McXal's Reviews

Last year ROH went for broke and turned Survival Of The Fittest into a triple-night weekender. The 2018 version is slimmed all the way down to one night and, objectively speaking, it has one of the most intriguing SOTF cards in recent years. The tournament itself is a bewildering mix of established names like Hangman Page, Marty Scurll, Christopher Daniels, Silas Young, Jon Gresham and more, competing alongside luchadors Stuka Jr and Guerrero Maya Jr plus new or returning names like PJ Black, Tracy Williams, Andrew Everett or Luchasaurus. Even the non-tournament line-up is stacked. Cody and the Bucks defend the Six-Man Titles against The Kingdom, Britt Baker and Madison Rayne meet with a title shot at Final Battle on the line...and we'll see a Champions Challenge as Tag Champions SCU face World Champion Jay Lethal and TV Champion Jeff Cobb. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana call the action in Columbus, OH.

The SOTF tournament first round comprises of three singles bouts and three triple threat encounters. Daniels and Bruiser are the first men to compete looking for a spot in the finals and to take a step closer to an ROH World Title shot. Daniels is on borrowed time as the clock ticks down to his release at the hands of Joe Koff. Kaz and Scorpio Sky bringing home the Tag Titles has earned them leverage and bargaining power, resulting in new contracts being offered. Daniels is still out in the cold and knows winning Survival Of The Fittest could be his ticket to prolonging his ROH career.

Bruiser comes from the bar and asks for time to finish his drink before the match. Perhaps that catches Daniels off guard as the big man catches him not looking and mows through him with a cannonball. Vader Bomb Elbow gets 2! Angel's Wings countered with an absolutely brutal overhead suplex by BCB! He sets up the Keg Splash but MISSES and absolutely crunches his knees on the deck. BME by Daniels, securing a rapid-fire victory at 01:59

Rating - N/A - This was certainly different. It puts Daniels over as a dangerous veteran and of course makes him even more dangerous in the final given how short this went. But was this ever a crushing and damaging loss to Bruiser. Earlier in this year he felt dangerously close to breaking out as a singles talent - something regular followers of my review series will know I'd NEVER have believed given how critical I was of him in his early career. But he was superb on the annual NJPW Honor Rising tour and brought that back to the US too; including a really under-rated little match with Tetsuya Naito during the War Of The Worlds Tour. The second half of the year has seen a disappointing regression for him. The Bouncers are an interesting act but have a clear ceiling in a promotion like ROH, and have effectively relegated him way back down the card. Getting crushed in two minutes here doesn't help...

This is a really strange mix of guys. Delaney is a recognisable veteran independent talent who has appeared briefly in ROH before, but is more renowned for his stint in WWE and time with Chikara. Castle is a former World Champion, who took time off to recover from an assortment of injuries after losing the belt...but has come back still covered in bandages, wearing shirts to cover the back brace he now wrestles in and generally looking as beaten up as when he left. Page has called himself the 'best heavyweight in the world' and has criticised ROH for not giving him title matches. He knows that winning the tournament would earn him the title shot he craves.

Apparently Castle and Delaney are old friends and training partners. Dalton empties the ring, requiring Delaney to break out some lucha-inspired athleticism to break back into the bout. Page and Castle take turns throwing Colin around until they get to face-off by themselves. The Boys catch Dalton as Hangman tries to smack him off the apron...and they each regain a vertical base in time to simultaneously evade an attempted missile dropkick from Delaney. SPRINGBOARD STUNNER from Delaney to Page gets 2, ending a really fun sequence of Stunner variants by the returning Delaney. RUNNING SNAP GERMAN from Delaney to Castle as he hangs prone in the ropes. But that move propels Colin to the outside, right into position for Page's SSP tackle off the apron. Drop-sault gets 2. Colin clings to the turnbuckles to block Rite Of Passage...so Page gives him an IED. ASSISTED DESTROYER by Delaney and Castle on Page! Castle then drops Delaney with a powerbomb for 2. Colin backs into the corner as Dalton tries to give him the Everest German...so Castle knees him to the floor instead. HEAT SEEKING MISSILE by Castle! He tries to give Delaney the Bang-A-Rang, taking his eyes off of Page and almost walking into the Rite Of Passage as a result. All three start teeing off on each other with big strikes. DOUBLE Buckshot Lariat! Rite Of Passage on Colin! Page books his spot in the finals at 09:49

