ROH vs JAPW – Collision Course – 9th January 2004
What a difference a new year and rearranging two letters makes. From an inter-promotional supershow with All Japan Pro-Wrestling in front of over a thousand people…to around three hundred people for an inter-promotional joint card with Jersey All-Pro-Wrestling. Much like Frontiers Of Honor last year, this isn’t an ROH show, and has little connection to developing ROH storylines. The ROH completist in me made me buy this show, and I’ve only watched it once since I’ve owned it. I seem to remember my conclusion upon first viewing was…’one for the completists only’. Still, it does provide us with some unique matches. Samoa Joe defends his ROH World Title against Balls Mahoney, who I haven’t seen since the demise of ECW, so that’s interesting alone. JAPW Champion Dan Maff defends against Slyk Wagner Brown…who for some reason seems to be a big star in this company. Shane Douglas makes an unlikely (and in my opinion unwelcome) appearance in an ROH ring, and your Main Event is a pretty star-studded fourway, that I seem to remember as being particularly good. This is a JAPW produced tape (available from Modtrom.com)…so hosts are Mark something and Monsta Mack. We’re in Woodbridge, NJ for this event.
Pretty cool promo video for Modtrom.com…it’s so good it got a mention, so can’t say fairer than that. Followed by a music video with clips from the AJ Styles/Chris Daniels match at JAPW’s Season’s Beatings show. Great match by all reports…in front of around 20 bored-looking people by the looks of things. THAT gets followed by a promo video for Season’s Beatings itself…and now the endless shills are irritating.
Dunn & Marcos are backstage, and they try to tell Dan Maff they’re the top tag team in ROH…but Maff gets jumped by Slyk Wagner Brown. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz appear from nowhere and Maff and Brown have to be pulled apart. Next they try to tell Izzy (who’s Insane Dragon tonight) and I believe Angeldust (Azrieal for the evening)…but Izzy tells them they know. Finally they get to air guitar for Sumie Sakai who applauds.
Back to the Maff/Brown situation, and the locker room empties to ringside as Maff and Brown brawl all over the place. Samoa Joe and Balls Mahoney get into a fight as well and THEY have to be pulled apart too. This is one CRAZY way to open the show! Once that clears out the ring announcer turns up…Code Of Honor is in effect for all matches tonight.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz vs Dunn & Marcos
I think Homicide trained DRS, who are EC Negro and KC Blade, and they have a fairly sizeable reputation on the north-eastern indy scene. I haven’t seen enough of their work to be critical of it, but what I’ve seen, I haven’t liked. They represent JAPW, and are part of Dan Maff and Homicide’s stable – La Familia. The Ring Crew Express represent ROH of course. DRS look like a homeless version of the Christopher Street Connection. For reference, Blade is the Big Fat Dirty Rotten Scoundrel.
Blade does the worst job of throwing powder ever at the start of the match, but can’t sneak an early win. Negro in with Marcos and they trade arm holds. Dunn in and the RCE hit a double atomic drop, and Negro goes to the floor. Blade in and he gets back body dropped to the floor and his partner. STAGE DIIIIIIIIVES!! That rocked like a hurricane. Assisted Sliced Bread #2 on Negro for 2. Headscissors takedown from Marcos, but he looks for it a second time and gets caught out by Blade. Blade in to work a chinlock. Spinebuster/Edge-O-Matic combo from the DRS. Satellite headscissors from Marcos, but he gets booted in the face before he can tag out. Double STF on Marcos whilst Dunn distracts the referee. Enziguri kick from Marcos, but Negro stops the tag by hitting a capo kick on Dunn (correctly called by Monsta Mack since he ‘hangs out with Low Ki a lot’). Cobra clutch slam from Negro gets 2. Marcos fires back with a swinging neckbreaker, and this time he makes the tag to Dunn. He floors Negro with a superkick, then drills Blade with the Gory Driver. They look for an assisted Sliced Bread #2 on Negro, but Blade stops that, and both RCE members get dropped with an ace crusher/DDT combo from the DRS. Dunn pulls Negro to the floor but gets whipped into the guardrail. Marcos and Blade fight on the top rope, and get joined by Negro…DIRTY ROTTEN DRIVER! The Scoundrelz win at 08:43.
