McXal's Reviews

Here we are at the go-home for All Star Extravaganza. We know that Ladder War 6 will main event, but it has also been announced that Michael Elgin will challenge Adam Cole for the World Title, to reignite what was a major Ring Of Honor rivalry back in 2013/14. They will meet tonight in a prelude to that championship match with Cole joining his Bullet Club team-mate Adam Page to face Elgin and his regular partner in NJPW – Hiroshi Tanahashi. Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino are at the commentary desk in Las Vegas, NV.

I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of Yano, but I like this match. The grumpy, ultra-serious and intense persona of the Last Real Man will contrast nicely with Yano’s antics…and it also carries on what Silas was saying in the build-up to Death Before Dishonor. He is fed up of New Japan talent fleeting in and out of ROH and taking all the best spots from guys like him who are full-time in ROH and bust their ass. He will relish getting to put a beating on an NJPW guy if given half a chance.

Yano pisses Young off in the first minute; faking a handshake then using it to try and schoolboy him up for a three-count. He continues pissing Young off and running away to avoid the consequences to the point that Silas has steam coming out of his ears and stays on the floor trying to gather his composure. Toru goes after the turnbuckle pads…presenting the Last Real Man with an opportunity to jump him from behind. In an instant the fun and games cease and Young starts beating Yano around the ring. Still the Japanese visitor wants a turnbuckle pad though…and eventually he does rip one off and slap Silas across the head with it. Low Blow blocked into an Ace Crusher by Young for 2. Misery blocked so Silas hits a slingshot neckbreaker instead. Toru slumps in the corner with the exposed turnbuckle bolt – intentionally so as it lures Young to run after him and collide sternum first with the metal! Akakiri pin out of that gets 2 for Yano. Silas has had enough! Behind referee Tiger Hattori’s back he kicks Yano in the balls…then blasts him against the turnbuckle bolt…and THEN grabs the tights to pin him. Silas scores the victory at 07:37 (shown).

Rating - *** - I’ve gone for a generous 3* rating on this because I really thought it was fun to watch. Clearly it wasn’t a technical classic, but the personality clash between Yano and Young made for great entertainment. It was brilliant booking and a clever way to have Yano contribute to the ROH product. The fact that Young got to go over, by out-cheating the ‘Master Thief’, so soon after dropping a PPV match to another NJPW talent in Shibata, was extremely pleasing too. 

Silas tries to rough up Yano some more after the bell, bringing out his partners in Japan, the Briscoe Brothers, to come to his rescue. The Briscoes and Yano are aiming to repeat their success in the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Title Tournament by entering the tournament for the ROH Trios Titles too. They face Kushida (who has replaced Lio Rush), Jay White and ACH!

Christopher Daniels gets an extended sit-down interview segment. It is often forgotten that he is one of the best orators in the history of Ring Of Honor and this piece of footage is superb. He talks about knowing he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and accepting that one day he’ll defend a title for the last time. But that motivates him; he asks whether anyone else in Ladder War 6 will fight as hard as a man who knows that every time he wrestles it could be the last time he does it. A life where he isn’t a champion isn’t one he wants to live; he’ll do anything and risk everything to keep the belts and tell time to ‘f*ck off’…

Last time Burger was on television he wound up getting an asskicking from Martinez, who made his return to ROH as the new apprentice of BJ Whitmer and Kevin Sullivan. Tonight Cheeseburger will tell himself he is coming for revenge…but he faces a huge challenge. Punisher looked great in the Top Prospect Tournament earlier in the year (and came across Whitmer then when he decimated BJ’s last protégé Colby Corino). How much more dangerous is he now with BJ and Sullivan in his ear? ROH literally change what Martinez is called every week. Sometimes he’s Punishment, sometimes he’s Punisher, sometimes he’s Damian. Tonight he is ‘Damian “Punishment” Martinez’. He does have a really creepy entrance with lighting effects and an ominous display on the Carytron…

Sullivan joins commentary to talk absolute nonsense with Steve Corino. Martinez takes Cheese’s head off with a cyclone kick…not that anyone is paying attention since Corino and Sullivan are talking complete garbage. Burger rattles off a couple of Shotei’s…which Punishment ignores to hit South Of Heaven for a comprehensive win at 01:34

Rating - DUD - I feel bad giving this a DUD because I really like Martinez. I think he’s a tremendously exciting talent and one of the most unique performers to come out of ROH’s contrived Dojo/seminar/Top Prospect Tournament sham. But he wasn’t even mentioned here. Literally nobody mentioned him from the moment the bell rang to the moment it ended. He is being completely obscured by this absolute trash between Corino, Whitmer and Sullivan. Whomever decided this sh*tshow was a good idea should be fired. Nobody really wanted the Corino/Whitmer match in the first place. To drag that out for two years, then deny everyone a comprehensive finish to it in favour of complete jibberish featuring an old-timer who people barely even remember now is one of the biggest mistakes in the fourteen year history of Ring Of Honor…