Rating - *** - This match was a real surprise package. Dalton is so hurt he feels like a shadow of the worker he once was, Page is on the way out of the company and Delaney is someone I've seen multiple times over the years and just never connected with. I was fearful this was going to suck, but I needn't have worried. They kept it light and breezy, but the pace was relentless and some of the more elaborate sequences were REALLY good. I actually wasn't ready for this to end when it did. 

One of the stand-out matches of the tournament line-up sees 'Hot Sauce' Tracy Williams make his way to ROH. This is someone who has excelled in Chikara, excelled in Evolve and now brings his considerable technical skill to Ring Of Honor. Awaiting him is Jon Gresham, 'The Octopus' and equally skilled technical wizard. Ian Riccaboni makes the point on commentary that these two get paired up together a lot on the independent scene due to their stylistic similarities. It means they have plenty of experience working together and ensures each man will be challenged to their limit here.

Williams sprints into battle with The Octopus and takes him straight to the canvas. He is wrestling with his heavy shoulder support on though, which may act like a target for Gresham later in the contest. For now the back and forth grappling on the desk is relentless and intense; Gresh working an anklelock to escape a few submissions from Hot Sauce. Tracy makes an early play for his signature Crossface submission but finds Jonathan able to slither to the ropes. Things start to get heated between the two purists...and Williams TEARS into Gresham with chops and a BACK DROP DRIVER for 2. Gresham is in trouble and reacts by immediately kicking at Tracy's bad shoulder. He tries to work an arm submission, but finds Williams able to counter into a wild back suplex for another nearfall. He appears to have injured Gresham's spine after those two big offensive bombs, limiting his movement and slowing him down considerably. The Octopus hits a missile dropkick but goes down in a heap holding his back. He loads up the bad shoulder and fights hard to haul Tracy over for a vertical suplex. He aims a vicious running punt at the injured arm again...then DROPKICKS it when Tracy tries to come off the top rope. IMPLANT TURNBUCKLE DDT by Tracy! DIVING DDT GETS 2! But those two moves have taken huge amounts out of his bad arm. He tries to lift Gresham across his shoulders, even with Gresh working arm submissions trying to get him to tap out. RUNNING DVD gets 2! Gresham blocks the Piledriver with forearm strikes to the injured shoulder. So Williams literally elbows Gresh as hard as he possibly can in the face! DUELLING ELBOWS! Jumping enzi to the shoulder by Gresh! NO SOLD! DISCUS LARIAT! PILEDRIVER! Gresham kicks out! He dropkicks Tracy out of the ring and flies through the air after him with a knee off the apron. Diving knee drop to the arm! OCTOPUS STRETCH! WITH FACE STRIKES! Williams taps, sending Gresham to the finals at 12:18

Rating - **** - At a time when ROH needs to recruit sensibly and promote from within effectively to replace the pile of talent leaving for AEW, this match does a lot to showcase the kind of product ROH could be and the kind of wrestlers it could promote. Gresham, someone who has appeared periodically for years and spent the last couple as a regular, is ready to climb the ranks and be promoted as one of the best wrestlers on the planet (because that's what he is). Williams, with heaps of experience, a strong back catalogue across multiple promotions and a high level of skill, is exactly the kind of talent ROH should be recruiting. This match didn't go long...but in truth it didn't need to. Both men looked motivated and went out intent on stealing the show, firmly grasping the opportunity presented to them. Tracy was excellent, running through all his tricks and demonstrating his prowess as a technician and as a striker. His work on Gresham's back was ruthless and, at times, spectacular. If they weren't planning to before, ROH simply had to sign him. Likewise ROH would be well served to REALLY push Gresham in 2019. There aren't many other wrestlers on the planet who can do what he does...

