSCUTTER! Ospreay pins Nick at 23:43

Rating - **** - I think I preferred this to last night's Bullet Club multi-man main event. This one didn't have Kenny Omega, but it was also much more of a serious wrestling match - which I preferred. The rivalry between the Young Bucks and RPG Vice was treated with great reverence, promoting the significance of them colliding here ahead of their big showdown in Japan. Cody shone again as the slimeball douchebag sucking the wind out of his opposition but then disappearing any time there was some heavy lifting to be done. Ospreay though, was the star of the show. Everything great about this involved Will. His innovative offence amazed, his work selling the Bullet Club offence during his heat segment was magnificent. He bumped like crazy, he was busting his ass to make everyone in the match look good. And he was at the centre of a riotous closing stretch which finally saw him take the victory. What I'd like to see is ROH capitalise on this by booking Ospreay in a Tag Title Match with the Bucks now. Of course he won't - but after victory here (not to mention the unbelievable match that took place last time he challenged the Bucks for the Tag Titles in Leicester last year) he really should.

Tape Rating - *** - This was a really good show. If you put aside your misgivings around booking and creative direction, from a solely in-ring perspective this was a great night. So many matches delivered the goods, from a kick-ass opener to a thrilling main event. But the real problem here is ROH's direction of travel. This event is a damning indictment of Ring Of Honor's creative mindset. Their own World Title is de-prioritised and isn't in the main event. Key talent like Bobby Fish are leaving. Guys like War Machine are far better in NJPW than they are in their 'home promotion'. And crucially, ROH doesn't appear to care much for it's own talent at all. NJPW and Bullet Club/The Elite sell tickets and merch. Therefore they get the prime slots, they get the spotlight, they get the main events. The wrestling was good - but writing this in 2019 when ROH has hit the buffers in a major way, the roadsigns for the inevitable collapse of this once great wrestling promotion are all here. Literally the entire goddamn company feels like an afterthought to promoting NJPW/The Elite...

3) Christopher Daniels vs Matt Taven (****)

2) War Machine vs Jay Lethal/Hiroshi Tanahashi (****)

1) Will Ospreay/Hirooki Goto/RPG Vice vs Cody/Adam Page/Young Bucks (****)