Rating - * - They have some nice double team moves, but beyond that the DRS just do nothing to impress me. They’re heel gimmick is generic at best, and they look like a completely bush league tandem quite frankly. Dunn & Marcos didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory here, as they mis-timed a few things. Not the best way to kick things off.
Derek Wylde vs Ruckus
This is a JAPW match. Ruckus is a much-criticised pudgy little spot-worker. He entertains me at times, but I don’t think he’s done enough, or got the skills to earn a call to ROH quite yet. This is the first time I’ve seen Wylde…apparently he won JAPW’s (imaginatively titled) Best Of The Light Heavyweights 6 though. Big opportunity for these two to shine and get the attention of the ROH crew.
They don’t look overly crisp in the early going, but Ruckus just about hits a backflip into a hurricanrana. Nice backflips from Ruckus to avoid some heel trips. Wylde gets whipped onto the apron, and he manages to rana Ruckus to the floor. Running corkscrew pescado from Wylde. Back in the ring, Ruckus kicks Derek in the head and it’s time for more action on the floor. Handspring moonsault splash from Ruckus on the floor. Inside, Wylde looks for a moonsault but gets (kinda) the legs of Ruckus. Handspring elbow (Chyna’s move) from Ruckus, then a corkscrew kick for 2. They fight on the apron and Wylde hits the worst low blow ever. Equally badly executed slingshot headscissors back inside for 2. Wylde goes back to the apron to hit a springboard spinning heel kick. Wylde mounts the ropes but gets CAUGHT with a German suplex. Ruckus botches one of his own spots, but finally gets the finisher with a flipping ace crusher at 05:54.
Rating – DUD – Horrifically badly executed and generally unexciting – this is not the match these two would’ve liked to have had with the eyes of ROH watching. Wylde looked frankly abysmal, and wasn’t hitting anything clean. Ruckus, for the most part wasn’t too bad, but then botched his own finish so. It’s been said a million times before about Ruckus but he does need to drop some weight and change his look, right now he looks like a backyarder…which is a shame because he DOES have some talent.
Loc/Johnny Kashmere vs DeVito/Trent Acid
Crazy booking here for this ROH match. We have a Carnage Crew member teaming with a Backseat Boy…for no apparent reason. I don’t think these guys have much heat, bar the usual Scramble Match antics…so that makes this match generally quite bizarre. ‘Who the f*ck booked this stupid ass match?’ – DeVito. This should at least be intriguing fare…
Monsta Mack is doing impressions of Japanese commentators commentating on Da Hit Squad matches – PRICELESS. ‘LARIATOOO…LARIATOOO’. DeVito and Kashmere start and they trade punches. Big clothesline (‘LARIATOOOO’ – Mack) knocks Kashmere down and he rolls to the floor. Acid and Loc in now, but Acid is more interested in gyrating than wrestling. Acid goes for the Yakuza kick but gets taken down by another clothesline, much to Monsta Mack’s delight. Loc takes a superkick, and before Trent hits the double knees in the corner. Acid slips on the ropes and hits a regular dropkick instead…as DeVito gets pissed off at the assholes chanting ‘You f*cked up’. Acid and Kashmere tagged in at the same time now and they actually lock up. Acid gives Kashmere a clean break, which pissed DeVito off. Kashmere returns the favour…before they have the funniest slapfest ever. They chop each other hard then apologise…and now it’s time for Loc and DeVito to go at it. These two chop each other hard, and DeVito scores a knock-down with a right hand. They fight to the floor, and Loc gets whipped hard into the rail. DeVito follows him in and takes a drop toehold into the rail. The Backseatz hit stereo somersault sentons, except like fools they both take out their own partners. DeVito throws Kashmere into the barrier as Acid whips Loc hard into a chair. Kashmere takes a clothesline into the crowd as Acid whips Loc into the broken timekeepers table. DeVito takes another whip into the rail but he comes right back with a chair. Acid and Loc in the ring…AND ACID GETS TKO’D ONTO AN OPEN STEEL CHAIR! DeVito has to save his partner from being counted down there. DeVito northern lights suplexes Kashmere into the turnbuckle, and now it’s Loc’s turned to break it up. Backseatz do their dance moves, but get a ‘DOUBLE LARIATOOOO’ (- Mack) from the Crew. Acid hits a Yakuza kick on Loc…and DeVito rolls up Kashmere and gets the win for his team.