The second triple threat SOTF qualification match should be explosive if nothing else. Flip is heavily fancied but also heavily distracted by his ongoing issues with Bully Ray. He does come in with a title shot already in his pocket after winning the Sea Of Honor Tournament. Maya is from CMLL and impressed during State Of The Art weekend. The wildcard is the returning Andrew Everett. ROH had real interest in him a few years ago before he suffered a serious knee injury. He has spent the last year or so with Impact Wrestling, but was released earlier in 2018 and now returns looking to make a splash in Ring Of Honor once again. I hope the leg brace and bandaging he wears now is protective and precautionary, rather than a sign that he hasn't ever recovered from his knee issues...

Maya is the biggest man in the match and proves it with emphatic tackles which knock his opponents to the ground. Gordon and Everett take turns trying to out-do each other...then everyone misses a dropkick, then they all do flips before coming to a stand-still. Red Star Press by Flip, then a standing moonsault by Everett! Andrew rolls into a Pele on Gordon, then a bridging German for 2...before Guerrero STOMPS THE F*CK out of him! Springboard dropkick from Flip to the luchador soon after. He seems to injure his knee but still finds a way to hit a Pele on Maya! Lionsault by Everett gets 2! He tries to come off the apron...only for Maya to counter into a hiptoss powerbomb! Maya then springboards OVER Flip into a lucha armdrag on Andrew for 2. SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR! BERMUDA TRIANGLE MOONSAULT to the floor by Gordon! Everett is the last man standing. TOP ROPE SHOOTING STAR PRESS TO THE FLOOR! Kinder Surprise by Flip to prevent Everett from busting out the 630 Senton. Bully Ray appears in the ground throwing streamers at Flip when he looks set to win the match. SPRINGBOARD DIVE INTO A WALL BY FLIP! EVERETT MISSES AN SSP! SACRIFICIO MAYA! Guerrero advances at 09:19

Rating - *** - I thought these guys did a really good job with this. The way Guerrero used his size advantage and incorporated his off-beat lucha sensibilities into Flip and Everett's work was a joy to watch. It was strange at times, but incredibly exciting at others. The other aspect I really liked was how they continually built the drama and finished at the optimum time. Even Bully's appearance only serviced to amplify the tension at just the right moment, costing Flip victory and leading to an absolutely crazy springboard dive into the brick wall of the arena. 

Two debutants arrive for our next SOTF bout (although I think Luchasaurus had worked a couple of dark matches). 'Darewolf' PJ Black doesn't need much introduction, after a lengthy stint with WWE as Justin Gabriel and a brief but successful run in Lucha Underground as well. Lucha Underground is probably responsible for reviving Luchasaurus' career. Released from WWE in 2013, he hardly wrestled for a number of years until El Rey's cinematic Lucha Libre experimental promotion brought him in as 'Vibora' - part of the Snake Tribe. If you've not seen LU then a) you should, it is BRILLIANT and b) Vibora was under-rated and under-utilised but effective in his role. It revived his career and has, of course, now led to him being a big part of AEW. Here he looks to make a splash in his main show debut, even with the odds stacked against him thanks to PJ's experience.

PJ acts like a cocky prick during his entrance, but even he looks bemused by the size and athleticism of the Luchasaurus. The big man kicks at PJ from all angles...so the Darewolf tries to take to the air instead. Lucha plucks him off the ropes with a superkick and MOONSAULTS OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! Yakuza kick in the corner next, then a rotating knee strike right into the side of the head for 2. Black blocks a Chokeslam with a springboard moonsault and comes off the top again with a flying double stomp to the face. LAND BEFORE TIME gets 2 for Lucha again though. PJ grabs at Lucha's beard just to protect himself...only to be dismissed with an Alarm Clock knee smash. Chokeslam/standing moonsault nailed for yet another nearfall. The fans are really into Luchasaurus at this point. He tree of woes Black...and pulls him out of the corner into a TOMBSTONE. SHOOTING STAR PRESS MISSES! Luchasaurus is a colossal dude to be trying that! Black pins him on impact and grabs an unlikely victory at 06:55

