McXal's Reviews

In my first draft of this introductory paragraph I called the first two nights of the Global Wars 2018 Tour 'disastrous'. That wouldn't have been fair, neither Lewiston nor Lowell were disasters. But on the flip side, at least a disaster would have been memorable. Instead the two shows drifted by in a malaise of rather dreary, forgettable, short matches that have left us limping towards a loaded Final Battle PPV. Will Night 3 of the Tour deliver better? A card which boasts Cobb vs EVIL, Juice vs Silas, Lethal vs Sabin and Young Bucks vs Naito and SANADA - all before a triple threat tag main event throwing together the Briscoes, the Best Friends and The Elite - suggests things could be picking up. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana have journeyed to Buffalo, NY...and are joined by Caprice Coleman too.

The Addiction are first through the curtain, in front of a building which for the first time on the tour looks legitimately packed. They run through their catchphrases, send a message of solidarity to those suffering in the California wildfires and even find time for some niceties with their old foe COO Joe Koff who is mooching about in the front row for unspecified reasons. 

We are set to open the show with Matt Taven and Vinny Marseglia facing The Boys. The Kingdom aren't interested in a match and simply mug the twins. They inflict a savage beating, Taven starts flogging them with a belt and Marseglia chokes the other with a rope. BRAINBUSTER ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR BY VINNY! Inside the ring Taven LAWN DARTS the other Boy through a chair. They start filling the ring with chairs and calling for Dalton Castle - who (finally) arrives before The Boys can be killed off with a double Con-Chair-To. He is furious, which Taven basically ignores so he can offer to put the 'Real World Title' on the line against Dalton at Final Battle. TK O'Ryan shows up to attack Castle on the stage leading in to our first actual match of the night...

We've spoken before about how TK, despite having been in ROH for more than two years now, almost never wrestles in singles matches. He gets another chance tonight, looking to soften up former World Champion Dalton Castle ahead of his Final Battle showdown with Matt Taven. Not that Dalton needs much softening up considering the amount of injuries he works through every night...

O'Ryan spears Castle (and his bad back) into the wall of the building before he even gets off the stage. Taven gets in some cheap-shots too before security starts trying to get he and Marseglia away. It has to be said that the serious presentation of this angle is undermined by Dalton working in his Christmas jumper. TK starts driving his back into the side of the ring, continuing until Castle can't even stand to fight back. Next he chokes at Dalton with his own Christmas jumper...and retains enough sense and composure to dart towards the ropes the second Castle tries to grapple or suplex him. Out of desperation Dalton tries Bang-A-Rang...and collapses in pain before getting close to executing it. He settles for a DDT instead but that too hurts his back of course. LEG CAPTURE back suplex! With every move he makes Dalton is now screaming out in pain though. He manages to rattle TK with a running knee...and lifts him into Bang-A-Rang. Castle wins at 07:59

Rating - ** - The angle with Taven, Vinny and The Boys was a simple and effective way to put more heat on Taven vs Castle at Final Battle. Following on from that I thought they carried the momentum from that segment into the match really well. O'Ryan was aggressive in his assault on Dalton's back, and Castle himself sold everything like complete death. Unfortunately it is another match on this tour which felt like it ended just as things were getting interesting. I wanted longer to see how TK pressed home his advantage. I wanted more time to really let Castle become a sympathetic figure by putting over that back injury. Most importantly, I wanted them to create a scenario where it would feel like O'Ryan could have conceivably won. They were on the right track but needed longer...rather than jumping into a disappointingly abrupt finish. 

Dalton gets on the microphone and admits that he is being held together by bandages, but that won't slow him down and won't stop him accepting Matt Taven's challenge at Final Battle.

On the final leg of the Global Wars 2018 Tour King faces Jay Lethal for the World Title, so this is his warm-up match. He has been on a tear since losing to Austin Aries at Best In The World; adopting a new ruthless attitude which has seen him become a 'Bullet Club Silencer' and even defeat Jushin Liger. Having sat out the Lewiston and Lowell shows he also arrives for the weekend completely fresh too.

