McXal's Reviews

I would say that the two Honor Re-United Tour shows thus far have been my favourite VOD-stream shows since Honor Club was launched, but these didn't actually air live on Honor Club - instead as paid streams on the Fite app. I don't know the reasons for that decision, but it seems a shame as it probably meant less fans watched the shows live and therefore denied them the buzz that the quality of wrestling (and even the booking too) deserved. Something like Haskins/Page from Night 2 in Doncaster really should be seen by as many people as possible. Mark Haskins is in the main event again this evening - cashing in his International Cup tournament prize and getting a World Title shot against Jay Lethal. Heading up the undercard is something of an international dream match as the British veterans Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm face the Young Bucks, and a main event calibre showdown between Marty Scurll and Jay Briscoe. Ian Riccaboni and BJ Whitmer provide commentary from London, UK - returning to the famous, historic York Hall in Bethnal Green, rather than the spacious but less atmospheric Crystal Palace venue they ran a couple of months ago. 

Someone hits the button on a Cary-tron video for SoCal Val, rather than Gresham's. I hope she wasn't supposed to be a surprise guest! Hendry is still in search of a big win in ROH; the kind that would punch his ticket to more opportunities on US shows. As someone who lurked on ROH cards for a number of years without earning a permanent spot - Gresham knows exactly that feeling. His exit in Round One of the International Cup was something of an upset, but he rebounded strongly in Doncaster when he and Jay Lethal partnered up for the first time and defeated the Young Bucks. Can The Octopus end the tour with 2-1 record?

Hendry has the technical skill, grappling capabilities and sheer size to pose a real challenge to Gresham here. He actually busts out some counters that even Gresh is impressed by - and tries to emulate. For three straight minutes they go back and forth before finally breaking and respectfully shaking hands. Gresham visibly starts growing in confidence; smiling, joking and playing tricks on Joe as the match progresses. Hendry reacts by repeatedly tossing Jon to the outside. All of a sudden the smiles on Gresham's face are gone. He quickens the pace and starts throwing in elements of lucha which Hendry simply can't match. Joe recognises that too and instantly starts using power moves like tackles and knee strikes. Each man starts going for pinfalls at a relentless pace, still continuously countering each other. Gresh hits a quebrada, stomps the shoulder and breaks out a funky cradle pin. He wins at 09:35

Rating - *** - I imagine these guys could have had a more intense, hard-hitting and explosive match but it wasn't their role on the show tonight. They got us rolling with an enjoyable and competitive mat wrestling match which the London crowd was completely on board with. This, more than any other match he's had in an ROH ring, worked to accentuate Joe Hendry's skills - which says a lot about how good Gresham is as well. There were elements of comedy, real wrestling smarts shown at all times and a deserving, rising star on the ROH roster picking up a well-earned win.

This is partially a rematch from Edinburgh when Gordon and Sabian met in the first round of the International Cup. Flip came out victorious on that night, so Kip will of course want revenge. Page is the wildcard, inserted into this one after he lost in the International Cup Final to Mark Haskins in Doncaster. He is an x-factor, with question marks over his health and fitness after gruelling back-to-back tours of Japan and the UK and a curiosity over how he will interact with recurring 'Being The Elite' guest-star Flip...