Rating - *** - I liked Vibora in Lucha Underground, and this felt representative reflection of his work there. The half dinosaur/half luchador character is a little whacky for ROH, but El Generico was overwhelmingly successful and Delirious has had a long career too so it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that ROH could find a place for the gimmick. He got a great showing here, ploughing through his entire arsenal of obscenely athletic high spots for a guy of his size. Black was carried along for the ride, not really contributing a whole lot of any real relevance. I don't say that to criticise PJ; this was the Luchasaurus show entirely...

Rhett Titus comes out for guest commentary in bodybuilding trunks and dripping with baby oil. 

This is the final SOTF first round match, deciding who will join Chris Daniels, Hangman Page, Jon Gresham, Guerrero Maya and PJ Black in the final. Scurll is the overwhelming popular choice within the building. Silas' aggression and grizzled veteran instincts make him a major threat too. Stuka is the outsider and, as we saw earlier with Guerrero Maya Jr; in this triple threat environment the intoxicating combination of size and unpredictable lucha tendencies makes him extremely difficult to stop...

Rhett Titus, glistening in baby oil, is in the corner of the hardcam shot at all times, which is enormously distracting. Stuka starts quickly, sending both opponents flying with some his signature lucha tricks. He then suplexes Scurll into a somersault senton on Young for 2. Marty gives him the Superkick from the apron, but turns his back on Young and gets rocked with his springboard lariat. His momentum is short-lived; Marty and Stuka join forces to rocket him into the wall! Stuka forces Marty into another senton, this time by powerbombing him on top of the Last Real Man...except this time The Villain gets some vengeance with a big suplex on the luchador. Killer Combo from Silas to Marty gets 2. Scurll gets up and kicks him in the head before he can finish off Stuka with The Plunge though. MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY STUKA! He nails a diving body press back into the ring, almost polishing Young off as a result. All three start laying into each other with strike after strike until all of them are left struggling to stand. Graduation on Stuka, giving Marty the win at 08:29

Rating - *** - Another genuinely entertaining SOTF Round One bout here. Like all the others it didn't run long; feeling perfectly timed and pitched to deliver a few laughs, a few thrills then finish before it got tedious or predictable. Stuka Jr was the star of the show. As usual the way he uses his stocky, bulky, stout physique to rocket around the ring with incredible amounts of momentum and speed is so unusual. I don't particularly like the Graduation as a finishing move for Marty. It's smart that he has a big move to go alongside the Chickenwing...but I don't think this is it. I preferred the Ghostbuster...

The winner of this advances to Final Battle to participate in a four-way for the Women Of Honor World Title. Madison has unsuccessfully challenged for that belt before and made it known that she wants an opportunity...but before that she has also gone public with her desire to face Dr Britt again. They were part of the impressive women's four-way at All In (alongside Tessa Blanchard and Chelsea Green) and it seems that Britt impressed Madison so much that she wanted to face her in singles action. Baker enters this on the back of a couple of impressive wins as she starts to gain some traction in the WOH division for the first time. Rayne, though, is in her hometown so will enjoy plenty of support.

Madison attempts to work the mat with her opponent but finds Baker's power and long limbs a real challenge to overcome. Britt shows some really smart skills as she continually counters and works out of every attack Rayne throws at her...and eventually puts the hometown athlete down with a neckbreaker drop. It forces Madison to go for her usual flurry of whacky pinning combinations; going onto autopilot because she can't find anything else that throws Baker off her game. Britt recovers quickly and takes her head off with a mafia kick. Sling Blade comes next and puts Rayne perilously close to defeat already. Rainbaker ducked into a jumping enzi by Madison though, leaving them both on the mat for a few moments. Britt dodges Rayne's sliding boot and ELBOWS HER IN THE FACE! Fisherman neckbreaker gets another close nearfall for the Doctor. Ace Crusher by Rayne! SUPERKICK by Baker! Dr Britt is up first to lay out her rival again with a pumphandle suplex. Rayne hits the sliding boot, then a straight knee strike to the head. Madison wins at 07:18

