McXal's Reviews

For only the second time in 2022, it is time for another Ring Of Honor show review. I must confess that I wasn't necessarily sure we'd be reconvening for a full event under the ROH banner anymore, after the jubilant but somewhat enigmatic Supercard Of Honor event we saw back at the start of April. Back then AEW CEO Tony Khan, still in the very earliest stages of his ownership of the ROH brand too, confessed that he was running the show only because ROH's previous owners had already committed to it (even though he was under no obligation to do so). Regardless of his motivation, the resultant show he put together was one I described as 'joyous'. A cleansing of Sinclair-era ROH, a celebration of what once made the promotion so influential...but a show which offered very little insight into what the future may look like as Sinclair-era champions were swept away, ROH Titles were largely placed into the hands of AEW-contracted talent, the magnificent return of Samoa Joe a signing which did considerably more for AEW television in the short term than it did Ring Of Honor, and the much-celebrated Briscoes/FTR match ending with the Briscoes seemingly saying a farewell to the company they'd been a part of for two decades. As I said in my Supercard Of Honor review - 'in one night Khan cleaned the slate and closed the book on Sinclair-owned ROH'. A sense of finality there, and a conclusive end to the husk of a promotion Ring Of Honor had become...but few indications as to what came next.

And if you're really honest - what came next didn't shed much light either. Tony was clear that he did expect ROH to continue in one form or another - and he even had talents set aside that he viewed as specifically destined for ROH programming - but details remained sparse over what that would actually look like. Champions appeared and defended their titles on AEW (largely on Dark/Elevation), hell Samoa Joe even defeated Minoru Suzuki to take the TV Title...but largely the ROH brand name has been little more than a prop on AEW programming. The few creative decisions that had been made with an eye on Ring Of Honor's product (Tully Blanchard Enterprises, Satnam Singh's alliance with Sonjay Dutt & Jay Lethal) were some of the most poorly-received elements of AEW's product. I've not reviewed any of that content (perhaps when AEW sorts a streaming platform for its content library I'll go back and do an 'ROH on AEW' compilation review) but I have been keeping an eye on it. It wasn't bad, but none of it particularly appealed to me and certainly didn't do a great deal to inspire confidence in the value of ROH's brand to AEW and the Khan empire moving forward. But one cannot deny the momentum that the brand has started to generate once again with the announcement of this pay-per-view. 

From video packages and interview segments which have a distinct and different feel to AEW programming, confirmation that Ian, Caprice and Bobby Cruise will remain the voices of ROH, AEW continuing to sign up greats of ROH's past (e.g. Claudio) making them available for Ring Of Honor events once more, the confirmation that the poor Honor Club service is being paused for a tentative relaunch later in the year, to Tony's low key announcement during the pre-PPV media call that he has signed the Briscoes to ROH contracts, to the surprise of those who thought that Khan's relationship with Warner Media (and their alleged hesitance to allow the Briscoes onto their television) precluded him from doing so. It has felt like Tony Khan is slowly starting to piece together an identity for the Ring Of Honor brand in a way that allows it to stand as a companion product to AEW without feeling identical in tone.

And in many ways that is what makes Death Before Dishonor 19 such a fascinating show. Both Final Battle 2021 and Supercard Of Honor 14 felt like endings; the former as Sinclair's final show in charge, the latter as Khan's love-letter to ROH's past whilst formally closing the door on Sinclair's stewardship and ushering the promotion into another period of mystery and hiatus. Tonight there is a real pressure on Khan to deliver more detail on his re-imagining of Ring Of Honor, and to provide a mission statement for what he thinks the brand can be in the future...even if he doesn't necessarily know where and when they will return to a regular television/touring/event schedule. The card for this show is phenomenal. Confirming the Briscoes as under contract before they head into battle in the much-anticipated 2/3 Falls rematch with FTR adds even more intrigue to their Tag Title clash. We have duelling ROH past vs present dream matches at the top of the show as Jonathan Gresham (now of Tully Blanchard Enterprises) defends the World Title against Claudio Castagnoli (who competes in his first ROH match in more than a decade), whilst the longest reigning TV Champion in ROH history - Jay Lethal, challenges for that title against the longest (single) reigning World Champ ever in ROH; the legendary Samoa Joe. Wheeler Yuta defends the Pure Title against Daniel Garcia in an extension of AEW's Blackpool Combat Club vs Jericho Appreciation Society feud...but in a manner entirely appropriate for the tone of a standalone ROH product. There is some perplexing stuff at the bottom of the main card too (with plenty of interest for the few fans of Sinclair-era ROH). The Righteous are back, pretty much out of nowhere and with Vincent now prominently featured on Impact as part of the Honor No More stable (alongside Matt Taven, despite The Righteous being formed almost entirely as an adversarial faction to Taven's Kingdom). They'll be defending the Six-Man Titles against former champions Dalton Castle & The Boys - all of whom appear more regularly on AEW content (albeit usually Dark). Fresh off his recent AEW debut where he aligned himself with fellow ex-Ingobernable Andrade El Idolo, 'El Toro Blanco' Rush makes a return to ROH tonight as well...to face his own brother Dragon Lee. It is a sensational card, which has proven to be a hot seller too - as Tony Khan confirmed that his is expected to be one of the highest drawing (in terms of ticket revenue, PPV buys, attendance etc) events in ROH history. We're in Lowell, MA - a town ROH has run previously, but in a much larger venue. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman provide commentary.

