McXal's Reviews

This is the go-home episode for the 2016 Death Before Dishonor PPV and, to the credit of ROH’s creative powers, it does feel like there is some genuine momentum behind the product. The scheduled Lethal vs Cole World Title main event feels as hot as anything ROH has done on PPV since the Briscoe vs Lethal ‘winner takes all’ match last summer. Bobby Fish’s scheduled TV Title defence against Mark Briscoe also got some real traction after their segment last week. Unfortunately the rest of the card (except for Shibata’s debut vs Silas Young) is thus far non-existent which is disappointing. How will ROH use their last week of TV to put that right? Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness will provide commentary from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

This feels like it should be a big match for Dijak. He won the 2015 Top Prospect Tournament in emphatic style but then squandered most of his momentum playing back-up dancer in Truth Martini and Jay Lethal’s House Of Truth, whilst carrying dead-weight J. Diesel on his back too. Lio Rush came into ROH in his rookie year in the business, swept to victory in the 2016 TPT and has, in many respects exceeded Dijak’s accomplishments already. He has quickly become one of the most exciting new talents on the roster. There is a huge size difference here, but perhaps it is the bigger man with more to prove…

Dijak has a lot of fun throwing the smaller man around – including an Irish whip with such force that Lio explodes through the ropes and turnbuckles to spill to the ground below. Rush shows incredible athleticism to leapfrog someone the height of Dijak…but the big man blocks a Rush Hour on the floor. FLYING HEADSCISSORS FROM THE APRON TO THE RAILS INSTEAD! Back in the ring he tries Rush Hour again…only to be decimated by a mafia kick for 2. Next Donovan delivers an emphatic ribbreaker, followed by a dismissive toss which dumps him on his stomach again. Movie fight scene-style strike sequence by Lio knocks Dijak to the floor. He tries a Heat Seeking Missile, but is CAUGHT by Dijak! Time To Fly on the floor COUNTERED WITH A SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW SENTON by Lio! Back from commercials with Rush explosively swinging Donovan into a tornado DDT for 2. Dijak is so tall he can basically grab Rush even when he perches on the ropes to set up the Dragon’s Call. He throttles him…Rush counters the Chokeslam Backbreaker with a rana, but Dijak COUNTERS THE RANA into a Death Valley Bomb for 2! Chokeslam Backbreaker countered for  a second time. Feast Your Eyes ROLLED THROUGH into an enzi! NO SOLD! SLAP BY LIO! He gets 2 with a sliding DDT and a springboard enzi. Chokeslam Backbreaker nailed at the third time of asking and the match looks to be over. But Prince Nana instructs Dijak to make a statement and go for Feast Your Eyes too. COUNTERED WITH A REVERSE RANA! DRAGON’S CALL! DIJAK KICKS OUT! Rush Hour blocked…Feast Your Eyes blocked…crucifix pin. RUSH WINS! What a moment! Lio pulls off the upset at 08:55 (shown).

Rating - **** - That was a hell of a way to start the broadcast. It had a lot of the same qualities I loved in the Rush/Martinez match during the TPT, where Lio found some incredible ways to overcome a substantial height difference. They had the fans biting on some perilously close false finishes, worked at a frenetic speed and hit some phenomenal counter sequences. Rush has been an absolute revelation on the roster, and after just a few months I’m already bitterly disappointed that he only stuck around in ROH for the initial year of his contract. He is obscenely talented…

Dijak and Nana jump him after the bell, until Jay White (who showed respect to Lio after their match at the Baltimore live event the previous week) makes a save. Kamaitachi runs in to continue his rivalry with White…creating a chaotic scene as security floors in to separate the four men. It is then announced that the four of them will be meeting in a TV Title #1 contendership match at the PPV.

Dalton Castle thinks he is getting some promo time, but The Cabinet interrupt before he can get started. They think he and his Boys need to be ‘removed from wrestling’…

Originally this episode was scheduled to feature a Tag Title match with both of The Addiction’s biggest rivals – Motor City Machine Guns and War Machine – getting another shot in a triple threat title bout. But once again fortune favours Daniels and Kazarian, as with the Machine Guns already out injured, backstage footage is aired showing Keith Lee and Shane Taylor assaulting War Machine in the locker rooms thus taking them out as well. 