Rating - *** - I'm a little torn on this. I really enjoyed it and it definitely felt like the best example of Madison's work we've seen in ROH. But they got shafted for time - par for the course for the Women Of Honor - meaning they could do little more than frenetically trade spots from first bell to last. It felt exciting, it felt crisp and it felt like we were watching skilled competitors at work. But unfortunately that unavoidably left the impression that they really could have produced something far more substantial. It's such a shame ROH couldn't lock down Britt Baker. She's another athlete that really could have become the backbone of ROH's women's division...

Britt and Madison shake hands...but are then attacked by the Twisted Sisterz who run out through the crowd. Holidead and Thunder Rosa destroy them both - setting up a match which they actually taped the previous evening in Pittsburgh that we'll see on TV shortly (and a rematch in Philadelphia taped after Final Battle)...

This is The Kingdom's rematch from Episode #362 of SBG television. On that night, shortly before All In, Cody and the Bucks were able to defeat The Kingdom to become the new Trios Champions. But their win was not without controversy, since they defeated an illegal man in the decisive pinfall. Obviously Taven and his troops felt it was another example of the conspiracy against them, and it started a chain of events which saw Taven leave for a tour of CMLL...before returning with his head shaved and the purple 'Real World Title' around his waist. Cody and Taven have had issues all year. Taven and the Bucks go back even further (to previous versions of The Kingdom). So desperate are The Kingdom to get back the Six-Man Championship, and so suspicious are they of ROH officials, that they've actually requested two referees be at ringside to prevent any foul play or mistakes.

TK has to talk Matt Taven from going into the crowd to attack a little girl who caught Cody's discard shirt, starting us off on a humorous footing. He then takes a cheap-shot at Nick from behind inside the first ten seconds. The Bucks quickly team up on Vinny and TK, clearing the decks so the three champions can hit TRIPLE PESCADOS to the floor! Stalling gourdbuster from Cody to Marseglia, but Taven rushes the ring and blasts the American Nightmare with Just The Tip. The Kingdom use fluent tags and some manipulation of the ropes to trap Rhodes in the ring for the next few minutes. It leads to a very cute, layered multi-ref distraction spot, with both Paul Turner and Todd Sinclair preoccupied and missing obvious cheating by the challengers. Spinebuster/diving headbutt combo gets 2 and necessitates Nick Jackson having to break the pin to ensure his partner doesn't lose. Todd Sinclair - the official outside the ring - has to fight with The Kingdom to stop them choking Cody in the corner. The crowd are REALLY into this and organically cheer loudly every time Cody even hints at making a comeback, then jeer and boo when the heels thwart it. Finally he powerslams Vinny ON TOP OF O'Ryan and leaps into a big tag to Matt. KEVIN STEEN CANNONBALL! Taven quickly tries to attack Matt J's bad back...only for the Buck to kick him into the wall then drop Vinny with a standing Shiranui. Double flapjack by Marseglia and O'Ryan to kill his momentum though. Sam Hane misses, bringing Nick in for the hanging lungblower out of the corner. Stereo Sharpshooters by the Bucks! Taven tries to save...and is put into a Sharpshooter by Rhodes. TRIPLE SUPERKICK ON VINNY! TK and Taven break the pin at the very death. SPRINGBOARD SUICIDE DIVE BY CODY! The ruckus spills to the outside...and control is lost once Todd Sinclair is inadvertently knocked out cold! Sliced Bread #2 by Marseglia! CROSS RHODES! KICK OF THE KING...knocks out Paul Turner as well! Cross Rhodes on Taven - but there's no ref to count it! O'Ryan BLASTS Cody with his baseball bat. Rock Star Supernova nailed. A female referee in a baseball cap runs out to count the pin - and it is very obviously Brandi Rhodes. She gets to 2 then throws up middle fingers at Taven and TK. TRIPLE SUPERKICK on Taven when he threatens Brandi. Cross Rhodes nailed, and Brandi counts the pin on O'Ryan. Clearly she isn't a licensed referee though so it means nothing. The bell rings at 14:14 and music starts to play...but groggy officials Paul Turner and Todd Sinclair quickly show up to point out how dumb this is. They 'restart' the match (although I'm arguing that it didn't stop). Climax on Cody! House Of 1000 Horses on Matt! The Kingdom win at 15:49, becoming 3-time Six-Man Champions.