Rumours were circling on the internet that Cabana had been quietly released from AEW, having wrapped up his storyline with Dark Order and disappeared from TV - until Tony confirmed he was still very much a part of his plans for Ring Of Honor. He returns to ROH to face a debutant, part of The Workhorseman, Anthony Henry. 

I missed the opening bell due to issues with my stream, but rejoin with Colt in the midst of his usual act of bewildering an opponent with his blend of hijinx and high quality wrestling. JD Drake (accompanying Henry to ringside) realises his partner is in danger though and acts quickly to distract Colt. Henry pounces and starts working over Cabana's neck, with Colt's former commentary partner Ian Riccaboni highlighting his neck issues caused by two decades of wear and tear. PILEDRIVER nailed for 2! A cravat puts still more pressure on the neck and even Cabana's response - a back suplex - exacerbates his own injury as much as it damages Henry at this stage. Flying Asshole nailed, followed with a huge lariat getting a 2-count for the Chicago-native. The fight spills to the floor where Drake takes a cheap-shot on Colt - setting Henry up for the Frog Splash! Colt kicks out! Missile dropkick misses, but Henry blocks the Billy Goat's Curse in response. Guillotine Choke applied...COUNTERED to the Billy Goat's Curse! JD Drake appears again...but this time inadvertently gets clocked by Henry! MOONSAULT by Colt to win the match!

Rating - *** - Colt had a really fun pre-show match with Blake Christian at Supercard, and this was in a similar vein. It was short, punchy, well-wrestled and crucially, a lot of fun. Colt is a beloved figure among long-time ROH fans and made for a terrific babyface here. Henry, on the flip side, was a hard-working young talent and felt very much the kind of worker that Gabe would've given a shot to during his tenure in charge. To that end, this felt like an earnest and authentic ROH experience. 

The Shinobi Shadow Squad are back; the recognisable and enduringly popular Cheeseburger (having now firmly dropped his attempt to rebrand as 'World Famous CB') and promising younger star Eli Isom. Their opponents are the Trust Busters - Ariya (now Ari) Daivari and former Special K member Slim J. Daivari's gimmick is that his trust fund has come in and he's now incredibly wealthy. He has bought out Slim's contract...meaning that two decades later Slim J is back to being a rich, partying asshole on ROH's undercard. 

Burger takes an early pummelling from Daivari as the Trust Busters assert themselves. Isom tags looking to help his mentor...so Ari jabs him in the throat and exits for Slim J. Bulldog from CB to Slim and traps him in La Escalera. The nefarious Daivari saves his partner with a cheap-shot, but in response Eli drops J with the spinning back suplex. Slim retaliates with diving crossbody, setting up Daivari for a frog splash - earning Trust Busters the win at 05:34

Rating - * - It's difficult to comment with any great detail on this, when we are still very much in the embryonic stages of the 'Trust Busters' gimmick in AEW. I like Ariya Daivari and Eli Isom, but there wasn't much to this match and it didn't go long enough to amount to anything. I won't pretend it didn't feel incredibly weird seeing Slim J two decades on from Special K's prime working almost the same gimmick.

Prince Nana is backstage! He has some purchased Tully Blanchard Enterprises using his Ghanaian wealth and will be in their corner for their matches tonight! That feels sudden. It's not unpleasant to see Nana back though...

The Gates Of Agony were revealed as Tully Blanchard's mystery clients at Supercard Of Honor; Kaun (formerly of ROH's Soldiers Of Savagery/Shane Taylor Promotions) and Toa Liona, alongside Brian Cage. They are now rebranded as The Embassy it seems, taking on former ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen, along with the returning Zayne and Christian (both of whom worked Supercard Of Honor too).

Deppen starts and takes the fight right to Cage, only for The Machine to effortlessly military press him into a front slam. Zayne and Kaun in next, the former somersaulting into an axe kick which floors the latter. Liona tries to save, only for Alex to somersault off his back into a frankensteiner on Kaun! The Gates Of Agony join forces to mob Zayne; Toa eventually steamrolling him to the mat with a running tackle. They isolate Zayne; Kaun drilling him with the turnbuckle backbreaker which leaves him vulnerable to a running senton the apron by Liona. DEADLIFT SUPERPLEX by Cage gets 2! Blake gets a tag and somehow quebradas into a swinging DDT on The Machine! RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR...but the Gates catch him. TOPE CON HILO BY DEPPEN! Inside-out moonsault to the floor by Zayne as well! SPRINGBOARD 450 from Christian to Cage gets 2. Liona massacres Blake with another tackle, but in the melee Cage has time to recover and obliterate Deppen with a discus lariat. GOA loom over the former TV Champion as Deppen tries to fight all three opponents single-handedly! Mafia kick/Dominator combo by Toa and Cage, giving The Embassy a win at 11:34

Rating - *** - It is hard to get past how jarring and sudden the switch from Tully Blanchard Enterprises to The Embassy is...but the match itself was enjoyable. Nana was a welcome presence at ringside but actually didn't have much relevance on the action inside the ropes. Gates Of Agony have improved since their last ROH match, Cage got his sh*t in and their smaller opposition (particularly Blake and Deppen) were empathetic babyfaces heroically fighting against the odds. The spot mayhem in the last few minutes obviously stood out as a highlight, alongside Deppen's fighting spirit.