Kenny doesn't think Cheeseburger is a worthy opponent or suitable preparation for Lethal so starts extremely pissed off and beats on him like a thug. Cheese weathers the storm and begins sneaking in strikes of his own, eventually driving his opponent to the outside so he can land a pescado. That further enrages King and he starts bashing Burger's skull against the guardrail. Reverse neckbreaker/lariat combo floors Burger again - so decisively that King is given time to taunt Eli Isom and Ryan Nova at ringside. He tries the Last Chancery only for Burger to bite his way out and toss Kenny to the floor again. Springboard knee strike lands, setting Cheese up for a flurry of elbows and a springboard crossbody for 2. RUNNING BRAINBUSTER by King! Royal Flush countered...only for Burger to springboard off the ropes straight back into the Royal Flush. Kenny wins at 06:59

Rating - * - As a standalone match this was inoffensive, but it was an absolutely lousy way to prepare King for a World Title Match. They've spent months building him up as a dangerous, ruthless competitor...so of course on the eve of his title shot they have him looking a bit silly and selling big strikes from Cheeseburger like death. I may not like Burger, but I do see his appeal as a Spike Dudley-type figure in ROH. But you didn't see Spike Dudley having an even match with Taz in ECW very often. Ring Of Honor badly need to get smarter in how they use Cheeseburger...

Both of these women will be part of the Women Of Honor World Title four-way at Final Battle, so this is an early chance to score points on each other. Kelly has been the 'Gatekeeper' of the division a long-time, but after losing her undefeated streak during the WOH Title Tournament she has been inconsistent in terms of both her win/loss record and even just getting booked. Rayne is now a full-time member of the WOH roster too and has plenty of veteran experience to help her overcome the size and power of her opponent.

Kelly emphatically kicks out and throws Madison aside when she starts trying her signature flurry of rapid-fire pinfall attempts and works hard to keep her smaller and faster opponent grounded. Rayne tries to come off the ropes but gets popped in the mouth with an elbow from the Gatekeeper and plummets to the floor. Sumie Sakai appears and sits on the stage scouting her opponents at Final Battle; scowling at Klein as she clobbers Rayne leaving her on the arena floor again. More impressive is the fallaway slam which rockets Madison across the ring and the emphatic mafia kick which almost knocks her out. She starts setting Rayne's neck up for her finishing moves with a grounded cravat - then starts repeatedly knee-ing her in the face from that position as well. Madison blocks a powerbomb with a jumping enzi but is so beaten up she collapses to the ground in a heap. Springboard crossbody nailed for 2, although even on that she is so worn out she gets minimal elevation. Klein traps her in a bridging pin and grabs the win at 07:51

Rating - ** - Placed side-by-side with King/Cheeseburger, this felt like it did a far better job of building Klein up for Final Battle than Kenny's match did for him. It was an imposing performance from The Gatekeeper; proactive and on offence throughout, effectively countering all of Madison's strengths and defeating her without even needing to use any of her finishing moves. If only ROH had been this focused in their presentation of her in 2018, and if only she got to spend more time working with seasoned opponents like Madison who can help her look like a killer, then maybe she wouldn't be in a position where ROH were having to completely rebuild her...

Rhett Titus comes out with music reminiscent of the Romantic Touch, does some muscle poses and tries to strut over to the announce table...until Todd Sinclair throws a towel around him and hauls him to the locker room. 

This is billed as a junior heavyweight dream match. BUSHI and Kushida certainly aren't strangers to each other, whilst Gresham and Flip have met on a couple of occasions as well. Cross-promotional bragging rights are at stake, in particular offering Flip and Gresh the opportunity to catch the eye of New Japan officials. It is also a welcome chance for Gordon to concentrate on furthering his reputation as a great wrestler, rather than being side-tracked by his issue with Bully Ray.