Rating - *** - The wrestling here was good. The Kingdom were effective heels and played well with the ultra-popular babyface trio across the ring from them. Unfortunately as the match progressed they tried to get more and more 'clever' with the multi-ref format and Kingdom Conspiracy nonsense culminating in the final few minutes which were a complete mess. The crowd - which had been REALLY heated at the half way point - became more and more quiet and confused as each ref bump and confusing, illogical decision passed. Clearly with The Elite leaving ROH need to get their belts off them. But for me it felt unhelpful to have The Kingdom get them back in such confusing and overbooked circumstances. I don't want to mark the match down too heavily though because the first two thirds were excellent.

This is a Champions Challenge pitting the Tag Champions SCU against World Champion Jay Lethal and TV Champion Jeff Cobb. Bragging rights are at stake of course, but any successful pin on a champion also puts the victor in prime position for a title shot, so if Lethal and Cobb want tag gold, or if SCU want World/TV Title glory then victory is crucial. All four of these men come in potentially distracted by huge match against BTE cast-members at Final Battle - albeit Kenny King's presence at the announce table serves as a reminder that Lethal needs to defend against him in Toronto during the Global Wars Tour first. SCU's title win doesn't actually air for another few weeks, so we are into spoiler territory for the Honor Club VOD shows...

Lethal and Kazarian start, mostly with Frankie getting the upper hand and unsettling the World Champion. Cobb and Sky soon replace them - and it's Jeff who unsettles his opponent by showing off his unexpected agility and effortlessly countering all of Scorpio's fast-paced spots. SCU recover quickly and pair up to take down Lethal. Kaz scores an early nearfall with the hiptoss neckbreaker with Jay erroneously trying to fight two opponents at once rather than enlist the help of his partner. The Tag Champions start wearing down Lethal's neck and head - eventually bashing his face into the turnbuckles so hard he falls out of the ring. Sky quickly returns him and delivers a backbreaker to worsen his injuries. ACE CRUSHER ON THE FLOOR takes out Kazarian! Hot tag to Cobb, who unleashes a series of suplexes and a standing moonsault across Scorpio's chest. Lethal is still injured but demands to be let back into the action; he and Jeff taking turns to hit a relay-stalling vertical suplex for 2. The singles champions ruthlessly attack Sky's midsection, quickly looking to even up the serious damage Lethal has sustained. Cobb gets a 2-count with the swinging back suplex before putting all of his body weight on top of Sky with an intense bear hug. It reaches the point where Frankie has to start invading the ring to rescue his partner from pins and submission holds now. Scorpio goes back to Jay's bad neck - delivering a jumping neckbreaker which leaves them both flat out. Jumping knee strike by Sky! Jumping enzi by Lethal! NO SOLD so Scorpio can decapitate him with a lariat. Kaz tags to Jerry Lynn Cobb in his own corner! Stunner/DDT combo on both opponents by Frankie. SCU line Lethal up for a LUNGBLOWER/TOMIKAZE COMBO! Cobb breaks the pin...so gets double stomped across the back by Scorpio then eats a rolling neckbreaker by Kazarian. SCU trap Jay in the corner looking for a double superplex...only for Jeff to pull them off the ropes for a STALLING DOUBLE WRIST CLUTCH SUPLEX! HAIL TO THE KING! TOPE SUICIDA from Lethal to Scorpio, whilst inside Jeff gets a nearfall with a bridging German. RUNNING FRANKENSTEINER from Sky to Cobb! Slingshot Ace Cutter by Frankie...straight into the slingshot rana to the floor taking Jeff out. The Briscoes appear on the stage to agitate SCU; throwing a chair at Sky and watching as Cobb hits TOUR OF THE ISLANDS to pin Kazarian at 18:07

