McXal's Reviews

Toronto and Dearborn have been among ROH's best shows of 2017. Say what you will about the booking, and the lack of attention paid to anything that doesn't have an NJPW or Bullet Club logo on it, but the actual wrestling content has been consistently enjoyable. This event is a pay-per-view and serves as a crescendo to a week of ROH/NJPW festivities - so much is expected. The main event will see Christopher Daniels defend his World Title against not only Jay Lethal but also controversially Cody Rhodes as well. All titles are on the line tonight - with the Young Bucks defending against Los Ingobernables de Japon, Marty Scurll defending against the returning Matt Sydal and Trios Champions the Briscoes and Bully Ray facing CHAOS' RPG Vice and Hirooki Goto. If that weren't enough Adam Cole makes one of his final ROH appearances, in a dream match versus Hiroshi Tanahashi...whilst Jay White and Will Ospreay meet in another dream match which had the internet buzzing. Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly and Colt Cabana provide commentary from Manhattan, NY.

The opening camera sweeps of the arena reveal Bullet Club/The Elite shirts as far as the eye can see, and fans loudly chant 'New Japan' instead of ROH. Is Sinclair concerned about this direction of travel? Of course not, as long as the dollars keep rolling in...

There are a number of issues interwoven between these four men...and most of them involve Silas Young. He has recent high profile wins over Fish and Kushida, and of course had a high profile feud with Dalton Castle in 2015/16. He and Dalton are arguably two of the hottest rising stars on ROH's at present, as they have both been scoring major victories all year. Fish and Castle are old friends and rivals too, and are always willing to get extremely tough with each other as we saw in their match against each other earlier in the week in Dearborn (which Dalton won). 

Dalton has extra Boys with him tonight, whilst Bobby comes out wearing a reDRagon shirt and pointing to Kyle O'Reilly's picture - presumably to point out the team will be reunited soon. Silas starts the match by getting nuclear heat as he stomps on Kushida's Yankees shirt. Fish watches it all unfold then tries to pin everyone he can see, without success. He settles for choking Kushida out in the ropes as referee Paul Turner pleads with everyone to restore order. Silas uses his experience of wrestling Castle and his knowledge of the Peacock's antics and mannerisms - watching as he struts before pouncing on him. Kushida saves with a Jay Lethal-esque hiptoss/dropkick on Young. KUSHIDA HITS A SWANTON BOMB TO THE FLOOR! Beer City Bruiser is at ringside and took the bulk of the impact. He tries to tap Dalton out with a cross armbreaker only for Silas to break it with the Plunge! Fish starts dishing out kicks to all three opponents, scattering them like skittles - then tossing Silas after them with an exploder suplex. Bang-A-Rang blocked...into FISH HOOK DELUXE! KUSHIDA BREAKS WITH A MOONSAULT! Hoverboard Lock on Bobby! Young breaks it, but can't hit Misery. Killer Combo on Dalton instead...turning his back on Kushida then walking into the Tanaka Punch. BANG-A-RANG ON FISH! Dalton wins at 08:00

Rating - *** - First I want to discuss the match, because it was a really fun opener. They didn't bother with tag rules and worked it like a total scramble from the outset, which ensured the pace was quick and the action was frantic. Kushida hit some dazzling highspots, Silas was fantastic as the antagonist, Fish worked his MMA-influenced style well and Castle's flamboyance always goes down well in these scenarios. My issue here is with ROH's booking - because it's so hard to follow. I get that they are grooming Dalton so I understand the logic that he could use a win, but my issue is that I felt like both Silas and Kushida needed it more. Bobby is leaving and his name carries real value, so defeating him is of significance. Silas and he are in a mini-feud of sorts, so another Young victory over him would have furthered that angle, plus Young's push. Meanwhile ROH are 24 hours away from putting the TV Title on Kushida (apologies for the spoilers, but I'm writing this in very late 2019!)...but are setting up that win by having him lose to Silas in Dearborn, then fail to win tonight? It's maddeningly scattergun...