This is a rematch from the 2021 ROH Women's Championship Tournament, which saw Kay defeat Nightingale to advance (in one of the best matches of the whole tournament). Kay works prominently in places like the NWA, whilst Willow combines travelling around the indies with regular appearances on AEW programming. That is reflected in the fact she gets one of the biggest pops of the night when she comes through the curtain!

Willow's power sees her dominate the first minute; she smiles broadly as she bullies Kay around the ring. But AK is a savvy, experienced worker - luring Willow into a corner and hitting a hanging neckbreaker on her once-broken neck. They trade HARD strikes in the corner but Nightingale is rattled and vulnerable to one of Kay's signature lariats. STF applied to do more damage to the neck...so Willow escapes and rams Allysin shoulder-first into the ringpost. Missile dropkick gets 2 for Willow, but again Kay shows her experience by dragging her powerful opponent to the ground looking for submissions. A triangle choke has some success, Nightingale then barely escapes a cross armbreaker as well. Dangerous Babe Bomb blocked into an INVERTED TOMBSTONE for 2! More damage to Willow's neck there too. POUNCE by Willow! Dangerous Babe Bomb NAILED and she wins at 07:55

Rating - *** - It is unfortunate that this felt incredibly rushed for time. It felt like they were trying to cram as much as possible into less than eight minutes which, at times, came at the expense of the crispness of their execution. But I like both athletes and I really liked the SMART story they told within this; with Kay using all of her veteran strategic nous in her efforts to overcome the 'Babe With The Power'...but with Willow on such a roll right now that Kay simply couldn't thwart her momentum. The sequence where Nightingale looked like she was about to swarm Kay, only for Allysin to drag her to the mat and come at her with a flurry of submissions, was incredibly cool. Willow is an absolute star and will surely be signed by Tony Khan for one of ROH or AEW shortly...

Holy sh*t this is a way to start the show! Claudio is back in ROH for the first time since Sinclair's first ever TV show in 2011. He has William Regal in his corner, representing the Blackpool Combat Club. Gresham has dubbed himself the best technical wrestler in the world, 'The Foundation' of ROH...and has travelled the globe looking to make that point. Tonight he faces his sternest test in one of the most powerful athletes in wrestling - and a man motivated by never having held the World Title before.

The match begins and the Fite TV feed promptly dies, which is frustrating. Giant Swing attempted, right before my feed dies again. It seems like lots of people are having issues unfortunately. Prince Nana has appeared at ringside (having not come out with Gresham), and watches as Castagnoli climbs the ropes, slips and still has the power to deliver a dead-lift gutwrench superplex for 2. Gresham is a high quality competitor though and reacts strongly by going after Double C's legs. Claudio powers him into a backbreaker...but of course comes up limping as it damages his own leg as well. The challenger is limping badly now and drops to his knees...right into a Bayonet elbow smash by Gresh for 2! Anklelock briefly applied, but Castagnoli is so tall he easily makes the ropes. BIG European uppercut flaws The Octopus...only for Gresh to get up and chop the bad knee! The knee collapses on him as he sets up the Alpamare Waterslide. LEG CAPTURE GERMAN by Gresham! Bayonet COUNTERED TO SWISS DEATH! Riccola Bomb blocked into a roll-up for 2! MMA Elbows by Claudio! RICCOLA BOMB! Claudio wins! Confetti fires through the arena as Claudio Castagnoli becomes ROH Champion. Match clocked in at 10/11 minutes (ish), but I couldn't time due to issues with the Fite feed.

Rating - **** - Clearly they could have had a different, better match under different circumstances. However, in the spot they were in - opening the PPV - I thought this was great. I loved the back and forth nature of it, I loved how effortlessly they bridged the gap in size between them to work a seamless, gorgeous bout to watch. Some of those counter sequences in the last few minutes were just beautiful. Claudio wins and is clearly a more marketable, recognisable name to represent ROH as Tony Khan tries to shop them around for a TV deal...but I truly hope Gresham remains a prominent player in the new ROH. He is one of the very best on the planet. 

The look on Claudio's face as he is handed the ROH World Title belt is one of genuine, raw emotion. It's hard not to be pleased for him

Daniel Garcia is backstage and says he is a 'sports entertainer' and therefore above the Pure Title. He belittles the Pure Championship for having 'too many rules' and says when he wins it tonight he's going to 'take it back to Dynamite' so the Jericho Appreciation Society can destroy it...

No man has been more synonymous with the ROH Six Man Titles than Vincent. He was one of the first champions, and has held them multiple times since. He returns to ROH whilst a part of 'Honor No More' in Impact (alongside Matt Taven, his most hated rival in ROH). The Righteous are reunited (including Vita VonStarr) and they are here to defend the Six-Man Titles they took from Shane Taylor Promotions at Final Battle. Their opponents are former Six-Man Champions themselves, with considerably more experience on Khan-owned wrestling programming than their adversaries tonight...

