McXal's Reviews

Welcome back to the dead-zone between an ROH pay-per-view and the earliest possible opportunity for them to get reactive content to that ppv onto their television show. For the next two weeks the deadzone will be filled with Road Rage episodes taped at Field Of Honor 2016 a couple of months earlier. It certainly wasn’t my favourite live show of the year, but the unique venue and setting does freshen up the TV show’s look for a couple of episodes. Tonight our headline act is arguably the best match from the show too, as the Bullet Club of the Young Bucks, Adam Page and Yujiro face the Motor City Machine Guns, ACH and Lio Rush. Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino are in Brooklyn, NY.

Kevin Kelly reminds me that EVIL’s biggest success in ROH came at Field Of Honor last year when he won a TV Title #1 contendership Gauntlet Match though. Bobby, however, has vowed to be a fighting champion and prove the TV Title to be the most prestigious belt in the company whilst he holds it. He has a track record of winning TV Title Matches in a variety of manners now – from submission, to stoppage, to pinfall – so he is a dangerous competitor.

It’s an imposing start from Evil who cheap-shots Fish, swats his away his attempt at a couple of martial arts kicks then rakes his eyes so hard he collapses to the ground. Bobby looks for the Fish Hook in response but Evil instantly grabs the ropes and heads to the floor. Out there he rams the champ’s head into the ringpost, then rams a steel chair into his ribs. People rightly question why that isn’t a DQ, but through fair means or foul Evil has dominated the match so far. Next he wraps the chair around Fish’s head and drives him into the ringpost again! Inside the ring he starts choking Bobby – leaving him on the ground for a curb stomp then a senton splash for 2. Another eye rake puts Fish down again, and he finally snaps. The champ starts choking the challenger in the ropes…then suplexes him on his head with the turnbuckle exploder. Big elbows by Evil, but Fish is able to block Darkness Falls at this stage. Samoan drop nailed…only for Evil to get right back up and deliver a back suplex. Fisherman buster nailed and both men lie flat-out afterwards. HALF NELSON SUPLEX puts Fish on his head! EVIL LARIAT gets 2! Darkness Falls nailed…and still just 2! Evil STO blocked...so he HEADBUTTS THE THROAT! Falcon Arrow by Fish…into Fish Hook Deluxe! Evil taps at 11:57

Rating - *** - I liked the start in particular, as it featured the cold and emotionless EVIL working to shut down the big-mouthed and cocky champion by whatever means necessary. If he needed to cheat, then f*ck it, he was going to cheat. It sort of meandered in the second half, losing the crowd in the process, but the last minute redeemed it with some exciting back and forth action. As an individual performance, this was actually one of my favourite Watanabe/EVIL matches that I’ve seen thus far. I thought he was really entertaining.

These two, both former enforcers in the House Of Truth who have achieved greater success by leaving Truth Martini’s tutelage, have met before. Big Mike has had the upper hand in their previous battles. He defeated Kenny Omega in a Ladder Match to win this belt, so won’t relinquish it without a fight.

Elgin has his head bandaged up because he isn’t taking time off to let wounds on his forehead heal. He is too strong for Dijak to bully around the ring and too stout to knock off his feet with a basic shoulder tackle. Forty Second Suplex nailed, before Elgin abandons his strength game for flashier moves and gets punished. Donovan lands the ribbreaker/toss-release throw combo to emphatically bring him back into the contest. Unlike Elgin, high-flying offence comes more naturally to Dijak and he gets a nearfall with a standing corkscrew senton. Time To Fly blocked by Elgin (since power moves are his thing), allowing him to hit a dead-lift German for 2. He pelts Dijak’s neck with an elbow strike which leaves him slumped on the apron. The challenger uses a heel kick to block the dead-lift superplex however and returns to the ring with a springboard flying elbow drop for 2. Chokeslam Backbreaker dodged by Unbreakable…and he elbows his way out of Feast Your Eyes too. LIGERBOMB by Donovan instead gets 2. He still can’t hit Feast Your Eyes though, as Big Mike walks away from it and rocks him with a big lariat. Buckle Bomb scores…only for Dijak to counter the Elgin Bomb into a Death Valley powerbomb for 2! Martini Killer Kick…NO SOLD! ELBOWS! NO SOLD! MARTINI KILLER AGAIN! Elgin is still on his feet…so Dijak gives him the Chokeslam Backbreaker. BIG MAN MOONSAULT gets 2! Elgin has understandably bailed to the apron, soon joined by Dijak for more massive elbows and forearm smashes. DVD ON THE APRON! Big Mike wants to fly too, only for Prince Nana to distract him on the ropes. Donovan climbs again, only to be countered with a GERMAN SUPERPLEX! SPINNING BACK FIST! Buckle Bomb/Elgin Bomb combo sees Big Mike retain his title at 15:16

Rating - *** - Certainly not the all-time classic the cliché-King Kevin Kelly was trying to put this over as, but there was certainly some fun to be had watching these two big dudes beat the piss out of each other. They’ve had smarter matches against each other in the past and at times this degenerated into something of a senseless and lethargic big man blow-out. But when it was at its best – i.e. when they moved quickly, dished out the big hits and got the crowd involved – it was really good to watch. 