Tornado rules for this apparently; all four starting in the ring and cagily circling each other. The Japanese talents try to make the running but get taken to ground by the ROH stars. Gresh and Kushida break off, and the skills of The Octopus are sufficient to send the former TV Champion packing. Sadly that means he turns his back on Flip, who wipes him out with a springboard dropkick. Pele Kick misses, so Gordon works into a Springboard Spear instead. Bushi takes over, hitting offence on all four opponents in succession. He keeps trying to work submission holds on Kushida for reasons which aren't immediately clear...although Kushida doesn't even need anyone else's help before he escapes and delivers a Buzzsaw Kick to the LIJ representative. Pele Kick into a quebrada press by Flip, and without breaking strike he sprints at the ropes for a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA up the aisle as well. 450 Splash dodged by Gresham, who wipes everyone out with a double bulldog/dropkick triple-shot! Kinder Surprise from Flip to Bushi...before he gets caught on the top by Kushida and Gresham going for a double superplex. 450 Splash by Flip, straight into Gresham's knees. Codebreaker by Bushi! Reverse rana by Gresham...right into the Black Mist by Bushi! Bushi Roll gets 2 on Kushida. Hoverboard Lock into Back To The Future! Kushida pins Bushi to win at 09:34

Rating - ** - Some exciting sequences can't disguise the fact that this was a let-down. It was short, meaningless, cluttered, clumsy and did far too little to showcase Flip and Gresham. The two ROH talents in this match should be focal points of the promotion in 2019 so it felt unacceptable to me that they were reduced to supporting acts in the BUSHI/Kushida show. I'm not clear on why Kushida needed to win this...other than to appease the NJPW office. And I'm befuddled at how this collection of wrestlers produced something this mundane.

This should be a real battle and a stern test of Cobb's undefeated run. He is TV Champion and has dominated everyone he has shared a ring with since showing up in the summer. But in EVIL he finds an opponent with the size, power and attitude to match him. EVIL was on excursion in ROH earlier in his career and will know all about the TV Championship - and could be in line for a title shot if he can overcome The Monster tonight.

Cobb engages Evil first and soon has him diving into the ropes for a break after controlling the first minute with his grappling skill. The TV Champion is on fire - driving Evil to the floor and pounding on him out there with big strikes. Evil retaliates by chucking him into the guardrails with a deafening thud. He blinds Cobb by raking his eyes on the ropes...but Cobb starts chopping at him with his eyes closed anyway. The LIJ member is smart enough not to engage Cobb in a beefy strike battle too - raking his eyes again and then decking him with a jumping senton. Olympic Slam to escape by Cobb! Evil blocks the standing moonsault follow-up with his knees though and hits back with a fisherman suplex. The TV Champion lands a dropkick in the corner and muscles his sizeable opponent up into a quite incredible STALLING superplex. Oklahoma Stampede blocked with a superkick into the gut then Darkness Falls for 2. Everything Is Evil COUNTERED to the Athletic-Plex! Both men down! The two truck-like competitors wearily get back up and start bashing into each other with clotheslines. Lariat by Cobb, right into the standing moonsault for 2. Tour Of The Islands dodged. MAGIC KILLER OFF THE REF gets 2! TOUR OF THE ISLANDS...BLOCKED! STO BLOCKED! TOUR OF THE ISLANDS NAILED! Cobb wins at 11:56

Rating - *** - Ninety minutes into the show and we finally have something worth talking about. Indeed, this is probably in the conversation for best match of the entire Global Wars 2018 Tour so far. It wasn't clever but it didn't need to be. Fans wanted to see two big dudes clubbing the sh*t out of each other, and they delivered. The pacing was really smart, allowed EVIL to break out some of his signature Los Ingobernables tricks and (most importantly) put Cobb over as a monster. When they came, the rapid-fire countering at the end was a remarkable sight to behold.

More ROH vs NJPW action now as Juice continues his impressive tour with a bout against the Last Real Man. Robinson is 2-0 for the week so far. Young, meanwhile, has complained publically in the past about NJPW talents coming in and hogging spots on big cards keeping guys like him out of the limelight. He won't want to be bested by Juice and, as a proud 'Real Man' will almost certainly be unimpressed with Juice's flamboyant attire and attitude.

