McXal's Reviews

Ring Of Honor were quiet on the live events front for the first couple of months of the year, but are more than making up for it now. The schedule on the Road To Best In The World is absolutely packed, as ROH looks to draw as many subscribers as possible to the Honor Club service. Just two weeks after the conclusion of the underwhelming 2018 War Of The Worlds Tour, the roster packs off to the UK for the three night 'Honor United' Tour. And they aren't coming alone either; NJPW stars like EVIL, SANADA, Toru Yano and Hiroshi Tanahashi are along for the ride, Women Of Honor Tenille Dashwood, Kelly Klein and champion Sumie Sakai have made the trip...and across the three nights we'll see major names from the UK scene like Mark Haskins, Joe Hendry, Doug f'n Williams and NWA Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis. This weekend also sees the return to action of Dalton Castle, tonight teaming with Jay Lethal and Tanahashi to challenge The Kingdom for the Six-Man Titles. His Best In The World challengers will try to get on the same page in our main event, which sees Cody and Hangman Page challenge the Briscoes for the Tag Championship. Elsewhere, Silas Young defends the TV Title against Joe Hendry and the Young Bucks face a UK dream-team of Nick Aldis and Mark Haskins. Ian Riccaboni and BJ Whitmer welcome us to Edinburgh, Scotland...

This one is rather intriguing. SCU have paid out for Taylor's services in the past, but more recently have encountered him under the payroll of The Kingdom, preventing them from taking back the Six-Man Championship belts that Taven and his crew stole at Supercard Of Honor. Taylor brutally knocked out Josh Woods at the WOTW TV Taping in Chicago and won't want to lose any momentum on his first international tour with Ring Of Honor. The Addiction are in Sky's corner...

Daniels tries to pay Taylor off to forfeit the match, but Shane says he 'lays down for nobody'. He proceeds to dominate the early going, as Scorpio tries multiple different approaches but can't take the big man off his feet. Even when Sky rocks him with a knee strike, Taylor retaliates with a brutal elbow which leaves the SCU member crumpled on the canvas. Repeated biels toss Scorpio around with ease, causing him to stumble blindly into a Sick Kick for 2. Scorpio tries to leave through the crowd...but is dragged back, knee'd in the head then leg dropped on the apron. He does manage to evade a cannonball in the corner though...and quickly uses his speed to fly at Shane with a somersault plancha. Sky is a veteran and shows his experience by working hard to keep Taylor on the ground. He uses chokes in the ropes, he uses kicks, he uses punches - whatever it takes to keep the big man down and negate his size. We quickly see why as Taylor gets up, knocks him loopy with a headbutt then scores with a ripcoard urinage slam. Warrior Splash gets 2! Double stomp to the back sets up a thrusting knee strike by Scorpio, but it's only good for 2. The camera picks up blood coming from Sky's mouth...and it is quickly made worse as Taylor counters the Big Fat Kill into a brutal knee strike. The Addiction try to distract him...but Taylor throws Sky at Daniels then hits the GREETINGS FROM 216! Taylor gets a much-deserved victory at 07:10

Rating - *** - I think I've made it quite clear in my review series that I really rate Shane Taylor and feel he has a raw deal by being stuck trying to get over outside of the 'Being The Elite' bubble in Ring Of Honor. The Scottish audience seemed totally unfamiliar with him here, but hopefully they knew who he was by the end as this was a short, sharp and enjoyable opener. Taylor dominated using his size and power, Scorpio hit back using his experience and athleticism...before Shane was able to score a decisive victory despite interference from the rest of  SCU. Solid story-telling, great action and what felt like a genuine effort to put Taylor over. It didn't go long, but really did a lot to demonstrate how much value both of these two add to ROH's roster.

Los Ingobernables de Japon's EVIL & SANADA join us on the Honor United Tour, and are therefore major international names (and IWGP Tag Champions) whom Daniels and Kazarian will be looking to beat as they seek to secure as much leverage as possible over Joe Koff as he plans to release them at the end of 2018. I've really enjoyed this angle/idea so far. It's a simple concept but has given every single SCU match this year more relevance than it otherwise would have, in the sense that we are watching these three guys battling to save their jobs. The LIJ men are younger, bigger (EVIL) and more athletic (SANADA) - but The Addiction will hope their reputation as the 'smartest men in the room' will see them through...