Adam Page is at ringside next for an interview with Kevin Kelly, after clips of him attacking Jay Briscoe in the locker room. As a representative of Bullet Club, he doesn’t like the fact that the Briscoes are IWGP Tag Champions (and has a title shot, teaming with Yujiro, at the NJPW G1 Climax concluding events between this taping and Death Before Dishonor), but he also has a particularly personal issue with Jay Briscoe going back to last year. His pointed barbs bring Jay to the ring for a brawl…and it’s a tough night for security as they have to separate those guys too. Page and Briscoe meet at Death Before Dishonor 14 on pay-per-view as well…

The Addiction come to the ring during commercials to gloat about having their scheduled Tag Title defence cancelled since all their opponents are injured. RPG Vice come out, on the back of a lengthy undefeated run in New Japan, and want to challenge for the belts instead. Young Bucks don’t like that one bit and appear on the stage to voice their objections and demand they get added to any title match. Nigel McGuinness is still pissed off at Bullet Club so denies that request. Instead he books RPG Vice vs Young Bucks, with the winners getting to face The Addiction in two weeks…

These two teams will be incredibly familiar with each other. Rocky Romero and his partners (be it Alex Koslov or Trent Beretta) have been trading wins and Jr Heavyweight Tag Title runs with the Bucks for years. They’ve traded wins in this company too, and each team will back themselves to unseat The Addiction if they can just snag the win here. Daniels and Kazarian take a ringside seat on commentary to scout their potential opponents.

Romero tries an early Shiranui on Matt…who counters and almost leads him into an Indytaker. Rocky frees himself though, then tags in Beretta for the first time. He smartly slows it down and chokes Matt in the ropes on the opposite side of the ring from his brother. Nick runs in and SUPERKICKS Trent! RISE OF THE TERMINATOR DIVES! Back in the ring the Bucks hit a hanging neckbreaker/elevated senton combo on Trent for 2. DOOMSDAY KNEE FROM THE APRON TO THE FLOOR from Vice to Nick! Matt saves with a standing Shiranui on Trent, then a Superkick on the floor to wipe out Rocky. Double knee strikes from RPG Vice to Matt, giving Romero a cue to fire up the Forever Clotheslines. COUNTERED with Suck It Clotheslines by Matt! Both men down! RPG Vice try to set up Strong Zero on the floor, only for Nick to save and kick Beretta into a CODE RED ON THE FLOOR! The Bucks start marching ominously towards the announce table now. STEREO SUPERKICKS ON THE ADDICTION! SUPERKICK PARTY ON ROCKY! SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH from Nick to Trent gets 2. SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY NICK, wiping out Daniels and Kazarian again. DUDEBUSTER FROM TRENT TO MATT GETS 2! ROPE RUN GERMAN SUPERPLEX! Romero hits a tope suicida. GOBSTOPPER KNEE! But Matt counters the ensuing pin and hold Beretta’s shoulders down! The Bucks win at 11:12 (shown).

Rating - **** - I’ll admit this is another one of those matches that I’ve reviewed favourably because it has been given away for free on television. I’m certain there are better matches between these two teams out there, but that isn’t the point. The ease and familiarity between them all meant this sailed by. It was tremendously exciting and was so slick that it didn’t always feel like they were even breaking a sweat. For something to be this good, when the competitors involved probably aren’t even in top gear, tells you everything about their chemistry as opponents and their qualities as workers. 

Daniels and Kazarian fume at the repeated attacks by the Bucks during the match and get immediate payback once the bell rings. They give Matt Celebrity Rehab on one of the Tag Title belts then put the boots to his brother when he tries to make a save.

Kevin Kelly runs through the Death Before Dishonor line-up, which also includes The Addiction getting forced to defend the Tag Titles against two teams from New Japan (Naito and EVIL, plus Tanahashi and Elgin) and an announcement that Briscoe/Page is No Holds Barred. Dalton Castle facing Okada has also been added to the card…

Jay Lethal and Adam Cole come to the ring to sign the contracts for their Death Before Dishonor main event, overseen by Match Maker Nigel McGuinness. Lethal refuses to sit, whilst Cole lounges back in his chair and smiles his way through ‘Storytime with Adam Cole’. He backs himself as the man who ‘runs’ ROH, and shaved Lethal's head to prove just how easily he can take what Lethal has. At Death Before Dishonor he doesn’t want to ‘steal the show’, he just wants to take Jay’s belt. Lethal willingly signs his name and tells Adam that, perhaps for the first time in his ROH career, he won’t be fighting for a title – just to kick his ass. As Cole signs his name, Lethal drops a pair of scissors on the table…then attacks him! Cole hits a superkick…but as he poses with the belt Jay low blows him and tries to cut his hair with the scissors! The Young Bucks come to Cole’s rescue in the nick of time!

Tape Rating - **** - Whilst I think ROH left it too late to put the card together for Death Before Dishonor (especially considering it got a LONG block of TV to promote it), this was an undeniably thrilling go-home show. Rush/Dijak was a hell of a contest (Lio is making a habit of stealing shows in 2016), and was neatly slotted into booking a match for the PPV. We also got another intense Lethal/Cole segment, a Briscoe/Page brawl plus a couple more blockbuster matches announced pitting New Japan’s top names Tanahashi, Okada and Naito against Ring Of Honor stars. The Young Bucks and RPG Vice (neither of whom are at the PPV) popped in with a hell of a match to ensure fans not only watch the paid show, but also keep tuning into the TV broadcasts as well. I can’t stress how good ROH TV has been for the last month. They’ve really rediscovered some of the momentum they lost somewhere between Supercard Of Honor and Best In The World…