Rating - ** - Best match of the night, but the booking meant there was way too much stalling and mildly comic spots for it to get a higher rating than this. Once it got going it was a fun little brawl though…and Loc hitting the TKO on a chair was pretty wild. Far better than Wylde/Ruckus at least…
The Backseat Boyz give DeVito a T-Gimmick then run off…which unsurprisingly doesn’t leave the Carnage Crew in the best of moods.
Backstage Insane Dragon, Azrieal and Jay Lethal (Izzy, Angeldust and Hydro of Special K) are being serious and getting prepared for their match. Lit, Deranged and Dixie turn up and want to do drugs…but Lethal says they’re being serious tonight.
Special K vs Insane Dragon/Azrieal/Jay Lethal – Scramble Match
More curious booking here, but we are back to ROH vs JAPW. It’ll be Lit, Dixie and Deranged representing ROH and Special K. Meanwhile Izzy, Angeldust and Hydro will be adopting their serious personas and representing JAPW. Scramble rules apply here…and I realise I haven’t seen a comic Angeldust screw up for a while so here’s hoping for one tonight. Grim Reefer is in the corner of the Serious K guys.
Lethal and Dixie to start, and Lethal (just about) rolls through a German suplex attempt and clotheslines Dixie over. Deranged and Insane Dragon now…and Deranged gets a comic ‘You got fired’ chant from one guy (he was fired from ROH for not turning up to Final Battle 2003). Naturally these two are lightning fast. Deranged gets a hurricanrana in but then gets shoved to the floor. Lit and Azrieal next, and Azrieal hits the springboard blockbuster. Special K to the floor…STEREO DIVES FROM SERIOUS K. That’s tope’s from Azrieal and Lethal…and the CORKSCREW MOONSAULT from Dragon! Cloudy (I think) tries get involved, so Grim Reefer gives him the Tombstone piledriver, then a somersault senton. Lethal and Lit now, and Jay hits a snap suplex for 2. Lethal goes to the top rope but Dixie crotches him then goes to the top FOR A SUPERPLEX! Dixie bails and Deranged comes in to cover for 2. Deranged gives him a hurricanrana for 2. Deranged looks for a quebrada – Lethal catches him…and Deranged counters into a swinging DDT. Lit in and he misses a splash off the top. Azrieal in and THROWS Deranged into the turnbuckles. Lit takes a kick to the face, before Insane Dragon clotheslines him into a German suplex from Lethal. Dixie and Azrieal now…and Deranged flies in to hit a scrappy Doomsday ace crusher.Dixie hits a Side Effect on Dragon for 2. Fisherman buster from Lit gets 2 before Lethal comes in AND DROPS HIM ON HIS HEAD WITH A DRAGON SUPLEX! Deranged low blows Lethal – CODE RED FOR 2! Azrieal takes a spinning heel kick from Deranged, before a moonsault splash gets 2. Deranged onto the apron, but Azrieal catches his springboard – SOUTH OF HEAVEN NAILED! Serious K win at 09:33.
Rating - ** - Lots of fun, and various combinations of these guys have had some good matches in JAPW before that I’ve caught on compilation tapes…but that was nothing more than an average Scramble match. Jay Lethal looked pretty decent as was expected…and I was a little disappointed we didn’t get to see more of a serious Izzy.
Everyone is friends again and Special K lead a ‘Just Say Yes’ chant which makes me laugh. Special K get a rave going, which Modtrom do a great job of on tape actually.
The Bald Guy replaces Monsta Mack on commentary, which sucks because Mack was doing a great job. He’s a funny guy and he had a decent knowledge as well. ROH should think about using him on their shows IMO.
Justin Credible vs Shane Douglas
ROH vs JAPW once more, or Impact Players vs Triple Threat if you’d prefer. Credible representing ROH, and Douglas representing JAP. I’m not even gonna try and do an intro for this…since I can’t f*cking stand Shane Douglas, and Justin is hardly the greatest worker in the world either. I know it’s not an actual ROH show, but seeing Douglas in an ROH ring is an absolute disgrace. Douglas cuts a promo which the ROH fans in the house SH*T on. He gets a pointless shot in on Vince McMahon which is mildly funny. ‘Same old speech’ – Smartass ROH fans. ‘JUST A FAGGOT’ – Fan at Justin Credible as he hits his stupid catchphrase.