Cheap-shots from The Addiction get us started. It isn't enough to negate the power of Evil, who mows through Kazarian with a shoulder tackle and a senton splash. All Frankie can do to escape is to rake Sanada's eyes. Daniels and Sanada take turns biting each others hands...which Evil makes worse by biting Daniels in the head. Everything Is Evil blocked, followed by Frankie tripping him from the outside. Asai moonsault by Daniels gets 2. SCU team up on Evil, breaking rules at times and hitting sweet combo moves at others. The Koji Clutch really starts wearing Evil down, and when Sanada breaks it up it distracts the ref allowing Daniels and Kaz to stomp down their foe. Swinging neckbreaker on Kazarian...only for Evil to turn and see Sanada brawling with Daniels on the floor. He kicks Frankie in the ass before finally unleashing Sanada. Paradise Lock blocked...but when The Addiction try to do it to Sanada they aren't skilled enough to pull it off and Sanada makes Daniels pay with a prolonged rolling cradle. TKO countered to the powerbomb/neckbreaker combo by The Addiction for 2. Evil drags Daniels out before they can hit Celebrity Rehab though. Evil Lariat! Magic Killer! Kaz breaks the pin at 2 though. Sanada dives at him with the pescado as inside the ring Daniels is hauled up for Everything Is Evil. LIJ win at 10:26

Rating - *** - Pretty low key, but all four of these guys are polished and have so much experience working undercard filler tag matches. They kept it light, maintained a brisk pace and even if they weren't going wild with spots and big moves it never felt like they were filling time or that their actions weren't logical. Of course they are capable of a better match than this - but they weren't asked to on this particular show, so instead we got ten minutes of good wrestlers showcasing their skills. This match made me sad we've not seen more of EVIL & SANADA in 2-on-2 tags in ROH.

It's great that ROH paid to bring the WOH on this tour and represents a real sign of progress for the division. With Deonna Purrazzo now gone and Karen Q not getting more bookings for some reason, the three core WOH talents we see here are probably the biggest names they have. Sakai is the champion, she partners with Tenille who is undeniably the top draw, and they face Kelly Klein; the muscles of the division who comes in hot having tapped out Deonna at the recent Chicago TV taping. The Gatekeeper's partner is British worker and Stardom regular Chardonnay. I've seen her live for various promotions and I'm curious to see how her style will translate to a US promotion.

Chardonnay starts for her team and calls out Sumie, looking to make an immediate impression. It's an imposing start too as she boots Sakai in the guts then takes her to the mat with a bow and arrow. NECK DROP fisherman neckbreaker by Sumie, who is fired up! Charonnay obviously has to tag out after that, bringing in Klein who wants a piece of Tenille. They meet in singles action in London tomorrow and fly at each other with strikes. Dashwood scores with a Russian legsweep, followed by a neckbreaker in the ropes for 2. Chardonnay blasts Sumie from behind, setting her up for a lariat by Klein. BJ provides some useful context on Kelly and Chardonnay's team; apparently they struck up a friendship touring Stardom together - which explains their broad smiles as they tag back and forth. Chardonnay hits a double underhook suplex for a big 2-count on the WOH Champion. They continue to beat down on Sakai and barely even let her out of their corner. Sumie blocks the avalanche fallaway slam though - absolutely BLASTING Kelly with the Joshi missile dropkick in the face. Tenille tags and puts Klein in the Dilemma for as long as is permitted. Taste Of Tenille gets 2, with Sakai grappling to keep Chardonnay on the outside. Smash Mouth by Sumie...into the Spotlight Kick! Chardonnay breaks the pin at 2! FLYING KNEE from Chardonnay to Dashwood! The British star hands Klein the title belt to use as a weapon. SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR by Sakai! Inside the ring Tenille ducks a title belt shot...but gets schoolgirl pinned by Klein instead, handing The Gatekeeper the win at 09:46

Rating - *** - Am I alone in liking this one? Chardonnay has gotten so much better since I saw her last (and she always looked full of potential). She didn't just fit in with the Women Of Honor talent, she looked better than them. Her teamwork with Klein was great, her exchanges with Sumie (setting up a WOH Title Match for Night 3 in Doncaster) were excellent - it was an all round strong debut showing. I wonder, in hindsight, if Delirious wouldn't have been better off booking Chardonnay to beat Sakai to set up the Doncaster bout (rather than just announce a random title shot ahead of the weekend events). They really benefited from getting a couple of extra minutes on the amount of time the usual WOH match gets as well. 