As expected, Silas looks entirely uncomfortable with Robinson's showmanship. But when he concentrates on dodging the excitable Juice's attacks he looks a potent force and causes Robinson to eat the floor of the arena on a missed pescado attempt. He cracks down on Robinson's neck and back with repeated whips to the metal railings. In the next several minutes Silas is meticulous about keeping Robinson on the ground; negating his speed and ensuring Young can continually use holds that target the injured back and neck. Juice tries to clamber onto the apron...only to be LAUNCHED backwards into the guardrail again. The Juice lands a desperate spinebuster even though his movement is now noticeably restricted by Silas' work. He gets exceptional hang-time on a flying crossbody next...and then sits alongside his fallen rival gasping for breath. Cannonball senton countered to the Killer Combo! Pulp Friction blocked too...into a full nelson slam by the Last Real Man. Juice rolls out of Misery so Young gives him The Plunge instead...and goes right into Robinson's knees. CANNONBALL! Diving powerbomb, with selling of the injured back as well, gets 2 for Juice. Silas is in such trouble he starts rolling out of the ring to kill the momentum of his adversary. He grabs the trunks and uses them to counter Pulp Friction...so Robinson pulverises him with the Left Hand Of God. Pulp Friction lined up...but Bully Ray is in the ring. He kicks Juice in the balls, giving the NJPW star a disqualification victory at 13:10

Rating - *** -  The work within the match itself was REALLY good. They produced plenty of familiarity countering, and Silas was presented with real credibility thanks to the quality of the performances. However I profusely object to the finish, which felt unnecessary and cheap after the high quality bout that came before. It's really disappointing that this is the best Delirious could come up with. ROH should never be about cutting the legs out from under what was looking like one of the better wrestling matches of the entire week with a bogus finish. It is one of the principles that the company was founded upon. Bubba Dudley is like a toxic presence hanging over the company now.

Most of the building chants for ECW, proving how goddamn stupid this whole year of Bully has been. The guy isn't over as a heel and he isn't helping get anyone over but himself. Flip Gordon comes out and threatens Bubba with a steel chair until of course Silas low blows him. Bully pulls out another kendo stick and wants to recreate the lashing he gave Flip in the ECW Arena. Not to fear, Joe Koff is here to save the day. Nothing says 'hero' like name-dropping the local cable networks into your big speech Joe. He says he'll fire Bully if he uses a kendo stick on anyone else...

Ian R does a great job of framing this match. He references the fact that LIJ have lost in multiple formats to the Young Bucks...but that this is the first time this Naito/SANADA line-up have faced them. LIJ coming in motivated to avenge multiple losses over the Bucks is a really interesting premise. It does rely on Naito working like he's even remotely interested though...

Naito keeps us waiting but does eventually start for his team. He tries to punch Matt's lights out before settling for raking his eyes and dismissing him with a running rana. He even throws some Young Bucks poses on his way to bring Sanada in. Nick blocks Skull End right off the bat, whilst Sanada ducks multiple Superkick attempts. Neckbreaker/slingshot senton combo by the Bucks to put them in charge. Naito responds by taking a cheap-shot into Matt's back and tripping him from the outside - cueing up a fluid LIJ combo sequence. Neckbreaker by Naito, who oozes composure as he slows the pace to suit the liking of his team. Nick can't work out how to pull out the Paradise Lock - a comedy spot which gets less funny every time you see it - and is positioned alongside his brother for a double Paradise dropkick to the ass. Matt's back is really bothering him...and his plight is worsened when Sanada hauls Nick off the apron to preventing him tagging. It only delays the inevitable though and moments later Nick is unleashed. Double Sharpshooters applied to LIJ, only for Matt's weakened back to allow Naito to reach the ropes. Superkick countered into Naito's signature tornado DDT. Skull End blocked...Shiranui blocked...Sharpshooter from Sanada on Matt! Moonsault misses...SUPERKICK by Nick! Sanada gets up quickly to block the Meltzer Driver. SPIKE TOMBSTONE BY LIJ gets 2! Matt can barely stand and walks into a bridging tiger suplex from Sanada...but Nick double stomps the ribs to break the pin. MOONSAULT OFF THE APRON by Nick! Spear from Matt to Sanada gets 2! Sanada tries a dropkick next...but sails straight into a double Superkick. MELTZER DRIVER! NAITO BREAKS THE PIN! More Bang For Your Buck blocked...Skull End blocked...Matt pulls Sanada over into a pin and snatches victory at 15:34

Rating - **** - Comfortably the best Global Wars 2018 match thus far, and probably Naito and Sanada's best ROH match as well. In my introduction I said that if the goal here was to present LIJ as gunning for revenge for the multiple losses suffered to the Bucks then success would largely be determined by how motivated Naito was. And, to his credit, he had his working boots at least partially on. His presence and personality really added to the usual Young Bucks formula of intricate spots, fast-paced sequences and some tremendous work centred around Matt Jackson's back. Naito absolutely convinced me that he came in pissed off at all the losses he's suffered to the Bucks...