Douglas is an asshole and doesn’t follow the Code of Honor. Credible responds by crotch-chopping. It’s over 2 minutes of stalling before we get a few moves exchanged, and Douglas quickly has to flee to the floor. He tries to walk out but Credible gets on the stick again and calls him back. Shane rakes the eyes, then clubs Justin to the floor. Credible has bladed for no reason at all and takes a few whips to the guardrail. Douglas chokes Credible in the corner then throws him back to the outside. Douglas slams Credible’s hand against the guardrail and it is bleeding everywhere. The ref has to help Justin tape it up, and now we aimless brawl off into the crowd. Credible takes a couple of bumps into stacks of chairs…and I sense this crowd is rather blindly JAPW as they chant ‘F*ck him up Franchise, F*ck him up’…Back at ringside Douglas hits a couple of lame chair shots on Credible. Inside the ring Justin takes the ringpost to the groin. Flipover necksnap from Douglas. Sunset flip from Douglas because he’s an athletic wrestling you know. Douglas goes to the top rope but gets press slammed off, then drilled with a superkick for 2. Credible looks for That’s Incredible but Douglas blocks. That’s Incredible scores the second time of asking, but Douglas kicks out. HORRIBLY bad belly to belly suplex gets Douglas the win at 11:19.
Rating – DUD – F*cking awful match. Excuse my language because I don’t like swearing in my ratings, but that was absolutely sh*t. Shane Douglas has no position being in a wrestling ring these days, he’s beyond past it. Not only that, why on earth can he kick out of a freakin’ Tombstone, then put Credible away with his lame ass finisher, which wasn’t good in 1996, and damn sure is a big pile of wank in 2004. I’m honestly disgusted with the sight of Douglas in ROH, so thank God I don’t have to watch this match again…rant over.
The ROH fans in attendance give Douglas the ‘Don’t come back’ treatment which is nice. Special K charge the ring and assault Justin Credible (since he’s in the Carnage Crew of course). The Bald Guy doesn’t know why they’re attacking him because he’s not as good as Monsta Mack. Loc and DeVito make the save…then challenge Special K to Scramble Cage II on March 13th in Elizabeth, NJ…not that any of the JAPW fans care.
For those keeping score, JAPW are now 3-0 up in inter-promotional matches…
April Hunter vs Sumie Sakai
April Hunter has only really been seen as Slyk Wagner Brown’s valet in ROH (bar a couple of matches with the Outcast Killaz), but she is a legitimate wrestler in her own right, and tonight she faces Sumie Sakai, who we’ve also seen in ROH a couple of times (against Simply Luscious at Road To The Title and Alexis Laree at Wrestlerave 2003). Frankly, I don’t like April Hunter, don’t find her attractive and don’t see her as an exceptionally talented female wrestler. Still, I mildly enjoyed the Alexis Laree/Sumie Sakai match so, here’s hoping.
Mark something gets his facts wrong about ROH, as Sakai works her illegal camel clutch for a 4 count each time. She goes all the way around the ring doing this, as the commentators completely don’t pick up on what she’s doing. 619 fake from Sakai, but she gets rana’d to the floor by April. On the outside, Hunter dumps Sakai into the guardrail. More dithering on the floor before April finally heaves Sakai back into the ring. April chokes her over the bottom rope and takes the piss out of Sakai’s breaking at the count of 4 gig. Sakai goes for a scoop slam but can’t lift Hunter up. April scores with one of her own but she gets caught on the top rope. Hanging armbar from Hunter, before she covers for 2. Gory stretch from Hunter…into the Spinal Shock. Quebrada press from Sakai, followed up with the 619. Sakai off the top with a nice dropkick. Nice roll-up attempts from both women, before Sakai muscles April up for a stalling fisherman suplex. To the corner, and Sakai misses her moonsault. HEAD DROP GERMAN SUPERPLEX FROM HUNTER! Headhunter gets April the win at 08:57.