This is a serious grudge match. Hangman is the 'problem solver' of Bullet Club, and it was a pretty major problem when they allowed Kaz to infiltrate Bullet Club, pose as a member and set Adam Cole up to lose his World Championship at the Anniversary Show. Page has embarked on a sustained campaign of retribution, costing Kazarian matches (including a TV Title bout with Marty Scurll) and attacking him outside of the arena at the Vegas TV taping.

Kazarian flips over the top rope and wipes Hangman out with a somersault plancha in the middle of his entrance! Page tries to get some revenge...and is suplexed right into a security guard at ringside! He has better luck with the SHOOTING STAR TACKLE OFF THE APRON! He nailed that so perfectly it was basically a flipping spear. Frankie is still reeling from that when Page tosses him skull-first into the ringpost. Rite Of Passage blocked, but Frankie is no longer trying to fight Page and instead now tries to escape the match with rapid-fire pinfalls. Backbreaker/Tomikaze combo nailed...but the wounded Kaz is too disorientated to capitalise. KAZ SPITS IN PAGE'S F*CKING MOUTH! SO PAGE SPITS IT BACK! Slingshot Ace Crusher geta 2 for Kazarian...so Hangman distracts the ref and hits his opponent in the ballsack. He grabs the ropes and pins Kaz for the win at 04:43

Rating - *** - Of course as a standalone match this wasn't necessarily the greatest, but the real quality here was how effective it was as an obvious set-up for a higher profile match between these two. They fought with intensity, they had the crowd eating out of their hands, they left nobody in any doubt as to the level of hatred between them...and it ended with a shady finish which gives the deserving Hangman Page bragging rights whilst setting up a sequel. I rarely look forward to Frankie Kazarian matches, but this did a great job in getting me excited for a genuine, high profile grudge match finale between them. For that reason I have to rate this as a really decent segment. The spitting spot was utterly ghastly however!

Still ROH graphics can't spell 'Jonathan' correctly. It's so comical and so typical of a company that just doesn't care. The fact that Gresham is even in this match, making his ROH PPV debut, is a strange one. Shelley has only infrequently wrestled all year, and even though he has worked more recently something hasn't seemed right. He's back on the sidelines tonight, in the corner of his Search & Destroy colleagues as they face a formidable challenge. Standing across from them are the LIJ duo of EVIL and SANADA, plus the reigning IWGP Tag Champions War Machine...

Evil acts like he is going to start with Ray Rowe only to sarcastically tag out and make Gresham do it. Seconds later Sanada forcibly blind-tags Rowe out, precluding him from the action. Sanada is made to look foolish by the Octopus and his whacky chain-wrestling...so Evil drags the smaller man out and rams his entire body into the ringpost. Double Paradise Lock from Sanada to Sabin and Gresh! Sabin takes the fight to both LIJ representatives until Hanson barges his way in with Sesame Street lariats. Cartwheel Lariat wipes out Sanada soon after. He puts both Evil and Sanada in the corner, then summons Rowe to CEMENT MIXER HIM ASS-FIRST at their opponents! Rope-run frankensteiner from Jon to Hanson! Ray Rowe grabs both Search & Destroy members for a double belly to belly! Springboard dropkick by Sanada! EVIL WHACKS A CHAIR INTO HANSON'S THROAT! Tope suicida/pescado combo by Sabin and Gresham! RUNNING SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR BY SANADA! Sabin prevents an injured Hanson from attempting a dive...only to run into Rowe's judo throw knee. Thor's Hammer on Sabin earns War Machine a win at 08:46

Rating - ** - Although it was typically low-key, house-show level content from teams of this quality it wasn't a match without merit. Gresham produced a spirited cameo, the New Japan version of War Machine is infinitely better than the sh*tty booking they get when the NJPW office isn't around, whilst SANADA seemed motivated and did some cool things too. The first half was flat, but it came to life as the match progressed.

A hastily produced video package does a brilliantly simple but effective job of setting this one up. It positions both White and Ospreay as future superstars of professional wrestling and highlights the immediate success each had upon stepping into ROH - White's six-month plus undefeated streak, Ospreay winning the TV Title on his debut. Both have had to come to terms with subsequent defeats, neither are regulars in ROH (White is fast running out of dates before his return to Japan, whilst Will is never more than a guest star) but the package suggests this encounter between them will 'set the tone for years to come'. Nice job ROH; a simple touch but it added effective and relevant context to what could have felt like a throw-away bout.