If you needed any further confirmation that Martinez's relegation from the main event scene that he'd been flirting with in the first few weeks of 2018 is complete, Ian Riccaboni introduces this as a match between top contenders for the TV Title. Kenny would certainly like the TV Title back, but may well still be distracted after being attacked by Austin Aries - a man he thought was a friend and mentor - in Chicago. You could argue that Punisher will be equally distracted however, as he prepares for Best In The World and his grudge match with Hangman Page. Their rivalry has escalated so quickly that they've not been able to contest a single match amongst constant run-ins, chair swings and bodies gong through tables.

Martinez has no interest in walking into King's Japanese armdrag so Kenny blasts him with a dropkick and trips him out of the ring instead. Pescado attempted...and caught. But King escapes Martinez's clutches and dives off the apron with a corkscrew senton. SPEAR INTO THE RAILING by Punisher! The flow of the match is changed in a single move and right away Martinez looks to slow it down and methodically pick Kenny apart. Even when King tries to speed things back up Punishment stomps his face into the ground to stop it. It's only when Martinez gets overly ambitious and tries a springboard senton that misses by a mile. Kenny quickly Capo kicks him off the apron and propels his body over the top with the twisting pescado. Flying crossbody back in gets 2. Chin Checker/corkscrew enzi lands as well...and this time Punisher doesn't get up off the mat. King calls out Aries - but the delay means Martinez is able to block the Last Chancery into a BRAINBUSTER ON THE APRON! STEP-UP SOMERSAULT PLANCHA by the big man! Curb Stomp gets 2. South Of Heaven blocked...so instead they just start blasting each other with elbows. Capture suplex by King...but when he tries the One Night Stand Punisher swats him out of the air brutally. Still Kenny fights the South Of Heaven...so gets a ripcord boot instead. SOUTH OF HEAVEN! Martinez wins at 12:06

Rating - *** - It didn't feel like these two gelled as opponents and the pacing felt very uneven...but when they got on the same page there was some really good stuff in here. The sequence where King called out Aries, tried the Last Chancery but then got spiked on the apron by Martinez was stunning. The basic premise of big strong guy trying to slow down faster opponent worked, but the best moments where when they played with that a little bit to unleash Punisher's remarkable athleticism. The right man won (and won clean) but it definitely felt that there is a better match between these two guys if Delirious wants to book a rematch...

Ian Riccaboni provides some interesting insight into how this match was put together. Apparently ROH tried to book Aldis' long-time partner Doug Williams but couldn't, so have booked Haskins instead based on his impressive performances on the last UK tour where he beat Silas Young and pushed Hiromu Takahashi to the limit. Aldis is the reigning NWA Heavyweight Champion, and is preparing to defend against Cody at All In later in the year. Ian says that, as part of his deal to agree to defend the belt against Cody on their self-promoted show, he wants Cody to hook him up with 'big money matches' in ROH as well. Enter the Young Bucks, the biggest money match ROH has on their roster. Can the Bucks send a message to Aldis before All In? Is their relationship with Cody close enough that they even want to right now? Can the makeshift duo of Aldis and Haskins overcome the vast difference in tag team experience? Will either of the Bucks pin Nick and press their claims for an  NWA Title shot of their own too?!

