ROH 509 - Manhattan Mayhem 8 - 20th July 2019

Starting tonight Ring Of Honor dramatically changes its entire business model/taping schedule. Rather than running separate TV tapings, they've now decided to broadcast every event live on Honor Club then take the best bits and put those on TV alongside exclusive matches, interview content and so on. Having lost so much ground on all the promotions around them in 2019 it's an interesting move. Making every show a live event/VOD/DVD product increases the value and prestige around live events and makes the model more reminiscent of ROH's 'classic' era. But it also ensures that almost all of ROH's product is hidden behind a paywall, with the TV show reduced into significance and airing weeks-old highlights and matches many may have already seen. I said at the time I felt it was a justifiable move; ROH had so little buzz in the previous format, and seemingly had no desire to switch to a weekly 'live', multi-hour TV show format that would see them directly mirror the content offered by WWE or AEW. Therefore focusing on producing more high profile live events and adopting a model more reminiscent of the 'golden years' of the company isn't such an outlandish idea. They begin with a return to the Hammerstein Ballroom, and although attendance is healthy it is visibly (and sadly) down on what the company has been able to draw in this building - to the extent that I wonder if they'd have been better suited running in the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center instead. That said, this show wound up being one of ROH's most well-received shows of the year. The main event sees the Briscoes once again positioned as challengers to the Guerrillas Of Destiny and the ROH Tag Titles - but this time in a Street Fight. Elsewhere Jay Lethal challenges Matt Taven for the World Title, Rush and TK O'Ryan meet in a rematch of Rush's ROH debut and PJ Black once again joins Lifeblood for an 8-Man Tag against Villain Enterprises. Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman and Colt Cabana provide commentary in Manhattan, NY.

SIDENOTE - Since I remain very much an advocate of physical media, I'm reviewing the DVD copy of this show that was included as part of the 'Best Of 2019' 10-disc set. The first match isn't on the DVD and wasn't included on the VOD either; it was a dark match taped at the start of the show and later released as an Honor Club Exclusive - but since I like the four men involved I've decided to check it out

Shane Taylor vs Silas Young vs Josh Woods vs Tracy Williams
This is a Proving Ground Match, and if anyone other than Taylor wins they'll receive a shot at the TV Title at Summer Supercard. Taylor and Young have been allies thus far in the year, so it will be interesting to see whether that allegiance will remain intact or whether Young's desire to get the TV Title back takes precedence. Silas was also involved in an altercation with Josh Woods at the recent Philadelphia TV tapings; beating him with a low blow then telling him he was wasting his talent and needed a mentor like the 'Last Real Man' to unlock his potential. Josh also had a 2018 rivalry with Taylor that he'd love to re-explore. Williams is a member of Lifeblood; a group which has had issues with Silas and Taylor all year - so someone that would love to nab a win then go onto Toronto for a singles match with the title on the line. Hot Sauce also has form in this environment; winning a four corner match at War Of The Worlds 2019: Grand Rapids earlier in the year to earn a World Title shot. 

All four men in the ring together; Woods making a beeline for Young looking for some payback for Philly. It isn't long before Taylor and Woods start slugging it out too; giving Silas the opportunity to ambush 'The Goods' from behind. Shane and Silas do start acting as a team, but even then get beaten to the floor by their adversaries. Woods and Williams run through a thrilling grappling/counter-wrestling exchange...ended by Taylor who almost breaks the guardrails with Tracy's body. Young double-crosses Taylor and cheap-shots him from behind, but the champ no-sells it and looks furious; crushing Silas with a spinebuster. Hot Sauce and Taylor chop the sh*t out of each other; mercilessly smashing lumps out of their rival's chest with neither man backing down. Tracy catches Shane in a hanging armbreaker in the ropes. MISSILE DROPKICK/GERMAN SUPLEX COMBO from Williams and Woods to the champ! Williams opportunistically puts Josh in a Cloverleaf - broken by the Last Real Man. EXPLODER SUPLEX from Woods to Taylor! SUPER TURNBUCKLE DDT by Tracy! But he gets caught on the top rope, as Josh POWERBOMBS Silas into a superplex on Hot Sauce. Second rope splash onto everyone by Shane T! Knee strike by Woods! Anarchist Suplex by Silas! BRAINBUSTER by Tracy! He traps Taylor in a Crossface and seems on the brink of tapping the champ out until Young rakes his eyes. Todd Sinclair gets clocked around the face when Silas goes for Misery...and as he is knocked sideways Woods pounces to give Silas an illegal low blow. Williams strikes lumps out of Josh and gives Young a Piledriver! Williams wins at 10:46