Rating - * - Well that German superplex made things interesting. I don’t like womens wrestling, I don’t like watching these two for 10 minutes, but I was at least rewarded with one pretty sweet spot.
Samoa Joe vs Balls Mahoney – ROH World Title Match
Inter-promotional for the last time tonight, as popular former-ECW star Balls Mahoney, representing JAPW, takes on ROH’s World Champion – Samoa Joe. To begin with, Balls is in amazing shape. Honestly, he’s damn near unrecognisable from the chair swingin’ freak we saw in ECDub. He’s in the shape of his life, but can he hang in a wrestling match with Samoa Joe, a man who, at the moment is finding it harder to have a bad match than a good one. This is Joe’s only ROH Title defence in January.
Joe gets streamers which is a nice touch. Both men are pretty popular, and get duelling chants as the bell rings. Mahoney takes Joe down in a half crab and Joe has to make the ropes. Samoa Joe takes Balls down and puts him into a camel clutch. Balls hits a hiptoss…and these two break out some almost CRUISERWEIGHT style exchanges. I’m just watching this on TV and even I applaud that. Joe hits some forearms, but Balls replies with the left jabs then the roundhouse right. Mahoney snapmares Joe over then KICKS him in the face. Abdominal stretch applied, but he thinks it’s a better idea to headbutt Joe. Naturally you don’t do that…and Joe unleashes a round of headbutts. Balls down in the corner for the BOOT SCRAPES! Balls gets levered to the floor which leaves him prone for the ELBOW SUICIDA! Joe wants the Ole Ole Kick but Balls whips him into the guardrail. Joe with a drop toehold into a chair…WHAM OLE OLE KICK! To the other side and Balls blocks a second Ole Ole Kick attempt then BELTS Joe with a chair. Balls to the top rope…TO HIT A PLANCHA!
Big superkick from Balls, before he goes back to the top rope. FROG SPLASH SCORES! Both men back to their feet…BALLS HITS A PILEDRIVER! Mahoney hits a body avalanche in one corner, but across the other side of the ring he gets an STO SLAM! Chop/kick combo follows…then a GERMAN SUPLEX! Joe looks for a dragon suplex but Balls low blows out of it. HEAD DROP BACK SUPLEX FROM JOE! Big lariat gets the ROH Champion 2. Joe and Mahoney fight on the top rope, and Balls has to bite him. Joe takes a big superkick to the jaw…SUPER NUTCRACKER SUITE!! Both men are down, and they delay in pinning gives Joe enough time to kick out. CHOKE OUT OF NOWHERE! Balls breaks that with a jawbreaker. Quick roll ups by either man get 2. LARIAT FROM JOE HITS HARD…and Joe retains at 16:19.
Rating - *** - Oh thank goodness for Samoa Joe. This card has been rather dreadful…and the Champ arrives to deliver a decent match. However, unlike his match with Mark Briscoe at Final Battle 2003, this match was not all Joe. Balls MORE than carried his end of the deal. I honestly would like to see a rematch of this in ROH, THAT’S how good it was.
This match is deemed worth of its own video package…Modtrom is bizarre.
Dan Maff vs Slyk Wagner Brown – JAPW Heavyweight Title Match
At Season’s Beatings (I think) Maff dropped April Hunter on her head with the Burning Hammer. Naturally Slyk didn’t like that too much and now he’s out for revenge, and to win Maff’s JAPW Title. Maff won the belt (back I believe) from Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler at Season’s Beatings, and is one of the top heels in JAPW, as part of La Familia – along with Homicide and the Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz I think. April Hunter is in Brown’s corner…whilst Maff has the DRS.