The Boys are actually being referred to by their names now. Castle and Vincent start; Marseglia quickly driving the former ROH Champion out of the ring where The Boys tend to him. Bateman in with Brent Tate...and Brandon soon following with a leapfrog double stomp off Castle's back. Dutch quickly mows through both Boys, setting Marseglia up for a Saito suplex on Brent. Dalton gives Bateman a sliding DDT before clearing the ring so he can start tossing Boys into repeated tope suicidas! He then orders them to form a human throne for him to sit on...but before he can take a seat Vita appears on the apron to distract them all. ASAI MOONSAULT to the floor by Vita...but The Boys move causing her to wipe out Vincent and Bateman. Unfortunately Dutch is lying in wait to flatten then with a somersault plancha. Redrum from Vincent to Brandon...but Dalton breaks the pin. Acid Drop on Brent. Castle saves again with the tiger feint headscissors to the floor! Bossman Slam from Dutch to Brandon. Bang-A-Rang on Bateman...and Dalton wins at 09:38

Rating - ** - In many ways this was a sobering reminder of why Sinclair's ROH gradually fell into such obscurity. There is nothing overtly wrong with any of these men. Indeed, Vincent's run as the leader of The Righteous was by far the best work of his career (that I've seen). Unfortunately for him that great work was seen by a miniscule audience as ROH's popularity dwindled to nothing, and the brutal reality is that none of these men are world class. In such a crowded landscape, with so much content being produced, do any of these six men really stand-out (beyond the pageantry of Dalton's act)? The silent audience tells you just how little this group of athletes and their contributions to Ring Of Honor were resonating with a wider wrestling audience, and how little interest AEW's fanbase has in watching them. This match felt like little more than Tony getting the last of ROH's title belts off Sinclair-era talent and back under his control. One suspects we won't be seeing The Righteous in Khan's ROH...

This is an extension of the Blackpool Combat Club vs Jericho Appreciation Society feud from AEW, but the way it brings together two incredibly talented young wrestlers feels so authentically what Ring Of Honor should be about. Yuta defeated Josh Woods at Supercard Of Honor and has been defending the Pure Title on AEW programming since, whilst ingratiating himself to William Regal, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. He now fights for ROH's honour as well, since Garcia has vowed to take the Pure Title back to Chris Jericho, where his band of Sports Entertainers can destroy it on Dynamite. These guys go back a long way, and have had critically acclaimed matches on the indies. William Regal rejoins commentary having also called the World Title Match earlier. The ringside judges for this are former Pure Champions Josh Woods & John Walters, plus ROH veteran (and former Second City Saint) Ace Steel.

The Pure Title scoreboard/time clock graphic is back. Garcia is wearing Regal colours which is pretty cool, and he starts out by slapping Yuta right in the face. Quickly they work to the mat and probe each other for weaknesses (Regal is incredible on commentary for this by the way)...until Garcia decides he has had enough and THROWS Wheeler to the floor! Outside the ring Garcia can work around the Pure Rules a little; blasting Yuta against the guardrails and weakening him significantly without having to wrestle in the slightest. Sure enough it's only when Wheeler gets back in the ring that he's able to even things up; grappling with Red Death again and going to work on the midsection. Garcia evades detection from the ref as he BITES Yuta to free himself from a submission hold - and he actually starts raking and clawing at the same ear he'd bitten right after! He then throws him head and neck-first into the turnbuckles with extreme disdain. Even Regal has to admire the diligence with which Garcia incorporates attacking Yuta's ear into everything he does! Yuta has to start jumping off the top rope to stay out of Garcia's clutches...as Regal reveals that he has instructed Yuta not to use ANY rope breaks if he wants to impress the rest of the BCC! Eleven minutes in and unable to separate themselves...the crowd roar as they SLAP THE SH*T out of each other! Garcia collapses first, seemingly having been rendered unconscious by those strikes...and when he beats the ten-count Wheeler simply DUMPS him with a German suplex! MMA Elbows on the punch-drunk Garcia...who shows amazing resilience to roll through and start ELBOWING THE BAD EAR! He tries to choke Wheeler out, only for the champ to roll through into a pin. Olympic Slam by Yuta...but Garcia counters a crossface into the Sharpshooter! GARCIA COUNTERS BACK TO THE CROSSFACE! Garcia counters...TO THE REGAL STRETCH! COUNTERED TO THE WALLS OF JERICHO by Yuta! Garcia uses the first rope-break at almost fifteen minutes! And he retaliates quickly by dropping Yuta on his head with a piledriver. Garcia stands over Yuta taunting him...only for Wheeler to snare him in a chickenwing pin! He wins at retains the title at 15:57!

Rating - **** - MOTN thus far. Everything about this was superb, from the commentary and presentation of the match to the pacing and the measured way they built up the drama. Without going crazy with spots and without going too deep into the complexities of the Pure Rules (only one rope-break in sixteen minutes of wrestling) they produced an exceptional pure, technical wrestling match. The strength of the build to this, and links to the BCC/JAS feud from AEW meant the crowd were red-hot for it as well. 