Aldis is massive by ROH standards and smiles broadly as he totally negates the Young Bucks' skills by controlling Matt in a side headlock. Haskins wants in and looks determined to make the most of this opportunity. He doesn't have Aldis' size though and finds himself thrown about by Nick Jackson. It creates a window for the Bucks to unleash a flurry of double teams, driving the Englishmen from the ring. Mark dodges a Superkick though, leading Matt towards the hulking NWA Champion who clobbers him spine-first into the arena floor. Haskins and Aldis start working over Matt's midsection; Nick with power and clinical accuracy, Mark with dogged tenacity. The size of Aldis is a problem the Bucks can't work out how to solve as he controls the match whilst barely breaking a sweat. Matt tries to change the momentum by running laps of the ring...but is finally caught by the Aldis who bearhugs him them elbow drops the ribs. Spear by Matt! At last he brings in his brother Nick for the house of fire tag. SWANTON BOMB on Haskins for 2! He got insane hang-time on that as well. Aldis once again steps in, ramming Nick Jackson to the floor before he can break out a dive. SUPERKICK by Matt! That's the first time they've been able to really damage Aldis at all. TOPE SUICIDA FLURRY by Haskins! Double stomp misses, but he grabs both Bucks for a DOUBLE STAR ARMBAR! DVD/ELBOW DROP COMBO gets two for Team UK! MDD blocked...so Nick Jackson can springboard dropkick Haskins off the apron. King's Lynn Cloverleaf COUNTERED with a Superkick! Sharpshooter by Mark...exposing his head to a Superkick by Nick. The Bucks go for Stereo Sharpshooters...but Mark has countered Nick into a Sharpshooter of his own! Slap duel between Haskins and Matt! DOUBLE SUPERKICK on Aldis! Meltzer Driver blocked, and Haskins hammers Nick with a running enzi in the corner when they try More Bang For Your Buck instead. Aldis scoops Matt up, as Haskins FRANKENSTEINERS NICK INTO A MELTZER DRIVER ON HIS OWN BROTHER! POWERBOMB from Aldis to Matt, into the King's Lynn Cloverleaf as he tries to break Matt's injured back. Springboard X-Factor by Nick Jackson to break that, rolled into the moonsault off the apron. Haskins tries a double crossbody...caught into the MELTZER DRIVER! Bucks win at 17:13

Rating - **** - An absolutely great match, in a completely untypical Young Bucks manner. Other than a few intricate, combo-offence laden sequences at the end, this was far more traditional than you might usually expect from the Jackson brothers. It was incredibly smart work though, allowing them to extract the absolute maximum from Aldis and Haskins. Aldis/Magnus has always been very hit or miss for me but the structure of this one got the best from him. His size made him vastly different from most of the guys the Bucks come across and for 10-12 minutes he dominated this match in the kind of regal, commanding manner that befits a World Champion. He was the obvious 'captain' of his team, guiding his pitbull of a partner through a vicious attack on Matt's back - which almost paid off when Aldis came close to tapping him out to the Cloverleaf. The Bucks have been churning out some absolute classic in ROH this year...

Last time The Boys were in this building they were losing the Six-Man Championship to the Hung Bucks. In terms of match quality that one represented a career peak for them, but it ended in defeat and they will be looking to come back to Scotland this time around with a victory. Their opponents represent one of the strangest teams in ROH history - but Delirious and Yano are vastly experienced too. Are the twins good enough to overcome that obvious advantage their opponents enjoy?

The ring bell triggers Delirious to start chasing Boy #1 around the ring (whilst #2 hides under the apron). Yano watches from the apron as the Lizard Man and The Boys take turns running laps around the ring...before eventually jerking both twins to the canvas by their hair. He and Delirious get some help from the fans to provide extra leverage on abdominal stretches. Smartly The Boys take it back to the ring and use their tandem offence to get the best of Delirious. Yano screams in their faces and trips them back to the floor and back into another chaotic brawl. Chaotic in the sense that Delirious steals a baseball cap out of the crowd and uses it to beat on Boy #2...before feeding him to Yano so the Japanese star can choke him with some wrist tape. #2 bites Delirious' foot but gets stomped again by Yano before he can get near to tagging his brother in. In the end the Boys pull a twin-thing switch whilst Delirious and Yano discuss the merits of streaming versus physical media (seriously), unleashing Boy #1 for an offensive flurry. Standing Shiranui gets 2 on Delirious...so the Lizard Man scratches his back and hits a Larry Sweeney DDT. Yano cuts off a turnbuckle pad and starts belting both Boys around the ring with it...which isn't a disqualification as usual. He then hides in the ropes demanding a rope break of course. Leaping Lariat from Delirious...sending Boy #1 out of the ring where he puts on a Delirious mask of his own. He comes back and does Delirious spots on Delirious himself. Obviously it pisses Delirious off, so much so in fact that he walks into a lungblower/flying Codebreaker combo...and loses! The Boys win an actual match at 12:20