Slyk doesn’t wait for Maff to get to the ring and ambushes his whole party in the aisleway. Maff gets thrown head first into the rail a couple of times. Into the ring to trade chops and Maff takes control with a rake to the eyes. Slyk sends Maff to the floor with the DRS…ASAI MOONSAULT SCORES! He mostly got the DRS unfortunately, but took enough out of Maff to ground him. EC Negro distracts Brown though, and that lets Maff take control again. Maff throws Slyk out again, then distracts the ref whilst Negro and Blade beat on him. April Hunter distracts Maff, and the ref catches the DRS in the act and sends the tandem to the back. Brown drops Maff with an ace crusher for 2. Moonsault splash does likewise. Slyk looks for a suplex, but doesn’t have enough strength and instead takes a suplex from Maff. Flipover necksnap from Maff scores 2. Maff again shoves the referee…and gets shoved over by the tiny referee ha ha. HALF NELSON SUPLEX FROM MAFF! To the outside again, and this time it’s Slyk getting thrown into guardrails. They battle over a suplex on the floor, before Slyk muscles Maff up for a slam on the floor. Brown climbs to the top rope but gets caught by Maff…and taken down with a superplex. ‘Holy sh*t this ring is hard’ – Maff. Slyk tries to fight back SO GETS DROPPED ON HIS HEAD WITH A BACK SUPLEX! Maff looks to follows with the Burning Hammer but Slyk escapes…THEN GIVES MAFF THE BURNING HAMMER! Slyk covers, but the DRS arrive back at ringside to stop the count. Slyk clears house on them… BURNING HAMMER FROM MAFF! Slyk kicks out at 2…and I DO NOT approve of people kicking out of the Burning Hammer. Negro fakes an injury on the apron and distracts the ref as Maff and Blade bring chairs into the ring. Maff stacks chairs onto Slyk in the corner then squashes him with the CANNONBALL! Incredibly Slyk kicks out again and I’m getting shockingly into this match. More crazy booking as we get a ref bump…which brings DRS into the ring for a 3-on-1 attack. Maff looks for a chair shot but April Hunter rolls in to low blow Maff. She dishes out German suplexes to both Scoundrelz…but Maff is back up. He looks for the Burning Hammer again…SLYK SMACKS HIM IN THE FACE WITH A CHAIR! That would be three…but Negro throws the JAPW Title in the ring and tells the ref that Slyk used it. Brown is disqualified at 19:23.
Rating - ** - I’ve actually gained a lot of respect for both men, since that was an entertaining match. Maff, somewhat like Samoa Joe, can be so good he doesn’t need a talented opponent to have a good match. Not sure what Slyk did except one Asai moonsault and lie down and get cheated a lot. What hurt this match is…it’s insanely overbooked and the finish is awful. This was on course for 3* until that finish, which irritated me enough to strip a whole star from it.
Like a true sport Slyk gives the referee a moonsault splash as Dan Maff informs the announcers that he won’t be getting a rematch. Slyk, who looks like a black male Jade Goody, vows that ‘this sh*t ain’t over’.
John Walters vs CM Punk vs AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels
Four corner survival time, which the idiot JAPW fans think means elimination…as do the announcers (who have gone downhill rapidly since Monsta Mack left). Big night for Walters, as he gets a shot in the Main Event, and gets to wrestle these three ROH Main Eventers after his show stealing Fight Without Honor against Xavier at Final Battle 2003. Punk appears to be in quasi-babyface mode as he informs us that ‘It’s clobberin’ time’…that dick that screamed ‘DIE’ at him at Main Event Spectacles is in the crowd tonight. Punk no doubt wants to get to Daniels after Daniels admitted that it was The Prophecy that took out Lucy in Dayton, also at Final Battle 2003. There’s also an issue between AJ and Chris Daniels after AJ Styles beat Daniels in the Main Event of JAPW’s Season’s Beatings.
Daniels obviously doesn’t follow the Code Of Honor and starts off with Walters. The announcers get the date of Walters’ ROH debut wrong to further irritate me. Walters attacks Daniels’ arm to start. AJ Styles tags himself in pretty soon he has CM Punk to deal with. Punk rolls through a knucklelock, but AJ goes for a cross armbreaker. Punk tags out to Walters so AJ tags Punk back in. Punk avoids a monkey flip attempt but gets taken over into the 5th or 6th side headlock of the contest from Walters. Daniels and Punk are in the ring together at last…but Punk tags out to Styles. AJ goes after Daniels’ arm much like Walters did earlier. Perfect dropkick from Styles gets 1. Backbreaker into a gutbuster from AJ at least makes it to 2. Tilta-whirl backbreaker from Daniels, but Punk jumps him from behind and throws him out. Styles hits the nip up rana on Punk…then a neckbreaker over the knee. Walters tags in and puts Punk into a surfboard using his legs. Punk takes Walters in the corner and unleashes some boot scrapes. He looks for the running boot scrap but Chris Daniels cuts him off with a clothesline. Walters with a back suplex on Daniels for 2. He follows that up with a vertical suplex. He looks for the sharpshooter but Punk puts a stop to that with an eye rake. Styles tags in…AND DANIELS LEAPFROGS HIM INTO A DROPKICK ON WALTERS! AJ gets a powerslam on Walters for 2. Daniels tags back in and delivers a stalling vertical suplex (complete with raised middle finger to CM Punk). Blue Thunder Driver gets a 2 before AJ breaks it. Daniels looks for Angels Wings but Walters backs him into the corner. AJ tags in and gives Walters a couple of knee drops.