Page tells Flip 'you start, I'll watch' then leaves the ring with cameras picking up his heavily-bruised face after his exploits in Doncaster. Gordon misses the one-legged standing moonsault and eats knee strike from Kip. He in turn stops to celebrate and is mowed down by the returning Hangman. Springboard headscissors sends him whirling the apron. TOPE SUICIDA by Sabian, with Page walking away and letting his 'friend' Flip take the impact. RED STAR PRESS TO THE FLOOR by Hangman. STEREO RED STAR PRESSES back into the ring by Page and Gordon! Flip tries a sneaky pin on Page though and with Adam already annoyed about that it gets worse when Flip ducks out and leaves him to eat a running knee smash from Sabian. Alarm Clock blocked by Gordon...only to be battered to the mat by a roaring elbow by Page. Dead-lift bridging wrist clutch suplex gets 2 for the Hangman. Alarm Clock by Sabian. SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW MISSILE DROPKICK by Flip! That was incredible! Sayama Kick in the corner...followed by the Kinder Surprise, which knocks Kip to the floor into the path of a pescado. 450 Splash misses for Gordon, who gets up and starts shoving and facing off with Page. For the first time they come to blows - and Flip comes out on top with the springboard spear. ROPE RUN SNAP GERMAN SUPERPLEX by Gordon, combined with a dropkick into Page's face on the way down as well! Page hits a Buckle Bomb/lariat combo, into a FOLDING POWERBOMB! Kip breaks the pin on that one. Springboard tornado DDT drops Page for a nearfall, broken by a desperate Flip diving in. Samoan Pop on Sabian! Corkscrew moonsault MISSES! BUCKSHOT LARIAT! Discus lariat on Kip, into the Rite Of Passage. Hangman wins at 12:16

Rating - *** - This was a really fun undercard triple threat match. Some if it was a little untidy, but for twelve minutes they kept the action constant. The interactions between Page and Flip were almost worth checking the match out for by themselves. It's a real shame they haven't gotten to do more together as they have such chemistry.

KLR has seen action across all three nights of the Honor Re-United Tour. Her record sits at 1-1 having lost to Viper in Edinburgh but then bounced back in Doncaster by grabbing a victory over Charli Evans. We end the tour with another WOH debut. Ayesha is striking for her height and athletic stature. She comes into this on the back of a successful Japanese tour with SEAdLINNNG but will be more familiar to some via her involvement in ITV's relaunch of World Of Sport. SoCal Val joins commentary for this and makes it look effortless; she does a great job.

They follow the Code Of Honor...and Raymond uses the handshake to haul Kay Lee into a brutal boot to the face. She looks for an early chokeslam only to find the resourceful Ray able to counter with a guillotine choke. KLR tries a springboard but is caught by Ayesha and hit with a fallaway slam so hard that she tumbles out of the ring. Raymond batters Kay Lee against the guardrails, eventually getting so confident that KLR is able to tag her with a jumping kick to the throat. She looks for a tope suicida next...except Ayesha is able to NAIL her with an elbow smash through the ropes. Raymond's raw power becomes like a brick wall for Kay Lee to get through. Yet again she climbs up and tries to choke Raymond out.. That doesn't work but she counters an attempt at a stalling suplex into a DDT! Gory Bomb blocked into a fisherman suplex by Raymond. Liger Bomb gets 2! Gory Bomb by KLR! Now Ayesha kicks out. Raymond drags KLR out of the corner...but Ray counters to a bridging crucifix pin. It shows Ayesha, who has no answer. Kay Lee wins at 09:57

Rating - ** - In my opinion your enjoyment of this matches comes down to your personal pro-wrestling tastes. Structurally this was probably the tightest and most enjoyable of KLR's matches this weekend. Ayesha too was really good - and certainly someone I could see ROH using more if she was US based. She has real presence inside the ring. But on the flip side, this one really did lack ambition and was comfortably the least exciting of the three Honor Re-United Tour WOH matches. Kay Lee has been a breath of fresh air all tour and it's a real shame we couldn't see more of her in ROH. Speaking of breaths of fresh air - SoCal Val on commentary did a GREAT job. Can she stick around for the rest of the show?

At Best In The World, SoCal Uncensored formally took aim at the Briscoes. With time running out on their ROH careers they decided to pick a fight with the most tenured wrestlers in the company. The Briscoes have the gold and hold all the aces - but SCU have little left to lose have vowed to stop at nothing in pursuit of the Tag Championship that would give them a bargaining chip in contractual negotiations. Daniels looks to fire a warning shot at the expense of the man he once recruited to join him in The Prophecy all the way back in 2002...