Rating - **** - A super tag team match which probably flew a little under the radar in 2018. It was also a match which offered a glimpse into ROH's 2019, as Lethal and Cobb putting in impressive performances against the AEW-bound and more-established SCU pair. They weren't ambitious and they certainly didn't try to get too cute like big chunks of the preceding Elite vs Kingdom trios bout. The formula was clear but well-executed, the action was both logical and exciting...and the whole eighteen minute encounter felt well-paced to peak just at the right time. I have no issue with the Briscoes showing up in the manner that they did; having minimal impact on the quality of the match whilst delivering relevant storyline progression as we build to SCU/Briscoes/Bucks at Final Battle.

Jay and Mark aren't wrestling this evening, but are in the building anyway and making a point of trash talking the defeated SCU team before walking out...

Ian Riccaboni announces that Rush is coming to ROH and will debut at the Philadelphia TV taping the night after Final Battle...

There are some fascinating stories between these six men. Daniels is out of contract in less than two months so wants to secure a title shot and also secure his future in the company. Gresham has pushed Jay Lethal to the limit more than anyone else in 2018 and would love another rematch with his rival-turned-partner. Page and Marty have an advantage as friends and stable-mates so may potentially join forces to thin the herd...but both are intensely ambitious and both made no secret of their desire for title shots. That leaves luchador wildcard Maya - a rogue presence but one who will feel completely at home in a multi-man format like this - and PJ, an international superstar looking to make a huge impact on his first night with the promotion. As ever, the winner receives a future World Title shot...

Daniels has some taping on his ribs to sell the attacks of the Bruiser earlier, whilst Gresham is still nursing his neck after his gruelling bout with Tracy Williams. Scurll and Page shake hands to signal their intention to work together. Daniels starts with Maya but quickly finds the size and speed of the accomplished luchador too hot to handle. PJ and Page enter next and are completely evenly matched, and it's the same story with Scurll and Gresham who run through an electrifying little exchange of holds. Gresh looks for a superplex...but before he can do so Daniels, Guerrero and Black all pile in looking to set up a Tower Of Doom with The Villain at the summit. Thankfully for Marty, Hangman has his back and throws them all down before they can hit it. Rope-run super armdrag from Maya to PJ gets 2. Black rides that and gives the CMLL star a pop-up powerbomb, to eliminate him at 05:19. Up next Gresham is too fast and too full of tricks for Hangman...but before he can press home his advantage he is attacked from behind by Marty as once again the BTE cast-mates team up. Gresh dismisses Scurll with a Stunner/German suplex combo, but in doing so turns his back on Hangman who destroys him with the Buckshot Lariat. RITE OF PASSAGE! Gresham is the next to go in a disappointingly brief 07:22. Daniels and PJ pool their veteran resources to fight the Scurll/Page alliance meaning an impromptu tag team match breaks out. Marty uses his 'heavyweight' wrestling skills to work over Daniels - most of his offence locked in on either his bad ribs or his equally bad neck. This time, though, Daniels has back-up and finds PJ on hand to help out. Together they isolate Scurll in the ring...to the point that PJ quite literally pendulum swings Marty into the dismissive boot of the Fallen Angel. Finally The Villain fights his way across to Hangman, who batters PJ to the mat with a lariat then dives out of the ring into a tope suicida to crush Daniels' bad ribs against the guardrails. Drop-sault gets 2 and also buys Marty precious recovery time as well. MOONSAULT PRESS! Discus lariat gets 2 on Black...before Daniels breaks the pin?! GREAT call from Cabana on commentary, pointing out that Daniels is taking a risk but effectively had to break it up to avoid being left 2-on-1 with Page and Scurll. Apron Superkick/SSP torpedo to the floor combo by Marty and Hangman to wipe Daniels out. The Villain then storms the ring, snags Black in a deep roll-up and eliminates the Darewolf at 17:47. The fans jeer and taunt PJ as he leaves the building. Marty and Page quickly tear into Daniels with a barrage of strikes, leaving the former World Champion unable to stand. Not satisfied with that, they take him out of the ring to batter his injured ribs against the metal guardrails too. Inevitably though, The Elite alliance starts to fray...and equally inevitably it is The Villain that makes the first move and tries to sneak-pin Page from behind. Hangman is instantly furious and as they argue Daniels attacks them both. Blue Thunder Driver on Marty gets 2. BUCKSHOT LARIAT ON MARTY! It is debatable whether Page meant to do that, although it quickly becomes irrelevant as Daniels drops Page to the ground and nails the Best Moonsault Ever to eliminate him at 23:26. Our final two are Scurll and Daniels. PACKAGE PILEDRIVER by Marty! Daniels blocks the Chickenwing...but is Superkicked into Graduation instead. Marty wins at 24:30