No bullsh*tting from these two; the bell rings and they charge - firing off strikes with reckless abandon. Jay appears to have heavier hands, but is obviously nowhere near as quick and a single headscissors from Ospreay sends him to the floor. Will flips off the apron, tumbling again once he hits the floor and booting White in the jaw. Tope suicida attempted...AND COUNTERED WITH A POWERSLAM INTO THE RAILING! Nothing fancy from White - he is here to f*ck the Aerial Assassin up! Ospreay's body is covered in bruises from the previous fall and Jay is all over him with more violent smashes into the barriers. He sets about slowing Will down, cranking on the bruised back with a MutaLock. Will hits a handspring corkscrew kick...but can't get up afterwards such is the damage he has sustained. Pip Pip Cheerio does eventually follow and gets 2. Rolling judo suplexes by White...and when Ospreay refuses to play ball he drags him into the corner for a judo throw into the turnbuckles. Will wants a hurricanrana...but White just stands there and DECKS him with a Ligerbomb which inflicts still more punishment to his bad back. Will tries to fight but White's violent striking power is too much for him. The Assassin slumps into the corner...but explodes out with a strike flurry of his own! GERMAN SUPLEX DUEL! NO SOLD! LARIAT BY WHITE! DEAD-LIFT GERMAN NAILED! C-4 BY OSPREAY! Both men are absolutely gassed after that incredible flurry. White dodges a 450 Splash...so Ospreay hits a totally nuts flipping kick to the head, setting up a CODE RED FOR 2! SASUKE SPECIAL TO THE FLOOR! BUT WHITE CATCHES HIM AND DROPS HIM ON HIS F*CKING HEAD ON THE APRON! Urinage blocked...reverse rana blocked into a COBRA CLUTCH-PLEX BY JAY! STUN DOG MILLIONAIRE! ROBINSON SPECIAL! OSCUTTER COUNTERED TO MMA ELBOWS BY JAY! OSPREAY KICKS OUT! Jay takes Ospreay into the corner trying to finish the match...but that opens the door for Will to climb the ropes. CHEEKY NANDO'S! ROPE RUN SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR TO THE FLOOR! OSCUTTER BACK INTO THE RING! OSPREAY WINS! 13:15 is the time.

Rating - ****1/2 - This wasn't technically perfect by any means, but as a mission statement from two men earmarked as major stars of pro-wrestling's future it was a hell of a spectacle. I loved that they flew out of the gate - both men fired up and determined to prove themselves the hotter prospect, bigger star and yes Kevin Kelly, impress their New Japan bosses. White was stronger, had a better ground game and harder strikes, and the violence he brought into this bout was made evident by the bruises covering Ospreay's body. But he couldn't keep up with the Aerial Assassin, couldn't keep him on the ground and ultimately couldn't stop the match from becoming a frenzied, rapid-fire crescendo of highspots which greatly favoured the Englishman and ultimately saw Will take the victory. Easily one of the best matches in ROH all year and almost certainly the best bout from this entire NJPW US tour.

The two combatants shake hands and hug as they receive a standing ovation from the crowd. Punishment Martinez comes out and destroys both of them to 'make a statement in front of an international audience'...

From electrifying, cutting edge professional wrestling to a Bubba Ray Dudley match in 2017. I predict he will talk before the match, and most likely make it no rules. That said, he and the Briscoes are a tough, no nonsense duo - any clash they have with Goto in particular will be seriously intense. Are we generously calling this match a reward to the CHAOS faction for beating Bullet Club in the 8-man main event of the Dearborn leg of the tour?