Daniels sensibly looks to wrestle with Briscoe, knowing that even with all Mark's experience he probably can't match the Ring General for technical smarts. Briscoe has plenty in his locker though - including hiding behind Todd Sinclair then popping out to punch his opponent in the face. Daniels clotheslines Briscoe over the top rope...but makes the mistake of going out after him. In a flash Mark cracks his skull against the ringpost then starts tearing up protective mats to expose the concrete floor. He replaces them when it seems like Daniels might turn the tables on him...so Daniels grabs him for a SUPLEX UP THE AISLE instead! Then a suplex off the ring steps when Mark tries to escape to the stage. Mark kicks the ropes into Daniels' balls to put him on the floor of the building and in position for the CACTUS ELBOW! He goes for his Choke sleeper but it's too early so Daniels is able to fight it off at this stage. Daniels escapes and make a break for his running STO spot...except that Briscoe has seen that a hundred times and immediately counters it with a clothesline. Wrist clutch Olympic Slam by Daniels gets 2! Mark is able to block Angel's Wings and leaps into the Choke! Daniels makes the ropes only to walk into the rolling DVD. Froggy Bow misses...Blue Thunder Driver! Jay Briscoe appears at ringside before Daniels can line up the BME though. Daniels launches him into the guardrails - as Mark grabs a chain. CHAIN-WRAPPED CHOKE! The ref stops the match at 11:13. Mark celebrates the win...and doesn't see that Todd Sinclair has spotted the chain. He reverses his decision and disqualifies Mark.

Rating - ** - What an odd little match. The start was almost painfully low key, before they went into a brawling middle segment which was absolutely fantastic; heated, physical with some really fun familiarity countering. Then the finish was just deflating. The shows this weekend have been so much better without dumb conclusions like this one. Nobody benefits from this. Mark looks like an incompetent who needed outside interference and a foreign object and couldn't even cheat properly whilst Daniels wins despite getting choked out. This might well be the low point of the entire tour, which is a shame because some of the wrestling we saw here was so smart.

The Briscoes deck Todd Sinclair and beat on Daniels until Flip Gordon and Joe Hendry, armed with chairs, make a random save...

The TV Title is not on the line, although Havoc will obviously be targeting victory knowing it could earn him a shot down the line. Riccaboni bills this match as a battle to see who the 'most violent' competitor is. For Jimmy it is a chance to get hardcore - something he has been trying to do all weekend.

Jimmy straight up punches Punisher in the face to get us started, almost goading the big man. Acid Rainmaker blocked though and Martinez almost stomps through his chest. Havoc takes a risk and hits a tope suicida...then pulls out baking sheets to start belting Martinez around the head. Punisher's response is to throw him THROUGH the guardrails! A kendo stick comes out next, allowing Havoc to welt up Punishment's torso and keep him at bay for a few seconds. For a third show in a row he pulls out an 8x10 and uses it to papercut the fingers of his opponent - and with Martinez still scrambled from that Jimmy starts hammering him with a chair. He papercuts the tongue...then decides to pour lemon juice into the cut fingers! Martinez responds by stealing Jimmy's staplegun and STAPLING THE 8x10 TO HIS FACE! PIZZA CUTTER TO HAVOC'S ARM! What is more disturbing is Punishment's merry grin - he looks like he is having the best time too. Havoc responds with a Pele Kick then starts staplegunning his own arm to close the lacerations. Ironing board to the face of the TV Champ! Martinez basically no-sells that and flips Jimmy through the air with a lariat. TOMBSTONE THROUGH A BAKING TRAY! Jimmy comes back by catching Martinez on the top rope with a low blow...then launching him through the ironing board! Repeated chair shots to the face cause Martinez to collapse on the outside. But he takes too long celebrating and getting a beer from the fans and walks into a Superman Punch (which goes down like sh*t in front of this pro-Havoc crowd). Jimmy goes for another tope suicida only to be plucked out of the air and throttled. CHOKESLAM ON THE APRON! Martinez uses the time gained from that huge bomb to open up chairs in the ring, and stack a further chair on top of them as well. RUNNING DVD THROUGH THE CHAIRS BY HAVOC gets 2! Acid Rainmaker blocked...South Of Heaven blocked too! ACID RAINMAKER...for 2! Jimmy can't believe he isn't already the victor and vents by pouring thumbtacks all over the canvas. He tries to put some in Punisher's mouth too, but the TV Champ spits them right back at him. REPEATED Curb Stomps on a chair! PSYCHO DRIVER IN THE TACKS...ONLY 2! THUMB TACK CURB STOMP! HAVOC KICKS OUT! He begs for more. SOUTH OF HEAVEN IN THE TACKS! Martinez wins at 16:27