Rating - * - There were moments of genuine comedy within this one, but it was more than twice as long as it needed to be and really dragged. I understand that Yano is an international talent so isn't the cheapest - but he's rarely the kind of worker where longer matches represent his best work. Delirious isn't as young or as full-time as he used to be either; and it's also SO long since he's been a regular that most of ROH's audience these days just aren't familiar with him. The spots he's used for his entire career don't get the same reactions they used to. This is also the second time in recent shows that ROH have booked The Boys in a standard format tag match and they have absolutely bombed...

Bully Ray runs out and gives The Boys his creepy sexual predator low blows then starts throwing them around with powerbombs as we've seen him do to Cheeseburger recently. He then walks out, meaning at least his segment is mercifully short this evening.

There is, of course, no explaining why Joe is getting this championship match. He has never won in his previous ROH encounters, and if you're being truthful his matches just weren't very memorable at all. But he remains fantastically charismatic and immensely popular amongst Scottish independent wrestling fans. He will hope that the home town advantage provides the x-factor that unsettles the champ and spurs him on to victory.

Fans chanting derogatory things at Silas, but he can't understand them because of their Scottish accent, is a genuinely hilarious way to start the match. It does seem to through Young off his game though and leads to Hendry largely controlling the opening exchanges. Silas takes several minutes to get into the fight, finally knocking Joe off the apron with a springboard lariat...then chasing him to the floor where he blasts his back into the guardrails. The challenger's back and midsection becomes the focal point of Young's offence and Hendry quickly starts to tire out. A guillotine choke with body scissors seemingly has him on the brink of both defeat and complete exhaustion...before he gets a second wind and powers the champ over into a suplex. He follows that with a DDT which gets a 2-count and leaves both champion and challenger on the ground. Hendry Lock blocked with a knee to the face, then the slingshot swinging neckbreaker. Joe blocks Misery, then The Plunge as well - rolling Young into the Hendry Lock! Young kicks free...Freak Of Nature for 2! Silas rolls out of the ring, possibly to save his TV Title reign - forcing an already fatigued Hendry to retrieve him. Young kick the ropes into his balls on the way back in as well. Plunge nailed...and there's a big pop when Hendry kicks out. He trades strikes with Young, battering the champ with European uppercuts multiple times over. One last time he turns Young into the Hendry Lock! There is a fraction of second when the crowd really thought Joe was winning there! Silas rakes the eyes and hits Misery to (barely) retain the title at 14:09

Rating - *** - Clearly this was Joe's best ROH match so far. Having a relatively heated home town crowd helped the atmosphere greatly (this audience have been pretty quiet all night - Joe got some of their biggest reactions/ovations), but this certainly wasn't carried by the fans in the room. The structure was very decent, letting Hendry have a hot start before Silas comprehensively beat him down....leading to a strong finishing sequence which, as I said in play-by-play, had the Scottish fans believing for just a moment that Hendry would win. Ospreay and Scurll proved during the 2016 Reach For The Sky Tour that ROH are willing to change the TV Title on British soil, to British talents - a fact which was clearly in the fans' minds as he stepped into the Hendry Lock that last time. When a match creates that kind of drama and tension for a live crowd it's rarely ever truly bad. After the quality of Silas/Aries at the War Of The Worlds Chicago TV Taping, I thought this was a strong follow-up.