Bully not only has a microphone, he also rips of Sandman as well by coming out on the Hammerstein balcony for his entrance. He announces it's No DQ of course, which Mark celebrates by MOONSAULTING OFF THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR! Cactus Elbow flattens Trent, before Bubba makes it to the ring and hits a top rope crossbody onto everyone. Goto headbutts him to stop an attempted chair shot...freeing up the chair which Beretta launches into Mark's skull. He holds the same chair over Mark's head, teeing up a missile dropkick by Romero for 2. Somersault plancha to the floor by Trent, scattering the Briscoes like bowling pins. The Chaos team continue to use the chair to bludgeon Mark Briscoe whilst keeping his partners out of the action. Goto and Bully tear into each other on the outside and almost bust through the guardrails into the crowd. RPG Vice try to hit the wheelbarrow knee strike on Jay...who NAILS Rocky with the chair! Blockbuster off the apron by Mark! Ray and Goto enter the ring and are STILL absolutely pasting each other. Bully tries to do his usual gimmicky sh*t...so Hirooki picks him up and gives him a DVD! Jay saves his partner, only to be rewarded with a double knee strike from RPG Vice. Strong Zero blocked, allowing Mark to unleash some Redneck Kung Fu. COUNTERED with Forever Clotheslines! COUNTERED BACK to Redneck Kung Fu! RPG Vice try to give Mark a double superplex...only for Jay and Bully to drag them away for a DOUBLE DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Wassup Froggy Bow on Goto! Bully sends his lackies to get the tables before taking his perch in the corner. Beretta gets the Awesome Bomb through the table! SUPER 3-D on Romero allows the champs to retain at 13:00

Rating - *** - I've dogged Bubba Ray Dudley plenty since he arrived in ROH, but in all fairness this was actually a decent match. It is totally bogus that he keeps getting to make all his matches No DQ, but putting that to one side this was an engaging brawl with lots of moving parts that kept it together really well. Bully genuinely contributed too - his no-f*cks-given brawling with Goto was arguably the highlight of the match. Trent Beretta delivered another totally suicidal performance, and there was even some sound strategy in place as well with CHAOS isolating Mark, keeping his partners on the outside and doing their best to KO him with a chair. This certainly won't win any MOTY awards, but amongst all the criticism I've levelled at Bully Ray (and at ROH for booking him at all) it is only right to recognise when he is part of a legitimately good bout.

At the Baltimore TV tapings Marty Scurll once again bemoaned the lack of competition in Ring Of Honor - as he continued to defeat all comers. Much to his surprise, Matt Sydal made his return to the company after a year away (for various reasons). The man known as 'Reborn' made it clear he wanted a title shot and made a further emphatic statement in his first ROH TV match back - defeating Flip Gordon (his on-screen debut) then easily countering the Chickenwing when Marty tried to sneak attack him. Sadly for ROH, however, after appearing in Baltimore Sydal went on to debut for Impact Wrestling and will now be featured with them full-time moving forward. That effectively makes this a one-shot deal for Sydal. Can he leave with ROH gold around his waist?

Not that 'Warrior Man' was great, but Sydal's new entrance theme is absolute dog turd. Sydal is always confident and does a surprisingly proficient job of keeping up with the champ as they trade holds on the ground. He knows he is FAR quicker too - eventually suckering Marty in and nailing him out of nowhere with a rana. He blocks the Chickenwing blocked with ease once again and flies at Scurll in the corner with a running knee strike. Marty is pissed off - and jams Sydal's shoulder into the canvas. Stomps to the arm soon follow...only for Matt to sweep the legs into the standing moonsault for 2. Scurll stomps the hand, then the whole arm and wrist into the apron as the set-up for the Chickenwing continues. The champ may be a Villain, but the vast majority of the crowd are firmly behind him. There are audible boos as Sydal comes close to winning with the Here It Is Driver. Meteora nailed for 2, and the hostility from the crowd starts to increase. Just Kidding decks Sydal...only for him to pop up with a spinning heel kick seconds later. Brainbuster by Scurll, dropping Sydal on his shoulder again. Chickenwing COUNTERED TO THE SLICE! That was f*cking awesome! Sydal wants another standing moonsault...except Marty grabs his hand and SNAPS HIS FINGERS! Snap rana by Sydal gets 2 - mostly because he can't link his fingers properly. Chickenwing COUNTERED TO THE VERTEBREAKER! SYDAL PRESS COUNTERED TO THE CHICKENWING! Scurll wins at 11:26