On the face of it this 'battle of brothers' might not make much sense. When we last saw them in ROH they were team-mates in La Faccion Ingobernable...and Rush recently debuted in AEW to form a new Ingobernable group with old ally Andrade El Idolo. But in 2021, before Rush got injured, there were cracks forming in his relationship with his brother. Rush had become so demented and obsessed with the World Title that even his brother felt uncomfortable and there were some fleeting moments of on-screen tension between them. Rush's injury perhaps only delayed an inevitable confrontation...and now these brothers return to ROH ready to fight. 

They start with clean, lucha-influenced wrestling which ROH's long-time announce team attribute to the respect between the brothers. Inevitably it is Rush who curtails the respectful tone as he blasts Lee with a vicious strike then poses and taunts the audience. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA by El Toro Blanco as his brother struggles to recover. And of course that takes the match to the outside where Rush is in his element; grabbing Lee by the mask and repeatedly hurling him into the guardrails. Rush starts goading his little brother; faking out the Bulls Horns and sarcastically lying over him. Dragon has seen enough - effortlessly snapping off his own somersault plancha to the floor. He puts Rush on the timekeeping table...then sprints across the ring for a TOPE SUICIDA LAWN DART SPLASH THROUGH THE TABLE! Back into the ring he flies with the top rope double stomp for 2. Rush tries to no-sell Lee's strikes...SNAP GERMAN SUPLEX DUEL! Rush hits a superplex and smiles as he hauls his brother's limp body out to the apron, until Lee explodes with one of his Incinerator knee strikes. BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX OFF THE APRON BY RUSH! So Lee grabs a second to recover, returns to the ring and retaliates with the RUNNING RANA FROM THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! Unsurprisingly both guys barely beat the twenty count to return to the ring after that. They both smile at each other before ripping into each other with more strikes...until Rush hurls Lee through the air with a HEAD DROP turnbuckle belly to belly. Bulls Horns nailed...FOR 2! GHETTO STOMP by Dragon. ONE COUNT! So Lee almost f*cking murders Rush with a Ligerbomb instead. INCINERATION! Rush kicks out again. But he's out cold; collapsing to the ground as Lee tries to line up the ripcord Incinerator. Dragon shows some concern for his brother...and Rush capitalises with an elbow strike then another Bulls Horns. Rush wins at 15:50

Rating - **** - A generous rating because at points it was all a bit of a mess, but I really did enjoy this. For those of us who lived through the last years of Sinclair's ROH, this was the kind of Rush match we just didn't get to see enough. Too often Delirious/Sinclair let him lazily auto-pilot his way through the exact same match every night. He was never really challenged or pushed...which he absolutely was here. Sure it was ugly, clumsy and little more than a frantic spot-fest - but I really dug the effort and intensity. It felt so much more vibrant than the version of Rush we've been force-fed in ROH for the last few years. And after a quiet start with the crowd (who are very clearly an AEW audience and unfamiliar with much of what was going on in the last few years of Sinclair's ROH), they won the audience over with that same effort and vitality.

ROH has credited these women with being pioneers of women's wrestling in ROH. It's true that they didn't appear in ROH themselves all that often, but they were influential figures in female independent wrestling in North America; cultivating multiple generations of talented wrestlers which has led to this point. Martinez is the dominant and undisputed champion after beating former champ Deonna Purrazzo to unify with her interim title...and defends against Deeb after these two veterans have teamed multiple times on AEW programming.

The match starts out as a technical wrestling match, which both are well-versed at but slightly favours Deeb as it means Martinez can't use her power and hard-hitting strikes. Serena shows that by going to repeated armdrags just to keep the OG down too. Martinez finally creates some space and blasts Deeb with a power move - nailing a spinebuster and following it up with repeated big kicks to the challenger's face. SPEAR ON THE APRON by Deeb! Diamond Dust back in by Deeb gets 2; Mercedes clearly dazed after that big shot on the apron. She fights on instinct though - punching Deeb in the neck before hitting a half nelson suplex. The champ chases Serena up the ropes for a HANGING BRASS CITY SLEEPER! Deeb fights out, trapping Martinez in a tree of woe and repeatedly booting her in the back and neck. Running dropkick into the exposed ribs Deeb injured when she Speared the champ on the apron. Abdominal stretch applied until Martinez essentially judo throws her way free with utter raw power. With Deeb down Mercedes grabs her in what is effectively a Bull Run stretch. That ends with the two veterans deciding they are just going to sit in the middle of the ring straight-up booting the sh*t out of each other! Martinez wins out by taking Deeb's head off with a knee strike. She pursues Serena up the ropes again and delivers a SPIDER GERMAN SUPERPLEX! Deeb is seemingly unconscious after that...but recovers to start BITING Mercedes when she looks to finish her off! TKO countered to a swinging neckbreaker by Serena. Serenity Lock escaped...so Deeb starts bouncing Martinez's knee off the mat instead. Even as Mercedes simply stands up and perches her on the top rope for a Cheeky Nandos kick! OG Drop gets 2! Brass City Sleeper applied...DEEB TAPS! Martinez retains in a fighting 17:20