Rating - *** - Great value for a dark match/Honor Club exclusive. As I said during my introduction; the shift in format means live events suddenly become a lot more meaningful as almost anything good can be lifted into the weekly TV show. I'm hoping it means we'll see fewer great wrestlers working on autopilot on B-shows, and more matches like this where skilled athletes just lay it all out there. In just ten minutes this match really did give you everything you needed to see; Silas carrying the focal point of the story-telling via his interactions with Taylor or Woods, Shane smashing through challengers like a wrecking ball, sensational technical wrestling from Williams and Woods, Josh getting payback on Silas for Philadelphia...and Tracy getting a popular win in his hometown. 

Shane T interrupts Tracy's celebrations to get in his face whilst raising the TV Title belt. Hot Sauce isn't intimidated; and instead grabs the belt from the champion to pose with it...

SIDENOTE - The main card starts at this point...

Dragon Lee vs Jonathan Gresham
This is a rematch from Best Of Super Juniors A Block, where Dragon defeated Gresham. That tour seems to have changed The Octopus though, as he has returned from Japan a different wrestler to the man who left. His rivalry with Silas Young has caused him to abandon his quest to purify Ring Of Honor. In a promotion where all values have been abandoned, he is now out for himself and looking for victories through any means necessary. Since returning he is on a two-match winning streak, using nefarious tactics to win on both occasions. 

Gresham shakes hands, refuses to let go and almost sweeps Lee straight into the Octopus Stretch as the bell rings. Dragon needs all his smarts to escape and they start countering frenetically for the next thirty seconds. Lee decides he'd rather strike with Gresham, with such success that he even finds time for a Tranquilo pose. Gresh doesn't take kindly to that and returns to engage the luchador in a fierce strike exchange...ending when he backhands Lee in the balls (behind the referee's back). Finally Gresham gets round to some pure, technical wrestling - playing to the crowd and mocking Lee as he locks in a chickenwing. Hammerlock back suplex follows that, inflicting more damage on the arm. Now struggling with the arm, Dragon uses his legs instead and hits the BULL'S HORNS! Double underhook backbreaker nailed, but Gresh blocks Incineration and starts chopping him again. He hits a roundhouse enzi to the shoulder, then hits a QUEBRADA SWINGING DDT! NO SOLD! SNAP GERMAN SUPLEX! NO SOLD! BRIDGING GERMAN BY GRESH FOR 2! He kicks at the arm again, and chases Lee up the turnbuckles where the masked man goads him into more strikes. GHETTO STOMP by Lee! INCINERATION! BARE KNEE INCINERATION! Dragon wins at 10:11

Rating - *** - This match gave us two world class professional wrestlers delivering a strong opener, without even scratching the surface of what they could be capable of together. Gresham's new attitude made this a different match than you might have expected; he was the aggressor and instigator for much of the action here with Dragon Lee almost egging him on since Dragon backed himself to out-strike Gresham where he couldn't out-wrestle him. And that proved to be the case; going for strikes rather than wrestling holds was Gresham's undoing as Lee ultimately KO'd him with a big knee strike and took the victory.

Matt Taven enters the Hammerstein and demands a microphone from Bobby Cruise. He's happy to be back in New York, since last time he was here he won the World Title, and thinks tonight could be even better as he gets to end his years-long rivalry with Jay Lethal. Kenny King interrupts him with a reminder that last time he came to New York he won the Honor Rumble and should be considered the #1 contender. Since the 'new Ring Of Honor' is 'live and unpredictable', he demands he is added to the World Title Match tonight. Taven agrees, so Kenny walks away happy. That brings an irate Lethal to the ring, furious that yet again a 1-on-1 title match has been turned into a triple threat (just like G1 Supercard). He and Taven brawl, eventually needing referees and security to separate them...