Rating - *** - This had a really weird vibe. Firstly I don't think Sydal deserved the heat he got from the audience. I love Marty and I understand that Sydal has made some questionable choices along the way (plus at this point was already in Impact) - but he is an extremely talented performer and he was fun to watch here. The way he kept busting out new stuff to counter the Chickenwing was fascinating - although I don't know if I'd have used former ROH Champion Homicide's finisher in New York as a no-selling set-up for something else! His selling of the arm was largely terrible too. At this point it's fair to say that Sydal was probably done with this company. His big return in 2014 was massively under-rated - particularly his series of matches with ACH - but he isn't the worker he once was and this doesn't feel like the right environment for him anymore. He departs with my thanks though - I always enjoy watching him work. Continuing the theme of random guys coming in and getting TV Title shots for no reason, I'd far rather watch Scurll work Sydal than I would seeing him with Sonjay Dutt or Mr Kennedy...

Ordinarily I'd complain about LIJ getting random title shots, but this is a really intriguing match. The Bucks and Naito will be wildly over with this audience. Naito is an established top tier talent in NJPW, whereas the Jackson brothers are largely restricted to the junior division. Seeing this combination of competitors - in this environment where the playing field and fan reaction will be far more balanced than it would be in Japan - could be really fun. Obviously BUSHI is out here to eat the fall, but there's no way the Young Bucks and Naito dicking around can't be entertaining right!?

The atmosphere is frenzied before the bell...so of course Naito opts to start by stalling and smirking. He spits in Nick's face after taking offence to being told to 'Suck It' then trips both Bucks to the floor so Bushi can land a tope suicida. All four men bundle in, and some classic Jackson double team sequences quickly send their challengers back outside again. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA UP THE AISLE by Nick! The champs isolate Bushi briefly, only for Naito to spot the danger and jump Matt from behind - making the save for his team and tagging in for some double teams on him. Nick is the one spotting the danger now and nips into the ring and assists his brother with a DOUBLE standing Shiranui. He cleans Bushi out with the diving tornado DDT off the apron. Double stomp Dominator/rolling lungblower combo from the Bucks! They follow it with the elevated Swanton Bomb for 2 on Naito. Superkick on Bushi! Tornado DDT on Nick! SUPERKICK ON NAITO! HE NO SELLS AND GIVES MATT A REVERSE RANA! Destino blocked...Meltzer Driver blocked. GREEN MIST BY BUSHI!  Matt is blinded! BLIND MAN SUPERKICKS! HE SUPERKICKS HIS OWN BROTHER! SUPERKICK ON THE REF! He finds a bottle of water at ringside to clear his eyes...and surveys the carnage as everyone else involved is flat out on the deck! Destino on Matt! SWANTON BOMB by Nick to break the pin! Naito tries to do his leg sweep spot...BUT NICK ROLLS THROUGH FOR A MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! SLINGSHOT DDT ON THE APRON FOR NAITO! 450 SPLASH/STANDING MOONSAULT COMBO on Bushi gets 2! ROPE RUN CRAZY MAN SOMERSAULT SENTON TO THE FLOOR BY NICK! MELTZER DRIVER! The Bucks pin Bushi to retain at 13:33

Rating - **** - I freely admit I am a huge Young Bucks fan so may be somewhat biased, but I thought this was a pretty special match. The high-octane spot work was really slick, but there was some really fun character dynamics in play too which made everything more interesting. Naito, BUSHI and the Bucks seemed to be taking turns in trying to prove who could be more of a jerk. Naito larked around, smirked and did his Tranquilo routine. The Bucks threw Superkicks and 'Suck Its', BUSHI brought out the mist. The best Naito in ROH matches are the ones which find clever ways to work around the fact that he leaves his working boots in Japan and has no intention of breaking out of the low gears - and that was a real strength of this one. Were it not for how outrageous Ospreay/White was this would've been in with a shout for MOTN. I actually thought this was pretty under-rated, and slightly different from some other Young Bucks tags you might have seen.

EARLIER TONIGHT - NJPW announced that they were creating an IWGP United States Title to coincide with their standalone US debut shots in Long Beach, CA later in the year. Jay Lethal is announced as the first competitor in the tournament...which Hangman Page (more of an NJPW regular) comes out to vigorously protest.