Rating - **** - I'm not going to argue that this was a particularly clever match. The violence here was almost senselessly extreme. But, then again, by this point that was pretty much Havoc's gimmick; certainly outside of his home promotions where he could get a little more nuanced. I can't actually criticise it much in truth. It was fun. At times it felt a little more like Crash Holly as 24/7 Hardcore Champion silly than FMW violent...but if ROH were going to book Havoc then they may as well let him do his thing. I quite liked Martinez's performance around Jimmy as well. He took some big bumps and was more than generous with him, however the aspect I enjoyed most was that he came off like an indestructible monster. This is the gift of Punishment Martinez; a big man who can sell like hell for his opponents yet still retains credibility as a total killer. He was like a Terminator in this one; absorbing Havoc's whackiest hardcore shenanigans and getting back up and getting back to trying to decimate him. It is such a shame we are almost at the end of his tenure in ROH. The guy has huge potential and, as with someone like Donovan Dijak before him, feels like he had a lot more left to achieve in this company but a combination of WWE money and poor booking has forced him away...

This is a first time dream match, and the culmination of a weekend where it felt like ROH were really trying to rebuild and rehabilitate Marty in his home country - after his high profile World Title loss at Best In The World. Here he looks to re-emphasise his championship credentials with a win over a former two-time World Champion, whilst also getting some payback for the beatings Briscoe has been putting on his good friends the Young Bucks. If that weren't enough, he's also preparing for his huge match with Kazuchika Okada at All In as well. For Jay this will be another welcome opportunity to put the boots to Bullet Club; a group he has passionately fought against for years.

Both men look pumped up for this one. Jay seems like he has the power and quickness advantage...but not the wherewithal to stop Scurll putting him on the mat and villainously pulling at his nostrils. Briscoe tries to regain control with a headlock but that simply offers Marty an arm, which he savagely wrenches. Briscoe falls to the floor so Scurll Superkicks him from the apron and hits a HEAT SEEKING MISSILE! Jay's head bounced off the guardrails rather nastily on that. Like Daniels earlier though, Scurll makes the possible mistake of going after a Briscoe brother and getting into a fight on the floor. The striking on the floor is ferocious - stoked on by a really great crowd inside York Hall. Marty ends it by stomping Jay's arm into the apron...only to be caught making an ill-advised trip to the top rope and rocketed into the lights with a superplex. Both men are already feeling the ill-effects of such frantic combat it seems. Briscoe clambers onto The Villain's back with a camel clutch; raking at the nose and mouth just like Scurll had done to him earlier. The former World Champion starts to dominate proceedings with a physicality that Marty struggles to cope with. In and out of the ring Briscoe stalks his opponent; striking, choking and beating on him without mercy. He settles into a stranglehold...which proves to be his undoing since Scurll is a better counter-wrestler. The Villain manipulates his way into a lungblower to escape and brings Jay to his knees with Just Kidding. His back is too worn down to pull out the Brainbuster though - presenting Briscoe with an opportunity to start belting him with big elbows. SLAP BY SCURLL! YAKUZA KICK by Jay! NO SOLD! BRAINBUSTER for 2! Scurll tries to lariat Briscoe to the ground...only for Jay to hurl profanity at him and almost knock him out with one of his own. They fight up top where Marty gets some payback for earlier with a mammoth superplex of his own. It does perhaps more damage to his own injured back and neck than to his opponent though. Chickenwing blocked...Day One Neckbreaker blocked too! PUMPHANDLE GHOSTBUSTER! Finger Snaps and REPEATED SUPERKICKS come next - shades of how the Bucks defeated the Briscoes at Final Battle 2016! Mark Briscoe runs in to break the pin by pulling the referee out. REBOUND LARIAT by Marty! JAY DRILLER! SCURLL KICKS OUT! Precious few people get that kind of treatment in ROH. On the outside Chris Daniels is out and brawling with Mark, creating a distraction which allows Scurll to blast Jay with the umbrella. Graduation wins it at 19:41