Hendry gets a standing ovation for his efforts, which is a nice touch. I imagine scenes like this are part of why he got himself an ROH contract in 2019

Apparently this wasn't scheduled to be a title match, but The Kingdom demanded they defend the belts here? Why the f*ck would Delirious do that? He's booked them to moan about a 'Kingdom Conspiracy' forever. That would have finally made some actual sense (especially after Taven had his World Title Match in Lowell cancelled) if ROH had booked them to defend against this 'dream team' of challengers. It'll be ROH World Champion Dalton Castle, returning from injury and getting in the ring with the man who he should have defended the belt against in Matt Taven. The champ teams with the Ace of New Japan and the Franchise of ROH. Will he be able to coexist with Lethal though, given how hard they fought at the 16th Anniversary and how badly Jay wants another shot at the ROH Title?

Dalton is back from injury, but still covered in bandages. The guy clearly isn't close to 100% for this tour. It doesn't stop Taven getting in his face and demanding the World Title be handed over of course. Nobody from The Kingdom wants to start with Lethal, with Vinny eventually the unlucky one who gets picked apart by The Franchise. O'Ryan tags and calls out Tanahashi, causing the Ace to visibly start laughing. They take turns pulling each other's hair...and TK rolls into his corner before Tanahashi can take control. Taven gets a tag and, of course, wants Dalton to join him. They go back and forth at a quick pace, each unable to lay a punch in on the other. Eventually Lethal and Tanahashi join their partner and all do Peacock poses to piss Taven off. Castle feeds Taven into the Randy Savage axehandle by Lethal as the challengers look to extend their advantage. They isolate Taven from the rest of The Kingdom...until Vinny and TK get fed up and drag Jay to the outside by his ankles. They are able to do some damage to Lethal on the outside and it turns the momentum in The Kingdom's favour. Marseglia adds insult to injury by popping a balloon against Lethal's ear. Jay scrambles to the outside where he thrust kick's Vinny, back drops Matt then ACE CRUSHERS TK! Hot tag to Tanahashi, who flies at O'Ryan and Taven with a pescado. Sling Blade gets 2 on Marseglia. The Kingdom hit back with a double flapjack, hit forcibly enough to concern Lethal that the match is about to end...so he superkicks O'Ryan in the ear. Lethal Combo on Marseglia! Macho Elbow gets 2, before Jay rides it into a Figure 4 Leglock. Tanahashi hangs in the ropes and knocks TK out...but in turn is knocked down by Taven so he can hit the Five Star Frog Splash. Twist & Shout from Tana to Taven! Side Effect by Vinny! Kick Of The King by Taven...wipes out the referee! Evil takes the opportunity to come out and LEVEL Dalton Castle with the IWGP Tag Title belt, sending a message before they meet for the World Title in London. The Kingdom beat on Lethal and Tanahashi as they enjoy the numerical advantage - before Lethal flies at Matt with a tope suicida. Ace Crusher on Marseglia! Taven SMASHES his cane over Lethal's back as he sets up the Injection. Rock Star Supernova! Kingdom retain at 19:19

Rating - ** - At least ROH made the decision to give a match a decent time allowance. Unfortunately giving that time to one of NJPW's top stars who clearly wasn't going to work particularly hard and Dalton (who looked an absolute wreck) was a poor decision. This would have benefited from going shorter and packing in more energy. Jay Lethal basically carried the entire match for his team, before taking yet another loss despite being supposedly built up to challenge for the World Title again. There were points where The Kingdom looked like credible threats...and points where they looked like goofs. I'm not sure the triple whammy of EVIL interfering, the ref getting bumped and Taven cheating was a particularly creative way to conclude it either (albeit I did appreciate the attempt to add a little heat to the random Dalton/EVIL Title Match in London). Ultimately this never felt like it clicked and took a LONG time to reach a rather unsatisfactory conclusion...

This live show takes place two weeks after ROH on SBG Episode 347 - which ended with the Briscoes using chairs to beat down all of Bullet Club. Cody is completely focused on winning back the ROH World Title and has spent all year gradually fracturing Bullet Club unity thanks to his own ego and career aspirations. Page is someone who has felt that his successes are being marginalised as a result. Are they able to put that aside to successfully represent their stable and get some revenge on the dominant Briscoe Brothers? Indeed, can they bring the Tag Championship back to Bullet Club? Brandi Rhodes, with her arm in a glitter-covered sling to protect her broken clavicle, is at ringside with Cody.