According to the Young Bucks the original plan for this show was the final blow-off to the ongoing Cole/Omega rivalry which they pretty much entirely booked via their YouTube channel. However, Kenny couldn't get a work visa to make this one, so instead Adam Cole starts his ROH farewell weekend in a huge battle with the Ace of New Japan. 

Riccaboni promotes this as a 'dream match' for Cole...and he looks irate as Tanahashi refuses to take it seriously and instead plays air guitar whilst waving to the fans. He takes Tana's eyes and boots him off the apron before pursuing him to the floor and ramming his notoriously problematic back into the guardrails. Back in the ring he peppers the neck with knee strikes...but takes too long with a theatrical chinlock and find it reversed by the wounded Tanahashi. Cole uses a bicycle kick to block the Sling Blade and rocks Tana's neck again with the DVD over the knee. Panama Sunrise dodged by Tana, but in turn Cole evades a somersault senton and hits a SHINING WIZARD TO THE NECK! Tanahashi returns fire with a straightjacket German for 2 - leaving them both on the canvas in pain. The two men trade strikes...until Cole hits a jumping enzi to the bad neck. Superkick flurry! Twist & Shout right into the Sling Blade gets 2 for Tanahashi. The Ace climbs the ropes...only to get knees with High Fly Flow. LAST SHOT GETS 2! COLE FLY FLOW for 2 as well! The atmosphere in the Hammerstein is electric as the two weary warriors crawl to opposing corners and stare down. Tanahashi blocks another Last Shot. High Fly Flow COUNTERED WITH A MID-AIR SUPERKICK! NXT LAST SHOT FOR 2! Back drop by Tana...High Fly Flow again - scoring the victory for the Ace at 13:27

Rating - *** - If I gave half stars this would definitely get an extra half on the strength of Adam Cole's performance alone. He was phenomenal in this. His facials were brilliant, his selling superb, his attack on Tanahashi's neck precise and innovative - he deserves a ton of credit for not phoning it in despite being on the brink of signing for WWE. They certainly created a real 'big fight' atmosphere in the building, possibly for the only time this evening. The problem with this is that Tanahashi wasn't quite working at the level of his opponent. And it wasn't just that he wasn't working hard...he also had minimal interest in selling properly for Cole, and reverted to type with a succession of High Fly Flow attempts which really undermined the rest of the story they were trying to tell. This was very decent - but I wanted it to go longer and I wanted Tanahashi to put more effort into giving Cole a credible chance of victory. 

The Hammerstein Ballroom give Cole a standing ovation after the match, and the Bucks come out to embrace him too. It's a SuperKliq 'curtain call' of sorts...until the lights go out and Kenny Omega appears on the screen. He says he is disappointed at the Bucks for hugging the man who tried to 'fire' them from Bullet Club, and sends his own 'message' to Cole - in the form of 'The Villain' Marty Scurll! When the lights come back on Marty is in the ring with a Bullet Club umbrella! DOUBLE SUPERKICK BY THE BUCKS! Cole goes down in a heap; crawling to his knees just in time for The Villain to decimate him with an umbrella shot. 

The World Champion defends his title against two men under controversial circumstances this evening. Jay Lethal believes he is the most deserving of a title shot, having beaten Cody in the Bullrope Match at Supercard Of Honor then gone on to win #1 contendership of the World Title in Baltimore. But Rhodes had other ideas and effectively backed Daniels into this match by attacking him at the Florida Supercard then goading him at the subsequent TV tapings. Daniels has admitted agreeing to this match because he wants to distinguish himself from every champion who has gone before him by 'beating everyone' - even if they are all crammed into the same match. We have a motivated former champ trying to retain his gold, a confident champion trying to keep it...and the mysterious, calculating presence of the American Nightmare trying to shake things up.