Rating - **** - Packing six guys into one match, usually without giving them enough time, tends to cause these SOTF finals to feel a little disjointed. The real strength of this final was that it told a pretty solid narrative throughout. The Page/Scurll duo was the central plot-point from the moment they shook hands to the moment Hangman was sent packing in the closing stages. They helped each other out of troublesome situations, they paired up to work guys over...causing such a major shift in the fabric of the match that it forced a radical strategy re-think from the veterans too. Daniels and Black recognised the danger, formed an alliance and drove the final four into a standard 2-on-2 tag match. It was silly at times (Riccaboni rightly questioned why Marty wouldn't just make a tag to one of PJ or Daniels whilst he was trapped in 'their' corner) but I loved the dramatic pay-off of Daniels actually saving Black from a pin because he didn't want to risk going it alone with The Elite. Sometimes SOTF Finals stick out in the memory for certain reasons. 2004 was Austin Aries' break-out moment with Danielson. 2007 was the year Chris Hero steam-rolled the entire competition. 2010 was the year Eddie Edwards won it with one arm. 2012 was the year they put it on TV. 2015 was the year Michael Elgin became the first repeat winner. This was nowhere near any of the 'best' SOTF finals...but it will DEFINITELY stick out in the memory as 'the final where Page and Scurll worked as a team for the entire match'.

Tape Rating - *** - Opinion seems very much split on Survival Of The Fittest 2018. On the one hand it is an INCREDIBLY solid wrestling show with some significant moments too (Cody and the Bucks dropping the Six-Man Titles on their way out, Marty winning SOTF, debuts for PJ and Tracy). But it does also feel like a collection of barely connected, wholly decent but quickly forgettable matches with screwy finishes in several high profile matches. In a strange way this show embodies almost everything that was wrong with ROH as they lurch desperately towards the end of 2018 and the AEW talent exodus. They have a lot of good wrestlers and produce a lot of good matches, as we saw on this show. They are even trying to push (or recruit) new talents to fill the void like King, Flip, Gresham, PJ, Tracy, Cobb. But still the most over guys on the roster by a mile are The Elite, still there are almost NO storylines for the vast majority of the roster, still major matches are handicapped by dismal time allowances and horrendous amounts of overbooking...and the crippling inability to get fans to engage or emotionally invest in anything which isn't Cody, the Bucks, Page, Marty or SCU spells disaster ahead when most of that group goes elsewhere. Personally I thought there was far more good than bad on this show and there are plenty of matches I could pick out as recommendations to anyone with an Honor Club subscription. Is what we got here enough to convince casual viewers to stick with ROH once their favourites leave though? I'll leave you to answer that for yourself...

3) Marty Scurll vs Christopher Daniels vs Adam Page vs PJ Black vs Jonathan Gresham vs Guerrero Maya Jr (****)

2) Jay Lethal/Jeff Cobb vs Frankie Kazarian/Scorpio Sky (****)

1) Jonathan Gresham vs Tracy Williams (****)