Coast 2 Coast vs Soldiers Of Savagery vs The Bouncers
Bruiser and Milonas enter this with the biggest targets on their back (literally and figuratively). They face the winners of GOD/Briscoes tomorrow night at Mass Hysteria, meaning if they win the belts tomorrow after dropping a fall to either C2C or SOS tonight then that team will jump the line and be considered an immediate top contender for the Tag Championship. 2019 has seen Ali and LSG grow increasingly frustrated at their lack of opportunity and success. They've teamed with and opposed The Bouncers on regular occasions too, so will at least be familiar with them. Moses and Kaun of SOS are the wildcards. They enter having only just wrestled their first match on TV, but have already made an impression as henchmen to the likes of Shane Taylor. Can they mark their ROH Hammerstein debut with a victory?

St. Giovanni and Bruiser start; LSG looking particularly pumped up and laying some stiff strikes in the first minute. BCB gets some revenge by biting his face, leading to tags for Ali and Kaun. The newcomer makes a statement by emphatically drilling Shaheem with a back suplex. Milonas and Moses in - two big dudes testing each other out with a succession of shoulder blocks. Brawler plucks big Moses out of the air with a slam...but is cheap-shotted by LSG before he can capitalise. That proves to be a mistake as the Soldiers pounce in unison to isolate St. Giovanni from his partner. Ali finally flies in with a tag, but has his momentum quickly silenced with a flapjack/DDT combo by SOS. The Bouncers and SOS brawl outside the ring whilst C2C crawl away and watch the big men fight among themselves. T-GIMMICK THROUGH A TABLE ON BRUISER! Referee Brian Hebner decides to eject the Soldiers from the match for that, and as they try to argue both Ali and LSG wipe them out with big dives. Blockbuster/frog splash combo on Milonas gets 2! MILONAS THROWS LSG OVER THE TOP ROPE! Closing Time on Ali, giving The Bouncers the win at 07:35

Rating - ** - It was kept short, and I thought the lay-out of the match smartly covered up all the weaknesses of the participants whilst emphasising all of their strengths. If I were booking the show I'd have been inclined to put SOS over, but at least they left a lasting impression with their little cameos. The Bouncers winning means they enter their title shot at Mass Hysteria full of confidence, and ensures that C2C's frustration continues

Vinny Marseglia and TK O'Ryan run out and attack The Bouncers before they can celebrate. The Kingdom smash the sh*t out of them with steel chairs. Vinny lights a cigar, demands that The Kingdom be recognised as #1 contenders for the Tag Titles then stubs the cigar out on Bruiser's chest! 

TK O'Ryan vs Rush
This is a rematch from Rush's debut, where he beat TK but wound up on the wrong end of a Kingdom beating. El Toro Blanco hasn't forgotten his issues with The Kingdom, and as the wins pile up a showdown with The Kingdom's World Champion Matt Taven seems inevitable. That is unless O'Ryan can take Rush out tonight before he even makes it to Taven...

TK charges at Rush, meeting his signature early flurry with plenty of fire and violence of his own. A diving forearm smash from Rush knocks TK down and soon enough he is high-tailing around ringside looking for some respite. Rush gets increasingly frustrated at not being able to brawl with O'Ryan on the floor, and gets blind-sided with a WILD left handed punch from The Kingdom member. He hits Three Amigos on Rush, and even does an Eddie Guerrero pose to further irritate the New York crowd. That annoys Rush some more too, causing him to make another error and run full speed into a spinebuster from TKO. But Rush spits in his face and demands O'Ryan start chopping him! All his strikes are no sold and Rush DROPS O'Ryan with a snap German and an Incineration knee strike. In an instant El Toro Blanco has O'Ryan out of the ring and lined up for repeated head-first trips into the guardrails. BULL'S HORNS! Rush wins at 07:48

Rating - *** - Rush and TK have good chemistry as opponents. I preferred their TV match as it went a little longer and was more of a spectacle. This, though, was a tight and concise package - giving O'Ryan a real opportunity to shine before finally being steamrolled by the impressive Rush. I really liked the way this match built up to Rush's violence party on the outside. He does it in literally every match, so having that built into the theatre and pageantry of the match itself here was so smart. TK only works a couple more shows in 2019 before taking time off to deal with concussion-related issues (something that would be a hot topic for ROH later in the year), which is a shame as he's really grown as a worker this year. Both matches with Rush have given us glimpses of genuine potential.

A fan in a Rush mask and shirt jumps the rail and attacks El Toro Blanco; throwing a chair into his face then braining him against the ringpost. It's very obviously Dalton Castle, who hauls Rush into the ring for a sinister rip-off of the Bull's Horns - sending a message before they meet tomorrow at Mass Hysteria.