Rhodes leaves the ring and takes a seat, ordering his opponents to fight each other as he goes. Lethal isn't having that - and dives right after him with a tope suicida. Unfortunately for Jay he injures his bad knee upon landing and struggles to move as smoothly thereafter. He and Daniels trade blows for a time until getting interrupted by a missile dropkick from Cody. He crotches Jay against the ringpost but gets distracted jawing with the fans and doesn't see the champ charging at him for a tackle into the railing. Dragon screw in the ropes from Rhodes to Lethal! The former champion collapses to the floor, unable to participate further as Cody gets a nearfall with the Disaster Kick. He wants to use the timekeeping table to inflict more damage but takes so long about it that both opponents recover and stop him. Arabian Press to the floor by Daniels! Lethal blocks Cross Rhodes, then gives the champ a Lethal Combination. Powerslam by Rhodes...who walks right into a flatliner by Daniels to leave all three men on the canvas. Disaster Kick knocks Daniels out, then Cody attempts a moonsault press on the hobbling Lethal - and he easily dodges it. Daniels grabs the bad leg before he can hit Hail To The King though. Cross Rhodes on Daniels! Lethal tries to break the pin with Hail To The King...as Rhodes moves to ensure Jay only hit the champ. Daniels goes through the table! Todd Sinclair is bumped! Just like Final Battle Cody gives Lethal a low blow. But as he attempts ANOTHER Disaster Kick Jay plucks him out of the sky with a cutter. Lethal Injection COUNTERED TO CROSS RHODES! HOT HOT HOT NEARFALL! This match has been flat, but the whole building thought the match was over there! Cody pulls the pad away from Lethal's bad knee then puts him in the Figure 4. BME by Daniels, sneaking in to pin Cody and win the match at 13:31

Rating - ** - I didn't particularly like this. I had big problems with the set-up in that it made no sense that Cody would get a title shot here and I'd have much rather seen Daniels and Lethal in a singles match. They definitely had some interesting ideas here - like all the work on Jay's knee, which did factor into the finish. But so much of this was bland, generic 'two guys work, one guy rests' formula that I had no desire to watch in a World Title main event. Cody looked a little exposed at this stage of his career in a main event setting - looking and acting the part but lacking the moveset and in-ring credentials to back it up. And if ROH are dead set on building Rhodes up as the eventual champ, why the f*ck did he eat the fall here rather than Lethal? Everything about this felt strange and slightly off. The scorching hot sequence where Cody hit the Cross Rhodes on Lethal and had the whole building thinking he was winning the title totally saved this one for me.

Tape Rating - ** - A somewhat harsh rating since there wasn't a 'bad' match all night, but when everything else is of a 'decent, but no better' standard the success of a show lives and dies by its main event. And sadly the main event here was seriously underwhelming. So having sat through the War Of The Worlds Tour in full (technically there is a TV taping which I'm yet to review)...here is my problem with Ring Of Honor right now. From an in-ring perspective all three of these shows have been good. There is an argument to be made that they are the best events ROH have promoted with NJPW under the 'War Of The Worlds' banner. The issue is that NOTHING about these shows does much for Ring Of Honor. It feels like unless you work for NJPW or are in Bullet Club (i.e. you sell merch and draw ticket sales) then ROH management just don't give a sh*t. They have a boneheaded, brown-nosing, dated, ageing, cliche-ridden announcer on commentary shilling NJPW as more important than ROH every other second, and there just seems to be no concerted effort to build up future ROH stars at all. Punishment Martinez, Shane Taylor and Matt Taven couldn't even get on the main card. Silas and Dalton continue to get the most ramshackle, 'win some, lose some...it hardly matters when we have the Young Bucks around' mentality towards their pushes. There are barely any ongoing storylines at all. The ones that we do have - like Search & Destroy vs Rebellion - are woefully lacking in flesh and purpose. Rather than devise an actual storyline for Marty Scurll, arguably ROH's hottest rising star, they keep giving him random one-off challengers and have pulled the same stunt they did with Adam Page; namely shove him in with Bullet Club with the rest of the people who 'make money'. This wasn't a great PPV by any means, but it was consistently solid. Bucks/LIJ and Ospreay/White were fantastic. Cole's performance with Tanahashi was exceptional. Watching as an impartial wrestling fan all three WOTW 2017 events have been really fun. But as a spectator who cares deeply for the future of Ring Of Honor the lack of due care an attention being paid to this product right now is extremely worrying. No storylines, no direction, no stars being created, people leaving with increasing regularity - the warning signs are all there.

3) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Adam Cole (***)

2) Young Bucks vs Tesuya Naito/BUSHI (****)

1) Will Ospreay vs Jay White (****1/2)