Rating - **** - I loved this. It felt like a classic-era SHIMMER Match, ripped out of the mid-00's and deposited onto a 2022 Ring Of Honor pay-per-view. Mercedes Martinez and Serena Deeb are incredible wrestlers, who are arguably as good now as they've ever been in their already-impressive careers. Deeb's career-renaissance in AEW has been a heart-warming story, to the extent that it really felt like the fans were routing for her to win here. I thought that dynamic really helped them; Deeb using all her smarts and skill to take the fight to the powerful OG Badass but ultimately coming up short. These two were given a rough spot having to follow up Rush and Dragon Lee's craziness, but there is an argument to be made that they had a far superior wrestling match

These two go back to the very early years of ROH, when Joe plucked Lethal from obscurity in Special K to be his protege. He coached him to the Pure Title...then took it from him in a famous Pure Title Match at Manhattan Mayhem in 2005. Lethal turned on Joe later that same year, then departed for TNA...but has never forgiven Joe. In the time since, Joe has become an all-time great but is now aged, vulnerable and in brutal honesty - past his prime. Lethal has become, in his own right, one of the most decorated champions in ROH history. Tonight the past and present of ROH collide; a battle of two of the finest ROH World Champions of all time...as well as a personal clash between former friends turned bitter rivals. Lethal comes out without Sonjay and Satnam, which presumably means they'll come out later.

Joe's entrance hits before Lethal even makes it down the aisle, and he storms to the ring taking the fight to Jay in the aisle before the bell even rings. I still haven't heard a bell as Lethal creates some distance from the champ and connects with the Tope Trilogy. He hints at trying an Ole Kick too, but is swiftly put in his place and almost booted through the guardrails by Joe in response! Satnam Singh duly appears and attacks Joe from behind, which is fine since the match still hasn't started. Lethal wraps Joe's arm in a chair and smashes it into the ringpost...only for the ref to refuse to start the match until Satnam leaves! Singh does eventually leave, allowing Lethal to start the match fighting a one-armed TV Champion. He snaps the bad arm over the top rope, then scales the turnbuckles to land a missile dropkick on the shoulder. Despite that Joe still uses his good arm to slap the taste out of his former protege's mouth! ELBOW SUICIDAAAAA! Sometimes when Joe moves he looks his age and clearly has a lot of miles on the clock...and yet somehow he always hits that move with the same glorious brutality he always has. LARIATOOOO gets 2. Lethal Combination nailed, but it feels like Jay is struggling to inflict enough damage on the big Samoan to actually put him away. A Figure 4 attempt is effortlessly blocked with a kick to the face...so Lethal thinks about a Muscle Buster instead! Joe blocks it and decapitates Lethal with a flying leg lariat! Lethal escapes the Muscle Buster...into the LETHAL INJECTION! Joe kicks out! Lethal dropkicks the bad arm again...ST-JOE NAILED! Sonjay Dutt runs in and distracts the ref, as Lethal lands an inevitable title belt shot on the Samoan. JOE KICKS OUT! That gets the biggest pop of the night. Lethal Injection blocked...Dragon Suplex blocked. CHOKE! LETHAL TAPS! Joe retains at 12:20

Rating - *** - On the one-hand I'm disappointed. I love Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal has gotten so much better since they last wrestled. There is so much history between them and I'd rather have seen a proper match rather than the curtailed, interference-laden clash that we got. However, you can't deny that fans were eating this up. There has been some great wrestling on this show, but arguably nothing took fans on more of a journey than this one. The sheer delight of the audience when Joe kicked out of that TV Title belt blast to the head was one of the most memorable moments of the show so far. Could they have a better match - probably. Am I disappointed we didn't get what I felt they were capable of, even at this late stage in Samoa Joe's career - absolutely. But I don't say that to denigrate what we did get. It was enjoyable stuff; Lethal being a prick, Joe playing the hits whilst moving well and looking in decent shape. There was a lot to like about this, even if it didn't reach the (perhaps unrealistic) expectations I'd set for it in my head.

Many still have FTR/Briscoes from Supercard Of Honor as their 2022 MOTY thus far - from any promotion. And many were concerned that we wouldn't get to see a rematch, with the Briscoes seemingly saying farewell to ROH after that match and AEW's TV partners reportedly unwilling to allow Tony Khan to sign them due to Jay's past social media indiscretions. That night saw FTR emerge victorious in a classic - part of a streak which has seen them capture the AAA and IWGP Tag Titles as well. But the Briscoes felt it was a fluke. They felt it was a lucky shot...and have believe they only lost because they were having to work a huge number of independent matches (including four at Supercard Of Honor weekend) during ROH's hiatus. Now 'fresh as daisies' and signed to an ROH exclusive contract they return for a rematch, and have even goaded FTR into making this one 2/3 Falls to prove it wasn't a fluke. Anyone familiar with ROH's history will know the Briscoes' affinity for going 'two straight' in this environment...