Matt Taven vs Kenny King vs Jay Lethal - ROH World Title Match
As we heard earlier, the rivalry between Taven and Lethal goes back years. They've fought for the TV Title and the World Title, they've wrestled 60-minute draws, Ladder Matches, Steel Cage Matches in baseball stadiums and more. Tonight was to be the rematch from their big 17th Anniversary time limit draw; Taven now defending the belt having won it from Lethal in a triple threat Ladder Match at G1 Supercard also featuring Marty Scurll. But Kenny also has a legitimate claim to the title. He earned a title shot by winning the 2019 Honor Rumble, and even if Lethal is entitled to a rematch, he has a claim to be ahead of Lethal in the pecking order after beating him in a Best Of Three Series (culminating at Best In The World). Taven agreeing to add King means that for a second time Lethal has seen a scheduled singles match for the World Title on a major show changed to a three-way, reducing his chances of leaving as champion as a result. 2019 has been a frustrating year for him; can he channel that year of angst into becoming a three-time champion tonight? Alex Shelley meets the winner of this for the title at Summer Supercard and joins commentary to do some scouting...

Lethal again has timekeeper Amy Rose ejected from ringside due to her association with King. There is a super atmosphere inside the Hammerstein during the entrances, with plenty of support for both Lethal and Taven. Matt walks away at the bell and demands that the other two get the fight started; which Kenny duly obliges. He and Lethal run through  a scorching sequence where they attempt and counter all of Jay's signature offensive combinations again. Taven tries to drag Lethal out for a fight, so King hits a CRAZY corkscrew pescado onto both of them. Inverted neckbreaker scores on Lethal for 2, softening up the neck perhaps for another Lethal 'King-jection'. Discus Lariat by Taven; picking his spots and sneaking in to ambush both opponents at once. Rolling neckbreaker on Lethal, followed by an Asai moonsault for 2. King blocks the Proton Pack so Lethal traps them both in the corner to deliver dropkicks aimed at their unprotected faces. Lethal Combination on Kenny; making the point that King is now so worn down that Jay can finally start attempting all his favourite moves. Unfortunately it means taking his eyes off the champ...who walks over and slaps him in the face. E HONDA STRIKES by Lethal in response, channelling his old mentor Samoa Joe. All three men stand in the middle of the ring teeing off on each other; Kenny initially taking the brunt of the punishment before rallying and decking both opponents with diving clotheslines. Capo Kick from King to Lethal...Kick Of The King from Taven to Kenny! TOPE SUICIDA through both men by Taven! AIR TAVEN WIPES OUT KENNY! Lethal dodged that, sprints into the ring and TOPE SUICIDAS HIM INTO THE GUARDRAILS! Figure 4 Leglock on Kenny. AURORA BOREALIS by Taven to break it! Then he steals the Figure 4 for himself trying to tap King out. Lethal tries to break it with Hail To The King BUT MISSES AS KENNY COUNTERS THE FIGURE 4! That was awesome! Chin Checker nailed! Kick Of The King nailed! DOUBLE ONE NIGHT STAND by Kenny gets 2! Taven blocks the Royal Flush and decapitates King with Just The Tip...but walks into the LETHAL INJECTION! FOR 2! Jay is so frustrated he's almost in tears! LETHAL KING-JECTION! ROYAL FLUSH! CLIMAX ON KING! Taven pins Lethal to retain at 15:57

Rating - **** - A quite terrific triple threat match, and I say that as someone who really isn't a fan of this match format. Although all shows are now taped for Honor Club, it's important to remember that ROH still needs TV content and I thought this was a brilliant bout to tape for television. Adding in Kenny removed the pressure to deliver a sprawling, epic follow-up to the Taven/Lethal one-hour match earlier in the year. The result was outright fun; three guys who bounced off each other extremely well - working in elements of Lethal's singles rivalries with both men, pacing and laying out the match with serious intelligence and timing - all culminating with Taven finally getting a clean pin on Lethal to completely legitimise his championship reign. As I've said a number of times, it's okay to disagree with the decision to put Matt Taven in this spot. But his body of work as champion demands more respect than it gets - he played his part in a real cracker here.

Lethal begrudgingly extends his hand to show respect to Matt Taven with a handshake...but the champion shows his class by low blowing him then walking out. Another night in New York ends in crushing defeat for 'The Franchise'...