Rating - **** - Putting aside the debate over whether Scurll should have become World Champion at Best In the World or not, it is impossible to deny that the rebuild job ROH have done with him on the Honor Re-United Tour has been effective. Undefeated and ending the weekend by kicking out of the Jay Driller en-route to a rare singles victory over Jay Briscoe. I've seen some criticism of this match, but to me I thought it felt like a big-time main event bout. I could have done without Daniels and Mark showing up but between the ropes these guys were really beating the tar out of each other. The way they messed with the formula and story you might expect them to tell was also intriguing. They stuck to the general premise that Marty was a better wrestler whilst Jay was a better fighter and brawler...but incorporated some unique sensibilities within that over-arching concept. For instance, although he did so via a mauling, combative fighting style it was actually Jay who worked a body part (Scurll's neck and back) rather than The Villain. And by contrast, although Marty repeatedly showed himself to be a skilled technician, he is currently trying to build himself up to 'heavyweight' status before facing Okada at All In so used lots of strikes, lariats, suplexes and throws to take the fight to his opponent. The crowd were fantastic throughout as well; giving everything a big fight atmosphere.

Last night in Doncaster the re-debuting British veterans Storm and Fleisch acquitted themselves admirably against the reigning Tag Champions the Briscoes. And whilst they left with their pride intact, having delivered a reminder of their skills on a major platform, they didn't leave with their hands raised in victory. It means they will come into this one still hungry to score the kind of upset win that would send shockwaves through the independent wrestling landscape. The Bucks already sustained one upset loss this weekend - defeated by the first-time team of Jay Lethal and Jon Gresham last night. They will want to rebound quickly as they look to build momentum towards All In...

The Bucks don't come off like a team who are taking their match overly seriously. The pre-match contains a lot of smiles, winks and dismissive gestures and Matt starts the match with Storm like he is working with a young boy. That quickly changes when Jonny breaks out a funky World Of Sport counter and makes Matt look a little silly. He swings slaps at both Bucks whilst continuing to wrestle circles round Matt! Jody tags and Nick spots the danger; rushing him with strikes and a running rana. Fleisch tries to land a springboard moonsault, misses that...but then nips up into a jumping enzi instead. Moonsault off the apron by Nick! He and his brother join forces to unleash a few combo moves - using their speed and precision to overwhelm the veterans. It leaves The Phoenix on the mat and isolated from his partner. But again the Bucks stop taking things seriously - and in a flash Team UK have switched things up. Fleisch escapes after hitting a handspring elbow, unleashing Storm who quickly snaps off a double springboard flying headscissors. Once again Matt and Nick need double-teams to quell the momentum of the Englishmen...and once again they get too cocky. Jonny gives them a double sliding DDT, setting up a split-legged moonsault from Fleisch. Nick runs through an electrifying hot tag sequence but misses a Swanton Bomb as Jonny bails. STEREO tope suicidas by the Jacksons instead. RUNNING CORKSCREW PLANCHA by Storm! SPRINGBOARD SSP TO THE FLOOR BY JODY! And he makes it look effortless! RUNNING FRANKENSTEINER back into the ring gets 2. Assisted German Moonsault spot countered. SUPERKICK DUEL! PHOENIX DDT BY JODY! All four men are down! Stereo Sharpshooters applied by Matt and Nick with Todd Sinclair and the commentators scrambling to work out who the legal men are. Jody counters More Bang with a REVERSE RANA! RUNNING SUPER JAPANESE ARMDRAG! RED STAR PRESS gets 2! Storm gets another nearfall right after with a springboard moonsault. Again they go for a German Moonsault, but this time Matt counters by German suplexing Jonny...causing Fleisch to get flipped face-first into the canvas. MELTZER DRIVER! Bucks win at 14:44