Harwood and Mark start with a palpable sense of anticipation in the air. This is the main event and there's plenty of time left and you can tell they are relishing that freedom to let these early moments hang with loaded tension. Dax was so antagonistic last time but he looks a little more circumspect here. Mark briefly finds himself trapped in a wrestling match with FTR...and immediately frees himself with some Redneck Kung Fu. Jay tags in, and Harwood instantly pounces to put him on the mat with a headlock. Back suplex by Jay, bouncing Dax off the mat and sending FTR fleeing to the floor in a demonstration of why Harwood had been so keen to keep him down. Dax briefly needs medical attention such was the impact of that suplex. Wheeler tags and dumps Jay with a back suplex of his own, whilst a recovered Harwood cheap-shots Mark off the apron (returning to the aggressive presence he displayed in the first match). At the ten minute mark we have FTR teaming up to work Jay over, but just seconds later Cash makes a minor error and the tables instantly turn with a double football tackle by the Briscoes. Jay seems to relish taunting both the pro-FTR fans and also Harwood on the apron as he and his brother isolate Cash. As we saw with FTR moments earlier, Mark makes the smallest of errors and loses control - and in comes a resurgent Dax to lay into Jay with ROLLING Germans. CHOP TO THE NECK by Mark - noting that Harwood had to be checked by the doctor earlier. APRON CLOTHESLINE by Wheeler to block Mark's Cactus Elbow! In the ring Harwood blocks the Jay Driller into a DDT for 2. Harwood teases a Jay Driller...but Jay counters it by slingshotting him into the ringpost. DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Briscoes win the first fall at 16:31! Harwood is punished for his display of hubris; the Briscoes again showing they have learned from the first encounter. The second fall begins with the pro-AEW crowd loudly cheering on FTR whilst Mark attacks Harwood on the outside. Jay soon joins him and the challengers relish the opportunity to maul Dax on the outside (chopping him so hard and so often that his chest is bleeding). Jay momentarily pauses to cheap-shot Cash on the apron...giving Harwood the opportunity he needs to hit rolling Germans. Dax hauls Jay up the ropes for a BACK SUPERPLEX! Even though he knows that will hurt the neck he injured earlier in the match. Mark senses the danger and knocks Wheeler off the apron...and they pile into Harwood's neck again with the Redneck Boogie for 2. Harwood is on the brink yet somehow collapses backwards into a hot tag to Cash, who is roared on by the crowd as he takes the fight to both Briscoes. 

Brainbuster on Mark gets 2. They try to silence him with the Redneck Boogie, but Wheeler counters with a Gory Bomb on Mark...for another 2. Meanwhile on the outside Jay and Harwood are fighting in the front row! Tempers have frayed to boiling point now and all four men brawl off around ringside. Ever the wrestler, it's Cash who brings it back in the ring with a flying crossbody...but he doesn't see Jay coming to clock him in the head with a ringbell! The ref didn't see that and yet Wheeler still kicks out. Froggy Bow nailed...still just 2! FLAPJACK ON THE RING STEPS from Harwood to Mark! Wheeler is bleeding after the ring bell attack...but still powers Jay into the BIG RIG! At 29:32 FTR even the score at 1-1. Both Mark and Cash are bleeding heavily now, but commence battle in the decisive fall beating the absolute sh*t out of each other. Urinage on Wheeler, and he tries to do the same to Harwood on the apron. Blockbuster to the floor instead! The fans chant 'ROH' as Jay smartly tags his bloody brother out, but he walks right into a PILEDRIVER by Harwood! Doomsday Device blocked...as Harwood inadvertently punches referee Paul Turner's lights out! JAY DRILLER - but there's no ref to count the pin. Wheeler saves his partner from a Doomsday Device, and they hit the BIG RIG ON JAY! Paul Turner is bleeding from the mouth as he returns to the ring...but JAY KICKS OUT! Harwood thinks about giving him a superplex, but he escapes and lifts Dax up for another DOOMSDAY DEVICE! CASH BREAKS THE PIN! All four men (and the ref) are broken at this point, covered in sweat and blood and staggering around with vacant expressions. But they know they need to keep fighting, as Cash and Mark almost cripple each other trying to suplex each other over the top rope to the floor. Jay and Dax are left alone; throwing punches like wild men. Duelling camel clutches by the Briscoes - so FTR grab each other's hands to ensure they won't tap (yes, that NXT Takeover spot)! Mark climbs to the top. ROPE RUN BACK SUPERPLEX OFF THE TOP THROUGH A F*CKING TABLE ON THE FLOOR BY CASH! JAY DRILLER ON HARWOOD! HE KICKS OUT! Neither man can stand properly now, but somehow find the energy to fight up the turnbuckles. AVALANCHE SPIKE PILEDRIVER BY DAX! HARWOOD WINS! FTR win the match 2-1 and retain the titles at 43:27!