Tracy Williams/Mark Haskins/Bandido/PJ Black vs Marty Scurll/Flip Gordon/Brody King/PCO
The rivalry between Lifeblood and Villain Enterprises continues to heat up. At Best In The World we saw Flip seemingly accept the offer to join Lifeblood, only to betray them immediately by being revealed as 'The Mercenary' of Villain Enterprises. He has plenty of history with Lifeblood too; injuring his knee earlier in the year in a match against Tracy, then teaming with Haskins and Hot Sauce to face his old rival Bully Ray at G1 Supercard. He also beat Bandido in one of the best matches of the 2019 War Of The Worlds Tour. He isn't 100% tonight though; carrying an arm injury he sustained putting Williams through a table at Best In The World. Lifeblood gained a measure of revenge over the Villains at the recent Philadelphia TV tapings when they bested Scurll, Brody and PCO in a wild Street Fight. 'Darewolf' PJ Black is back alongside them to even the numbers in the next instalment in this simmering feud...

Gordon is competing with his arm in such a heavy brace it is essentially immobilised. Marty and Williams (in his second match of the evening) get us started. The Villain looks to use some of his British influences early on but finds Tracy more than up to the task of grappling and chain-wrestling with him. Bandido tags and is far too quick for Scurll, instantly sending him packing back to his corner. Flip tags, looking to pick up where he left off with Bandido in their classic at War Of The Worlds. He antagonises the luchador then quickly tags out to Brody, who grabs the arm and runs up the ropes for a DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD LUCHA ARMDRAG! Springboard rana in response by Bandido! Haskins tags and goes after Marty's arm, with all his partners following him and taking turns to target the same body part. King and PCO finally have to invade the ring to rescue their partner; scattering Lifeblood around ringside so Brody can hit a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! BACK BODY DROP PLANCHA by Scurll and PCO! The Monster returns to the ring with a Swanton Bomb on Tracy for 2. A double chokeslam by PCO and King gets the same result. Flip tags for his first meaningful offence of the match, but is visibly unable to use his left arm and he contributes little more than a few kicks and a choke in the corner before vacating again. Scurll gets too confident and starts taunting his English rival Haskins in particular - turning his back on Tracy who delivers a back suplex. TORNILLO by Bandido! He lures King into colliding with the turnbuckles then CATCHES PCO IN MID-AIR FOR A DAMN POWERSLAM! TWISTING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! Gordon tries to rescue Marty with a chair, but Williams intercepts it and chases Flip all the way to the locker room with the weapon! Haskins throws a flurry of kicks and Brody and PCO and somehow manages to knock them both out of the ring. ELBOW SUICIDA! Just Kidding enzi from Scurll to Haskins! Tracy is back from the locker room and knocks Brody goofy with some brutal palm strikes. Everyone starts fighting on the floor, not watching as PCO climbs to the top rope. PCO-SAULT TO THE FLOOR! Bandido gets up and gives him a MEXICAN DESTROYER ON THE APRON! Ligerbomb from Brody to Haskins gets 2! Gonzo Bomb blocked, with Black flying in to save with a double stomp. 21-PLEX on King! SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH! PJ pins King to win at 17:30

Rating - **** - There's not much I can say about this, other than that was another extremely strong Villain Enterprises multi-man tag. It was laid out and paced well, they worked around Flip being so injured he couldn't really wrestle as best they could, they allowed Bandido, Brody and PCO plenty of time to do their crazy sh*t, Williams was presented as a lethal technician, Scurll was an antagonistic prick, Haskins was tenacious as ever. This was in a tough spot; following the hot World Title Match and having to carry Flip...but they did a great job with it. Which isn't necessarily surprising since the bout contained some of ROH's most reliable and consistent wrestlers of 2019.

Guerrillas Of Destiny vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe - ROH Tag Title Street Fight
The bitter war between the Guerrillas and the Briscoes continues to escalate. They clashed at Honor Rising in Tokyo early in the year but their dream of an ROH vs IWGP Tag Title showdown in Madison Square Garden was dashed when Villain Enterprises ended the Briscoes' tenth reign as ROH Tag Champions at the 17th Anniversary. GOD captured those belts from Brody and PCO at G1 Supercard, brawled with the Briscoes then left the event in disgust (with ROH's belts in tow) as Jay and Mark were left in a confrontation with Enzo and Big Cass. The Briscoes were made to wait until the final night of the War Of The Worlds Tour for another shot at Tonga and Loa...but in a thrilling tag encounter the GOD cheated to retain and take the belts back to Japan once again. Jay and Mark have been granted a rematch, and as this feud gets increasingly personal it has been decided that a Street Fight is needed to separate these two teams...