MutaLock from Styles, but Punk sweeps his legs from under him. AJ looks for a kick…but gets caught with the CAPTURE STUNNER! Walters tags Punk in and he hits a missile dropkick on Styles for 2. AJ looks for the overhead kick, but Punk moves and AJ hits the mat face first. Half crab applied by Punk, but Walters makes the save. That doesn’t stop Punk from going right back to it so Daniels has to save this time. AJ hits a clothesline to buy himself some time and he makes the tag to Daniels. Neckbreaker scores, and is followed by a urinage slam into an Arabian press for 2. Punk throws Daniels to the outside, but Styles boots him in the face to block a tope attempt. AJ looks for an Asai moonsault to the floor but Walters drags him into the ring. Daniels back body drops Walters to the floor…WHICH SETS THEM BOTH UP FOR THE ARABIAN PRESS TO THE FLOOR. AJ is left in the ring…CORKSCREW SOMERSAULT SENTON! ROH fans chant ‘ROH’…the majority of the fans don’t care. Back in the ring AJ hits a back suplex on Daniels for 2. Brainbuster perfectly executed gets 2 before Punk saves. AJ off the ropes and looks for the quebrada inverted DDT…he hits it, but only because Punk clotheslined him down. Hammerlock into a lariat from Punk brings Walters into the ring to save. Sitout Alabamaslam from Walters gets 2. HURRICANE DDT SCORES…and AJ has to save. German suplex into the sitout facebuster from AJ brings Daniels into the ring to save. Flatliner on AJ, into the headscissors crossface, which is broken by Walters. Daniels looks for the Angels Wings BUT PUNK STEPS OFF DANIELS BACK INTO A SHINING WIZARD! AJ muscles Punk up then drops him…but DRILLS him with an enziguri kick right after. AJ rolls Walters up…INTO THE STYLES CLASH! DANIELS DOUBLE JUMP MOONSAULTS ONTO BOTH OF THEM…DANIELS WINS! 25:22 excellent minutes is your match time.
Rating - **** - Total showstealer, and for me made buying the tape worthwhile. It’s one of my favourite four corner survivals, and that’s saying something. These four guys are all so good, it was damn near impossible for them to have a bad match…and the 25 minutes just sail by believe me. What hurt it was the absolutely dead crowd. Had none of them seen ROH before or something? They were silent for the Main Event, didn’t seem to know the rules and didn’t seem to give a sh*t about anything that wasn’t JAPW. I salute the small contingent of staunch ROH fans that were there, as they tried their damndest to create an atmosphere…but they never really stood a chance.
Dunn & Marcos try to tell some other guys that they’re the top tag team in ROH and JAPW. The Solution jump them from behind since they’re a problem…and everyone files out leaving the Ring Crew Express on the floor.
Video package for the show which makes it look far better than it actually was.
Tape Rating - ** - The three main events saved it somewhat…but for the large part this isn’t very good. Lots of poor or average matches, lots of bizarre booking…much as I said at the start of the show, one for the completists only. The fourway is great, the ROH Title match surprised me with how good it was, and Dan Maff/Slyk Wagner Brown was shockingly ok. Unless you specifically want EVERY ROH show…you don’t need this.
Top 3 Matches
3) Dan Maff vs Slyk Wagner Brown (**)
2) Samoa Joe vs Balls Mahoney (***)
1) Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles vs John Walters vs CM Punk (****)