Rating - **** - Jody and Jonny were good in Doncaster. They were GREAT here. Sure the 720 DDT could've been cleaner, but other than that they were on fire. Storm (who looked past his best last night) was fantastic as the grizzled, gnarly veteran - pulling out the kind of tricks which wouldn't have seen him look out of place in the 70's and 80's World Of Sport era. Jody, who as mentioned in my Night 2 review is in ridiculous shape, continues to come off like he has plenty in the tank for another run. He is still unbelievably athletic but packs far more of a punch and feels a whole lot more precise now than he did back during his Special K run. Credit to the Young Bucks as well; they gave Jody and Jonny plenty to work with. They brought some fantastic character work; playing cocky pricks who didn't rate their opponents one-bit...until they were converted by the relentless tenacity and skill of the old English warhorses. It's that kind of subtle physical theatre and body language use which turns this match from a fun highspot match to something a little more substantial and an example of why the Young Bucks deserve all the success they get. Both teams emerge with a ton of credit for how good this was. They could comfortably have done a lot less and still drawn a decent reaction from the London fans...

We've reached the climax of the Honor Re-United Tour with our main event of the evening. It pits the winner of the International Cup - Haskins - against the new World Champion in Lethal. Haskins has been in stunning form all weekend; a technical clinic with Jon Gresham in Edinburgh, then on to Doncaster for a thrilling semi-final against Flip Gordon, and a gruelling war in the final against Hangman Page. He will clearly be fatigued but will be desperate to grab what is a huge opportunity. Victory here instantly makes him a full-time ROH talent, and also punches his ticket to All In where the winner of this match will defend against the winner of the 'Over Budget Battle Royal'. Last time Lethal was competing for the World Championship in this building it was in defeat to Adam Cole back in 2016 - something he'll be desperate to put right tonight.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone looked more pumped up for a match than Haskins during the intros for this one. He can barely keep still and as the match begins wastes no time in targeting Lethal's arm. Jay has more size and bulk but really struggles with the energy and tenacity of his rival...then Haskins kicks things up a notch by countering the hiptoss/dropkick sequence right into the Star Armbar! The champ scrambles to the ropes and almost dives out of the ring to regroup. He returns a minute or so later and makes a point of hitting the hiptoss/dropkick combo - quickly demonstrating that he has the strike power to endanger his opponent. Haskins sells that by going full Inoki and lying on the canvas throwing kicks. Jay takes a few shots to Haskins leg...and in return the challenger starts firing off kicks to Jay's knee too. It means that Mark now has injuries to both the arm and leg to target putting him clearly in the ascendency. Lethal hits a running suplex...and pops up off the canvas looking like he doesn't know which injury hurts him more. The champ looks to attack the back next which, according to Riccaboni, is an attempt to capitalise on injuries Haskins picked up against Page in Doncaster. Like Haskins, Lethal soon opens up dual injuries on his foe - working both the back and leg with a Kondo Clutch, into a deathlocked surfboard. Mark tries to rush Lethal...only to be converted into a tilta-whirl backbreaker which sends him flying to the floor where he curls up in the foetal position. Lethal misses a springboard dropkick from the apron, only for Haskins to miss a slingshot double stomp. Tope suicida misses...PK from the apron by Mark! That sequence was a total adrenaline rush. Haskins wrenches and hammers at the arm before trapping him in a version of the Rings Of Saturn. Next he goes for a suplex and BOTH MEN tumble and bounce over the top rope to the outside. They both struggle beat the count back in then collapse into opposing turnbuckles looking completely spent. Lethal Combination scores for 2 but visibly hurts the champion to execute. He is still selling it as he battles up the turnbuckles...taking so long that Haskins is able to move. Lethal Express instead! Hail To The King COUNTERED with a crucifix on the bad arm for 2. Jumping heel kick by Haskins  to escape the Lethal Injection. Cradle To The Grave blocked...Sharpshooter blocked...FIREMAN CARRY DRIVER! Lethal hits a running chop into Mark's face to stop him diving off the top rope. SUPERPLEX! ROLLED INTO A TIGER DRIVER FOR 2! Both men look bedraggled and beaten up, but stand in the middle of the ring still beating the sh*t out of each other! REBOUND CANADIAN DESTROYER! ELBOW SUICIDA INTO THE GUARDRAIL! FLYING DOUBLE STOMP! Lethal still kicks out! Haskins puts him in the Sharpshooter - with BJ doing a great job on commentary to point out that his own injuries are preventing him from applying the hold to its absolute maximum. Cradle To The Grave blocked...LETHAL INJECTION! HASKINS KICKS OUT! He looks completely spent but he keeps fighting. Lethal Injection COUNTERED TO THE STAR ARMBAR! Lethal stands up. CRADLE TO THE GRAVE! GETS 2! Haskins tries to finish it with a Fireman's Carry Driver on the apron but instead is lit up with some of Lethal's brutal chops then decked with a springboard dropkick. TOPE TRILOGY! HASKINS BLOCKS! ACE CRUSHER! NO SOLD BY HASKINS! LETHAL F*CKING INJECTION! The champ retains at 26:53