Sabin and Shelley haven’t forgotten Dearborn, when Hangman Page joined with the Bucks in Bullet Club and hung Sabin over the ropes using his noose. Page has lots of history with ACH as well, so certainly won’t take kindly to sharing a ring with him again. MCMG teaming with ACH and Lio makes plenty of sense. Shelley has vocally endorsed both of them after singles bouts at live events recently, and has been teaming with ACH back to last year. Lio and ACH also have some mutual respect for each other after an explosive little bout on television too. 

Matt Jackson starts with a ‘sweet’ eye poke on an unsuspecting young Lio Rush. The youngster fires back in typically explosive and illusive fashion, prompting him to tag Hangman in. Instantly Sabin wants in to get his hands on his Dearborn tormentor. They can’t be separated so Shelley and Nick take to the stage instead. ACH holds Nick over the ropes so Rush can hit a flying double stomp to the back! It leaves Nick down in their corner – and they capitalise with a four-way basement dropkick for 2. DOUBLE SUPERKICK by Page and Matt coming to their partner’s aid! They then hit the floor and give ACH the same treatment! RISE OF THE TERMINATOR by Nick! Quickly the tables are turned and Bullet Club have Rush captured on their side of the ring. It’s this scenario that brings Yujiro in legally for the first time. He is completely comfortable slowing it down and picking apart the Top Prospect Tournament winner. What I like about the heat segment is that Lio keeps getting little moments where he fights back. It isn’t a procession of time-wasting spots, and it feels like Bullet Club really have to work hard to keep him at their mercy. Eventually he tricks Matt into Superkicking his own brother then makes the big tag to ACH. SUPERMAN TOPE SUICIDA NAILED! Page blocks the slingshot flatliner…so ACH gives him the Lumbar Check! MAGIC KILLER from the Machine Guns to Matt! Lio hits rolling topes! ASCS KICK RUSH/HERO’S GRIP COMBO gets 2 on Hangman! Takahashi made the save on that, then gives ACH a fisherman buster. Nick fells Sabin with a Superkick, as Page gets a running start for the SHOOTING STAR LARIAT TO THE FLOOR! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S knocks Rush to the floor as he attempted a springboard. Corkscrew dive by Nick after that to wipe out the Machine Guns! HUGE RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY ACH! Sabin grabs Page for Skull & Bones…but Yujiro and Nick Jackson save him before they can hit it. SUPERKICK/RITE OF PASSAGE COMBO ON SABIN! Hangman pins Sabin to win the match at 14:13

Rating - **** - This was really good. Not just really good in the way you’d expect – i.e. seven guys hit flashy spots and dives (and Yujiro stands around). But also good in that there were so many neat little touches that really enhanced the action. Sabin and Page made it abundantly clear at all times that they still don’t like each other. Lio Rush wasn’t the story here, but he was given plenty of offence and even got to look great during his in-peril segment. ACH had been repackaged as ‘Super ACH’ after a recent tour of Japan, and he dusted in enough new offence and sequences to feel fresh too. Even Yujiro, who gets plenty of stick, was incorporated perfectly into this. If there was some sh*thousing to be done, a guy to be worked over or a pinfall to break up it was usually the Tokyo Pimp who was on hand to do it. They also left plenty unsaid between the Bucks and MCMG. Shelley and Sabin stealing Anderson and Gallows’ finisher was interesting, and there is definitely more to come between those two teams as well. Many will write this off as just another Young Bucks spot-fest, which they are entitled to do…however, there was SO much going on when you take a deeper look.

Tape Rating - N/A - Going all the way back to when they introduced the ‘Road Rage’ concept to television, I was an advocate of it when it was done right. This episode is certainly an example of Ring Of Honor getting the concept just right. It showcased a live event with a totally different vibe to anything else ROH puts onto their TV show, it gave us three great undercard matches, and it kept things relevant to the current product (Fish as TV Champion, Bullet Club and the Machine Guns at war, Sabin and Shelley lining up Lio Rush and ACH as allies etc).