This is a World Title Proving Ground Match, meaning if Sabin wins or takes it to a time-limit draw then he earns a title shot. He has impressed with his singles work in the second half of 2019, both in Japan and in Ring Of Honor - and as a former World Champion in other promotions he is certainly capable of securing a future ROH Title shot...particularly with Lethal completely preoccupied with scheduled defences against Kenny King in Toronto, then Cody at Final Battle. 

They go hold-for-hold at the bell and it's Sabin who grabs the upper hand with a cobra clutch forcing the champ into the ropes. But before anyone can count Jay out, when Sabin tries to quicken the pace Lethal confidently steps up with him, finally taking us back to a stalemate with a spectacular lucha-inspired armdrag counter. With the pressure on the champ in these Proving Ground Matches, Sabin has no problem running the clock-down with some silly poses...until Lethal piles in with a violent chop to put a stop to it. Hiptoss/dropkick sequence nailed for 2, setting up a backbreaker too as the champion starts to take control. More thunderous chops follow, as does a crushing powerslam onto Sabin's flagging back as well. Sensibly Sabin leaves the ring for some respite, only to walk into the springboard dropkick on the apron. Just when things look desperate Sabin counters a headscissors attempt by drilling the champ's knees into the canvas! Jay immediately leaves the ring in obvious pain allowing Sabin to level him with the PK from the apron. Back in the ring he starts working abdominal stretches, octopus stretches...and very clearly trying to run down the clock whilst inflicting damage on the champion. PUMPING brainbuster by Lethal, but the battle to get Sabin into that position ate up almost a minute by itself. Sabin counters the Lethal Injection by going right back to grounded submission holds - and we now have less than five minutes left. Tope suicida by Lethal; taking necessary risks with the onus on him to push for victory here. Lethal Combination scores for 2, although again Jay is slow to get up off the mat due to the damage he has sustained. Sabin crawls away to dive off the top rope into his flying tornado DDT. Cradle Shock blocked into a roll-up for 2 though! Lethal bates Sabin into a big strike duel...and from there decks him with an Ace Crusher. Hail To The King nailed inside the final minute...for 2. Figure 4 Leglock! Sabin has less than thirty seconds left! He refuses to tap, taking us to a 15:00 draw! Sabin survives, and earns a future title shot.

Rating - **** - Probably on the lower end of a 4* ranking from me, but I really enjoyed this and consider it one of the best examples of the 'Proving Ground' concept that Ring Of Honor have EVER produced. Sabin is such an aloof, relaxed character that he felt instantly watchable and a relatable as someone working as much with the goal of running down the clock as he was to beating his opponent. Lethal too was excellent in the emotional range he demonstrated here - from frustration to aggression and finally to outright desperation as he wilted under the pressure of having to BEAT someone who was as interested in taking time out of the match as he was in trying to win it. Everything Lethal successfully hit felt like a real struggle, whilst everything Sabin did felt designed to wear his opponent down and eat chunks out of the time limit. In a year where Jay Lethal has produced a number of GREAT matches this felt very different, but compelling nonetheless. It's also among Sabin's best ROH singles bouts.

Lethal cuts a frustrated figure as he grabs the microphone. The fans call for five more minutes...but Jay calls for ten minutes instead, and puts the World Title on the line as well. Sadly the bell barely rings before Kenny King hops the barricade and attacks them both. Caprice makes a brilliant point on commentary that King stopped the match because he has prepared for Lethal, so can't afford Sabin flipping the script at short notice. Having left the champion unconscious in the ring Kenny leaves, ready for Toronto...

This will be the second time that the Briscoes have bet Cody and Hangman on this tour, after beating them in Lewiston earlier in the week (Mark also faced Cody in Lowell). With all four of them preparing for major championship matches at Final Battle, are Chuckie and Beretta the favourites to grab the win in our main event? After Final Battle the Briscoes could potentially be Tag Champions, whilst we could see Cody as World Champion and Page as TV Champion - therefore a clean win over any of them here has the potential to instantly elevate the victor into top contendership status. Speaking of championships, this is also a warm-up for Cody vs Trent for the IWGP US Title in Toronto...