Rating - ****1/2 - On a weekend which has felt more like 'old school' ROH than anything the company has produced in some time it is fitting that the tour concludes with an absolutely superb main event which wouldn't have felt out of place in an era of Ring Of Honor history. If Haskins hadn't already punched his ticket to a full-time ROH deal (and I suspect he already had) this no doubt cemented things. On the back of his brilliant International Cup performances, this was one of the best ROH matches of 2018 and one of the best ROH World Title Matches that has taken place over the last couple of years. You didn't need a great deal of back-story to this one, it was just an old-fashioned and hard-fought battle over the World Championship - exactly as it should be. Both men working over two body parts simultaneously was a really great touch - particularly as each have multiple finishing holds which target those injuries. The selling was excellent too. Not necessarily perfect, but the way Lethal in particular conveyed vulnerability and genuine threat absolutely MADE this. Nobody expected Haskins to win here so the fact that this felt as dramatic as it did in the closing stages is testament to the excellent work both men had put in. Credit to Delirious for giving this plenty of time. This is why ROH have put the belt back on Lethal. It is a time of transition, The Elite are on their way out of the company. In Lethal as World Champion, they have the belt on a workhorse whom they know they can rely on...

Tape Rating - **** - The Honor Re-United shows are all excellent. If you selectively watch ROH, all three should be on your 2018 watchlist. I've said it a few times already, but the biggest compliment I can offer is to point out that these all felt like 'old fashioned' ROH shows. Young guys given opportunities to steal the show, stars being made, clean finishes (for the most part), hard-fought, gruelling main events getting a decent amount of time. This, the third night of the tour, wasn't necessarily the most consistent watch of the three. Daniels/Mark was in many ways the worst match of the entire weekend too. BUT, the top half of this card is non-stop awesome. Your mileage on the Street Fight varies dependent on your tolerance of Jimmy Havoc, but if ROH were going to book Havoc then his total war with Martinez is the kind of match you want to see him in. That one was crazy. The tag bout between the Bucks and the British veterans of Fleisch and Storm was far better than it had any right to be. It feels like people are sleeping on Briscoe/Scurll - which I thought was a real box office, big-time slug-fest. And the main event...oh the main event. Mark Haskins has been unbelievably good all weekend. The guy has absolutely KILLED it...climaxing here in London with a phenomenal World Title Match. If you are only watching one show from the weekend it should be this one. But please do yourself a favour and check out all three. THIS is the kind of modern Ring Of Honor product I want to see - and the kind of product which ROH could easily continue delivering post-Elite exodus.

3) Marty Scurll vs Jay Briscoe (****)

2) Young Bucks vs Jody Fleisch/Jonny Storm (****)

1) Jay Lethal vs Mark Haskins (****1/2)

7) Punishment Martinez vs Jimmy Havoc (**** - London)

6) Marty Scurll vs Jay Briscoe (**** - London)

5) Mark Haskins vs Flip Gordon (**** - Doncaster)

4) Young Bucks vs Jody Fleisch/Jonny Storm (**** - London)

3) Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham vs Young Bucks (**** - Doncaster)

2) Mark Haskins vs Adam Page (****1/2 - Doncaster)

1) Jay Lethal vs Mark Haskins (****1/2 - London)