Will Ferrara tries to save Cheeseburger from a beating, only to be given the South Of Heaven as well. Sullivan is still on commentary goading Corino to embrace the darkness too. Clearly fans started crapping on this segment, as it’s been cut out and shown mostly in ‘during the commercial break’ clips. They leave Steve with the Golden Spike…

Bobby Fish pops in for a quick promo…and a plan to knock out Donovan Dijak’s teeth when he challenges for the TV Title at All Star Extravaganza.

Adam Cole mocks Michael Elgin for cracking under pressure and fleeing to Japan when he last held the ROH World Championship. He wants to ‘right a wrong’ at All Star Extravaganza, and avenge the Best In The World 2014 loss that has haunted him…

This one has ramifications in both Ring Of Honor and New Japan. As Bullet Club strive for global dominance they won’t want to slip to defeat against New Japan’s Ace, Tanahashi. Similarly, Cole and Elgin meet one-on-one on pay-per-view in a week’s time so each have an opportunity put down a marker (and inflict damage on their opponent) on the way in. Kyle O’Reilly takes his place at the commentary desk to watch his hated rival, Adam Cole, in action…

As you’d expect, Cole has no desire to start the match with Elgin. Hangman is forced in and takes an early kicking from both opponents. The World Champion gets pissed off with that and helps Page out by cheap-shotting Tanahashi from behind! SSP TORPEDO DOUBLE LARIAT OFF THE APRON from Hangman to Elgin and the Ace! Cole cracks Elgin’s (already bandaged) head against the ringpost, temporarily removing him from the match so Bullet Club and concentrate on working Tana over. Eventually Tanahashi hits Twist & Shout on Hangman and gets the tag to Unbreakable. He pummels Page with lariats and elbows…but to his credit the Hangman stands his ground and retaliates with the Spike DDT for 2. Cole takes the tag, with Elgin blocking his immediate attempt at a Panama Sunrise into a TURNBUCKLE GERMAN SUPLEX! Tanahashi trades strikes with the champ and neither man backs up an inch! He finally no sells one of Cole’s Superkicks and delivers the Sling Blade to leave them both on the deck. Big Mike tags with Page…who rolls out to dodge the Alabamasplash finisher and smash into Elgin with the Buckshot Lariat. Rite Of Passage countered with the spinning back fist. Buckle Bomb/Elgin Bomb combo wins it for Big Mike whilst Tana and Cole fight outside. 12:16 (shown) was your time.

Rating - ** - I thought this one under-delivered. It under-delivered as a stand-alone match, and it certainly under-delivered when it comes to promoting Cole/Elgin. They were barely in the ring together at all and any interactions they had were stone cold and devoid of tension. If anything this made me want to see Cole/Tanahashi far more! The way Page was jobbed out absolutely infuriated me too, and was indicative of why Delirious has been such a painfully mediocre creative force in his time with ROH. He consistently lines these immensely talented young guys up to break through the glass ceilings, but then bottles it, pulls the plug, has absolutely nothing planned for them and slots them back into the same spot they previously occupied. Hangman looked on the cusp of genuine progression when he beat Jay Briscoe on pay-per-view. To go back to playing Adam Cole’s job-guy f*cking sucks.

Tape Rating - ** - The episode started strongly with the fun Silas/Yano match and incredible promo by Christopher Daniels to hype Ladder War…but then fell off a cliff after that. I can’t even see BJ Whitmer and Kevin Sullivan on my screen right now without being angry. The fact that their angle continues, is over-shadowing a hot new talent like Martinez, and even wrecking the only good thing about Ring Of Honor’s commentary team (Steve Corino) is almost enough to make you want to stop watching. Couple that with a forgettable main event and you have another rather disappointing episode. Considering how good ROH TV has been for most of the summer these last two episodes have felt like a major comedown.

5) The Addiction/Kamaitachi vs Kazuchika Okada/RPG Vice (*** - Episode 261)

4) Silas Young vs Toru Yano (*** - Episode 262)

3) Adam Cole/Adam Page/Yujiro Takahashi vs Jay Lethal/Tetsuya Naito/EVIL (*** - Episode 260)

2) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs Jay White/Lio Rush (*** - Episode 259)

1) Bobby Fish vs Katsuyori Shibata (**** - Episode 260)