Rating - ***** - The prospect of topping their classic encounter at Supercard Of Honor had to have been a daunting one for the participants here, but it was a task they tackled with ruthless precision. For forty five minutes they tore into each other in a meticulously crafted, brilliantly paced and beautifully delivered piece of physical theatre. There were so many little moments of brilliance here that I can't even begin to touch on all of them in a single paragraph. You knew they had time to play with, but it isn't always easy for the wrestlers when fans KNOW a match is going long. That wasn't the case here; these masters of their art relished the occasion and knew exactly how long to let each moment breathe. The opening ten minutes of this were utterly brilliant; and a direct reaction to the events of Supercard Of Honor. On that night it was Harwood who was the aggressor, instigating so much of the violence. Tonight he was cautious, tonight he wanted to stick with his partner have a clean tag team wrestling encounter with the brawling, marauding Briscoe Brothers. Instead it was the Briscoes making the running; 'fresh as daisies' like they promised, inflicting an early injury on Harwood and generally acting as the aggressors on their way to the first fall of what they hoped would be another classic 'two straight' Briscoes performance. And I loved that, in the second fall, FTR didn't immediately begin a resurgent comeback. They played on the 'two straight' Briscoes era, the Briscoes continued to target Harwood's neck and in the end FTR's comeback felt incredibly organic and well-earned (in front of a hugely partisan, pro-AEW audience cheering on their every move). And having laid the groundwork in the opening thirty minutes - the last fifteen, which saw the four guys spill blood and wreck their bodies with a jaw-dropping, logic-defying intensity were immensely rewarding. The ref bump was gimmicky, but in my view it was a spot they'd justified with the hard work they'd put in before. It wasn't a ref bump as a convenient 'out' for the heels to cheat. It was a moment instigated by the sheer intensity of the battle they were waging. The Briscoes didn't use the bell because they were 'cheating heels', they did it because they were so desperate to win (and so much more comfortable as brawlers) that they seized an opportunity. EVERYTHING in this match was earned the hard way. A thrilling contest, impossibly somehow better than Supercard; genuinely one of the best ROH matches I've ever seen (and I've seen everything this company has released since 2002), an easy candidate for best ROH tag match ever. An absolute must-see...

FTR celebrate their victory, and call the Briscoes into the ring to show their respect to their brothers in combat. The Briscoes leave and Harwood delivers a rallying cry for how much he loves wrestling. FTR have their celebrations curtailed by the appearance of the Blackpool Combat Club on the stage. Claudio and Yuta raise their title belts in front of the screens as FTR do the same in the ring... 

Tape Rating - **** - Maybe it is the cynic in me, but on some levels I didn't think this was as euphoric a show as Supercard Of Honor. On that night in Texas we saw the shackles of Sinclair's dour conservative ownership thrown off, unpredictability in the form of an unscheduled Young Bucks run-in, the homecoming of Samoa Joe alongside some truly amazing wrestling. I don't think Death Before Dishonor 19 felt anywhere near as unpredictable. Inside the ropes it was probably a BETTER show ironically, from the exciting Gresham/Claudio opener (which Fite TV did its best to ruin and is now probably more infamous for the post-show Gresham revelations to the quality of the bout itself) to the closing bell of Briscoes/FTR II you were given three hours of blood, sweat and unabashed hard work. BUT, I started the night asking for a mission statement and a clear idea of what the identity and make-up of the Ring Of Honor product will be moving forward. Perhaps it's just me...but I don't think I got that. I feel like I saw a GREAT show, highlighted by an all-time classic main event. But only in fits and starts did this feel like anything different from an AEW show. The crowd was pretty much only invested in the AEW talent. We started the show with AEW's Claudio taking the World Title from ROH's World Champion. The Six-Man Titles were taken back to remove one last loose thread from the Sinclair era in The Righteous. Yuta/Garcia was fantastic...but it was merely an extension of an ongoing feud in AEW. Rush/Lee was really exciting, but (aside from Rush's handful of appearances) featured men who the AEW audience don't watch very often so was fought in front of a silent crowd for a while. Mercedes and Serena had a great match, but again they are women who are on AEW most weeks. Joe and Lethal was good, but as noteworthy for it's extension of the Joe vs Lethal/Sonjay/Satnam group as it was the quality of the wrestling. And the main event ends with AEW's all-conquering, beloved FTR once again emphatically beating ROH's Briscoes. We end with a future match teased between Blackpool Combat Club and FTR, which is as likely to take place on Dynamite as it is in ROH. None of this is a criticism. But much as with Supercard Of Honor, it felt like a great show which did far more to shuffle the cards in Tony Khan's deck towards AEW television than it did promote a future vision of ROH. Selfishly I was hoping for a little more separation and a clearer picture of how ROH and AEW will start to diverge. Arguably Prince Nana's random buyout of Tully Blanchard Enterprises (is anything in AEW as poorly booked as Tully Blanchard Enterprises?!) was the only example of that. 

Having said all that, as a wrestling show I can't recommend this strongly enough. Briscoes/FTR II will feature highly in end of year MOTYC lists for sure. Gresham/Claudio was an incredibly fun, punchy and high quality opener, Garcia/Yuta was a midcard gem and Martinez/Deeb a SHIMMER-influenced cracker from the Women's Division. Everything that fans and critics alike loved about Supercard Of Honor is doubled down on here. It's a great night of pro-wrestling and I had a blast watching. But shorn of some of the unpredictability of Supercard Of Honor, and lacking the joy that came with shedding Sinclair's conservatism back in April...the failure to outline a clearer, definitive plan to differentiate the Ring Of Honor brand from AEW's style became a lot more apparent to me. 

3) Jonathan Gresham vs Claudio Castagnoli (****)

2) Wheeler Yuta vs Daniel Garcia (****)

1) FTR vs Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe (*****)