The GOD get a huge babyface reaction from the crowd, as the Briscoes circle the ring already armed with weapons. They charge the ring armed with kendo sticks, but the champs have enough about them to stave off the attack despite being unarmed. Tonga rams Mark into the guardrails, whilst Loa snatches one of the kendo sticks and rattles it across Jay's skull. Jay hits back by draping him over a table at ringside, as Mark takes a run-up and STEPS OFF A CHAIR INTO A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA THROUGH THE TABLE! As if that weren't enough he gets right back up and hits a Cactus Elbow too. Tanga recovers sufficiently to retaliate with a body slam through a table on Mark within minutes though. He mows Mark down again on the apron to stop the Briscoes hitting a Doomsday Device to the floor. BACK DROP OFF THE APRON ONTO A STACK OF CHAIRS! Tonga meanwhile starts wielding a kendo stick like a samurai before almost breaking it on Jay Briscoe's face! Jay comes back by swinging a chair at the Guerrillas to prevent the Magic Killer. Redneck Boogie on a chair gets 2. Mark grabs another kendo stick and starts flogging the sh*t out of both Guerrillas, with Loa barely retaining enough of his senses to stop the younger Briscoe hitting a top rope dive too. Tama lays Mark on the table, as on the apron Loa scoops Jay up for a POWERBOMB THROUGH HIS BROTHER AND THE TABLE! MAGIC KILLER ON CHAIRS gets 2! They look for an Awesome Bomb to follow but Mark counters with a frankensteiner. GUN STUN on Jay! Mark launches a chair right into Tonga's face before he can pin though! He pulls a ladder out from under the ring, but has to go and rescue his brother soon as Tanga almost knocks him out with a chair. Jay is busted open as a result of that, yet keeps throwing strikes with Loa. Inside the ring Mark puts Tama on another table and starts climbing the ladder. Loa saves his partner and climbs up the ladder with Mark. Jay pulls Tama onto his shoulders...DOOMSDAY FROGGY BOW THROUGH A F*CKING TABLE! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Briscoes win back the Tag Titles at 17:39

Rating - **** - The best thing about this match was how visceral and nasty it felt. Even with chairs, ladders and tables involved this wasn't a TLC-esque match filled with elaborate stunts and set pieces. Indeed, probably my least favourite thing about this was that there were a number of occasions where it seemed like setting up the furniture for a big centrepiece high spot actually curtailed some of the organic momentum and hatred they were building. But at their best this was just a savage, dirty fight. They laid into each other with whatever they could grab from around ringside; delivering some quite sickening shots with kendo sticks and chairs. There was an almost an elegance to the simplicity of the violence on display here. And kudos to the Briscoes who after seventeen years in this company are still showing up, still putting on classics, still beating their bodies into the ground...and still innovating stunning, remarkable, memorable finishes that take your breath away. 

Tape Rating - **** - Excluding the bonus contendership fourway, this show clocks in at just over a punchy and crisp two hours. This format heralds a new era for Ring Of Honor, and in many ways this event reminded me of those 2007 early pay-per-views (Respect Is Earned, Driven, Man Up) in how it flew by in a blur - your senses almost assaulted with a barrage of diverse, energetic and exciting wrestling styles. In all honesty, if you are talking solely in terms of match quality Manhattan Mayhem isn't THAT much better than several shows ROH have ran this year. The key difference is that this show featured far fewer dumb ass finishes, less meddling from the booker, a really great crowd and a product which felt far more adult and relevant to the landscape of pro-wrestling fandom in 2019 than some of the stale, corporate, sanitised shows Sinclair-owned ROH have pumped out. Manhattan Mayhem 8 was a rare success story for ROH this year; critically well-received and providing a welcome feeling that once again anything could happen at an ROH live show. If only they could have kept this up...

Top 3 Matches
3) Tracy Williams/Mark Haskins/Bandido/PJ Black vs Marty Scurll/Flip Gordon/Brody King/PCO (****)
2) Matt Taven vs Jay Lethal vs Kenny King (****)
1) Guerrillas Of Destiny vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe (****)

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