Jay forces Beretta out to prevent us from getting a preview of the Toronto US Title Match from the opening bell. Cody and Hangman team-up and secure an early advantage over the Briscoes...then turn on their heels and try to mug the Best Friends as well. Chuck and Trent are ready though and quickly knock them to the floor, before they are prevented from their traditional hug by an extremely annoyed pair of Briscoes. They single out Taylor for abuse but he squirms away to unleash a fired up Beretta. HALF NELSON SUPLEX on Mark! Stereo pescados by the Best Friends, feeding Mark into the Buckshot Lariat by Hangman! Cody barges in as well and demands a four-way hug whilst the Briscoes are laid out. Brandi Rhodes appears on the apron and shows Trent her bra to distract him, allowing Cody to put him on the mat! Jay tags in literally by punching Cody in the back of the head, then he and his brother piss off most of the arena by insisting that referee Paul Turner throw her ('and her boobies') out...which he reluctantly agrees to. Redneck Boogie gets 2 on Beretta as The Elite are still reeling from Brandi being ejected. Trent is subjected to several minutes of punishment at the hands of the Briscoes. Finally he drops Jay with a lariat then Mark with a tornado DDT...but is faced with the unfortunate reality that only Cody is in position for him to tag. Reluctantly he brings Rhodes in, and watches as Jay gets laid out with a Disaster Kick. Cross Rhodes blocked...so Page hits the SSP tackle off the apron instead. Taylor crotches Mark to stop him hitting a Froggy Bow. CROSS RHODES on Jay! FROGGY BOW to break the pin! Sole Food from Chuckie to Page! Roaring Elbow in return by Hangman...so Taylor nails him with a standing Shiranui. Rite Of Passage blocked, so Page gives him a nasty folding powerbomb instead. ROPE RUN GERMAN SUPERPLEX BY TRENT! Best Friends hit a Gobstopper/Piledriver combo on Page only for Rhodes to break the fall. Finally we get Cody and Trent one-on-one; Cody delivering a Bionic Elbow and a Superkick in quick succession. Din's Fire blocked...Gobstopper Knee lays out the ref! Mark runs in and blasts Cody with the IWGP US Title belt...as Jay decimates Beretta with a chair. The Addiction run in, and Kaz absolutely DESTROYS Jay with a chair! STRONG ZERO ON MARK! Trent pins him to win at 18:52

Rating - **** - For a long time it has felt like the Young Bucks have the market cornered for chaotic, multi-team main event matches. They are very good of course, but it was nice to see a different line-up of guys get the opportunity in this format and for the most part I thought they delivered. The Best Friends were REALLY well-utilised, involved only when the situation called for a sympathetic babyface to take a beating or when hectic, dangerous spots were being doled out. The Briscoes are vastly experienced and looked like they were having a blast riling up an audience so emphatically in support of all four of their opponents. Plus the work done to promote Cody/Trent was really neat (albeit pointless by the time we got to Toronto!). It did get a little too 'silly' at times but on the whole there was a welcome focus on crisp, brisk in-ring action...with a finish which promoted matches both for the final night of the Global Wars Tour and also for Final Battle.

Tape Rating - *** - FINALLY a show from the Global Wars 2018 Tour which is worth checking out. Admittedly the first ninety minutes of this were outright mediocre, but after that almost all of the best wrestling of the tour so far takes place. Cobb/EVIL is a fun ten-minute slug-fest, Silas/Juice had some of the best wrestling of the night within it, before getting butchered by a terrible finish...and the top three matches were all great. Bucks vs LIJ was a really neat and skilful tag team bout which is really worth checking out even if you skip everything else. Such good stuff from four slick, polished individuals. On a tour which feels like it has killed ROH's momentum in the lead-in to Final Battle rather than built it, it feels nice to actually have something positive and memorable to talk about.

3) Best Friends vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs Cody/Adam Page (****)

2) Jay Lethal vs Chris Sabin (****)

1) Young Bucks vs Tetsuya Naito/SANADA (****)