Mark and Cody get us started, with Cody appearing surprisingly focused and actually driving Briscoe back to his corner. Jay tags - and calls out his long-time rival Page. Hangman mows Jay down with a big lariat - then violently clubs him back towards his brother. A strong start for the challengers, and it forces the Briscoes to rethink their strategy. They mug Page 2-on-1, but their advantage is short-lived before Rhodes and Page knock them to the floor and hit stereo tope suicidas. Whilst out there Jay trips Cody face-first onto the apron, incapacitating him so they can now enjoy a numerical advantage whilst working Page over. Hangman takes a couple of minutes of punishment before finally levelling Jay with another lariat and getting the hot tag to Cody. He gives Mark a Hardcore Bob elevated breadbasket kick...so Jay drags him under the bottom rope and kicks him right in the face. CACTUS ELBOW by Mark! Cody steals a beer from a front row fan and throws it into Jay's face just so he can escape - but succeeds only in rolling to the ring where Mark is waiting to choke and camel clutch him. The Briscoes continue to showcase their tag team prowess; always manipulating situations to ensure they can join forces to wear down Rhodes as far as possible. CROSS RHODES ON JAY! Both men down! Hangman gets a tag and starts repeatedly elbowing Mark in the head. Drop-sault on both Briscoes for 2. The Briscoes leave the ring...SO PAGE MOONSAULTS OFF THE TOP ROPE AFTER THEM! Jay clings to his leg to prevent him hitting the Buckshot Lariat...before Mark counters it into an urinage. Satellite POWERBOMB by Page for 2. Springboard dropkick by Cody! Jay counters the Alabamaslam with a guillotine on the ropes then rams Rhodes' skull into the guardrails. SPRINGBOARD SUPER ACE CRUSHER gets 2! Vintage Mark Briscoe there! Jay capitalises to deliver the Day One Neckbreaker and gets another nearfall. Jay Driller blocked, but as Mark distracts the ref Jay gives him a low blow. In response Brandi pulls hairspray out of her sling and sprays it in Jay's eyes! Buckshot Lariat gets 2. The challengers tease going for the Doomsday Device, but Mark intercepts Cody on his way to the turnbuckles with a BLOCKBUSTER TO THE FLOOR. In the ring Page and Jay take turns blocking each other's piledriver variant finishers. CRADLE TOMBSTONE by Page...for 2! Mark stops him climbing the ropes...but then Cody shoves Mark off the apron as they set up the Doomsday. JAY DRILLER INSTEAD! Jay pins Page to retain at 19:07

Rating - **** - It is extremely rare that another 2-vs-2 tag match on the show betters the Young Bucks in their match...but it happened here. This was a really great main event, showing the genuine quality of all workers (and why Cody is so frustrating, because matches like this prove how good he is when he wants to be). The story was really easy to follow but heaps of fun to watch play out. Cody and Hangman dominated the first few minutes...but aren't regular team so found themselves getting picked off by the tag team skills of their opponents. Cody and Page came up with a solution though, name to flood the ring and work 2-vs-2, i.e. man to man for as long as the referee would permit. Their success had a serious effect on Jay, who wound up having to angrily cheat to get ahead. Some of the spots down the stretch were massive, and altogether this was an extremely easy, fluent and impressive tag team main event.

The show fades out with the Briscoes whacking Cody in the head with one of the title belts, then violently choking Page whilst he's still down and injured on the canvas...

Tape Rating - *** - Probably the best live event not called 'Supercard Of Honor' since Honor Club launched. It wasn't necessarily a must-see event and there were a couple of matches in the second half which really dragged (the Six-Man Title Match and Boys vs Yano/Delirious)...but we got lots of very good wrestling, matches getting healthier time allowances, and a show highlighted by two GREAT tag team bouts. Briscoes vs Cody/Page is one of the best tag matches in ROH all year, and considering the year Matt and Nick Jackson are having that's a big statement...

3) Silas Young vs Joe Hendry (***)

2) Young Bucks vs Nick Aldis/Mark Haskins (****)

1) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs Cody/Adam Page (****)