McXal's Reviews

As of writing (April 2019), the link to this episode is broken on Honor Club and skips to the Reloaded Tour event in Lockport for some reason. Thankfully it is also available on Fite TV so I’ve picked this show up there. There are some big matches planned for this episode so I’m glad I’ve not had to skip it. The Addiction have to scrape themselves off their hospital beds after Ladder War and somehow find a way to beat the Briscoes. Our main event sees semi-final action in the tournament to crown the first ever ROH Six-Man Tag Champions as Kushida, Jay White and ACH face The Cabinet. Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino are once again in the terrific-looking Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA.

How does Dijak rebound after failing to become TV Champion at All Star Extravaganza? It was a hell of a match against Bobby Fish, but he didn’t win and goes back to the drawing board. What next for this supremely talented performer who has consistently struggled to build momentum during his ROH career? He is in his home state and once again has huge fan support here…

Donovan declines a Code Of Honor handshake and spins instantly into the Martini Killer kick. The Chokeslam Backbreaker almost breaks the debuting Miles in half…and he obliterates him with Feast Your Eyes seconds later. Dijak seethes with rage at losing on pay-per-view, and decides to give Danny two more Feast Your Eyes before finally pinning him at 02:17

Rating - N/A - I have no problem with this at all. Dijak came off like a star (which is rare, he is usually booked terribly) and was cheered to the rafters by the Boston fans. Squash matches have their place and this one performed its function well.

Prince Nana admits that they were disappointed with All Star Extravaganza, and vows to make sure it never happens again. Donovan stands in the background conveying an emotion of indeterminate nature...

LAST WEEK – After the show went off the air Ian Riccaboni tried to get an interview with Bullet Club for ROHWrestling.com. They make fun of the Motor City Machine Guns as they trudge through the curtain after losing to Los Ingobernables…causing a brawl in the locker rooms.

The Briscoes vow to punish The Addiction for screwing them out of the Tag Titles at Field Of Honor. 

Sadly for them, The Addiction come to the ring in street clothes and covered in the battle scars of Ladder War 6. Kazarian is uncharacteristically humble and puts over the Briscoes and Daniels as ROH pioneers who have created a ‘legacy’ for themselves. They aren’t wrestling tonight but will come back stronger and prove that they should be in the conversation for best ROH tag team ever…

The Addiction walk out, leaving the Briscoes in the ring looking for a fight. Jay doesn’t hesitate and calls out the Young Bucks and the ROH Tag Championship! Much to their annoyance it isn’t the Jacksons that answer the challenge, but instead Adam Cole and Hangman Page. Cole belittles them for wanting to fight the Bucks so soon after Ladder War

We know that the Briscoes will face the Tag Champions at Final Battle. That means we may well be looking at the prospect of a huge Bucks vs Briscoes title clash on pay-per-view. But the Jackson brothers aren’t the only members of Bullet Club that the Briscoes have a problem with. Jay Briscoe’s feud with Adam Cole goes back years, and he’ll be very aware that pinning the champ here puts him back into the World Title conversation too. He also has an extensive history with Hangman – it was Page who joined Bullet Club by putting him through a table in Dearborn, and it was also Page who beat him at Death Before Dishonor. Can the Briscoes put down a marker before Final Battle? Or will Cole and Page do the Bucks a favour and put a beating on their potential Final Battle opponents?

Cole and Page try to jump the Briscoes…but the veterans of tag team wrestling have seen it a thousand times and easily batter them back to the outside. Hangman shows his toughness by surviving that and raking the eyes to successfully pull Mark away from his brother to the Bullet Club corner. They isolate him throughout the commercial break, culminating in Cole getting a nearfall from the NXT Last Shot. Jay has been left bleeding from the back of the head during the initial skirmishes but still gladly flies in to dish out strikes to both Adams. Day One Neckbreaker nailed on Page. He looks for the win with a Jay Driller…only for Cole to level him with the title belt. That’s a DQ, giving Briscoes a token victory at 04:57 (shown)

Rating - N/A - I’ve generously declined to rate this as a match, because it really was more of an angle to set-up Final Battle than it was a serious contest. The wrestling itself was entirely forgettable

Page and Cole want to rough up the Briscoes…but are prevented by reDRagon running in looking to avenge the beating they took last week

NEXT WEEK – Matt Taven proudly announces that The Kingdom will be returning to participate in the Six-Man Tag Title Tournament.

Kevin Kelly brings Jay Lethal to the stage for a live interview. He is preparing to face Adam Cole for the World Title in London and still believes that he is the best wrestler in the world. He does, however, admit that he respects Cole for doing ‘everything within his power’ to get back to the ROH Title – but also states he’ll do exactly the same thing when they reach the UK.

The winners of this match advance to the finals of the tournament at Final Battle 2016. Kushida, White and ACH pulled off something of an upset at All Star Extravaganza when they defeated the Briscoes and Toru Yano (former NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Champions). Their reward is a bout with The Cabinet, who have the benefit of being a cohesive three-piece as opposed to three talented individuals. 

Kushida suggests that his team disrespect The Cabinet’s kneeling protest and draws a few laughs, although the trio are still kneeling well into the first minute of the match. Caprice chokes Jay in the corner then vacates the ring to King can deliver an emphatic spinebuster. Super ACH gets a tag and is far too quick for Kenny, spear-heading a flurry of strikes in the corner from his team. White returns to hit the missile dropkick allowing his team to cut Coleman off from his partners. Hoverboard Lock blocked but Kushida still acts out that he wants to break Caprice’s arm. They all take turns working the Minister Of Information’s arm, which ANX really don’t like. Kenny drags ACH to the floor for an illegal assault out there to turn the match back in their favour. Bridging capture suplex from King to ACH gets 2. ACH hits back with a cutter/flatliner combo on both members of All Night Express, opening the door to a hot tag to Kushida…who goes right back to attacking Caprice’s arm. He drops him right on the shoulder with a German suplex; folding Rhett up underneath them too. Tanaka Punch floors Titus! Running brainbuster by White gets 2. He can’t deliver his urinage suplex as Titus hits the big dropkick to block it. Sky Splitter by Caprice! That’s how they won in the first round, but here Kushida dives in to break the fall! Shotgun Knees from King to ACH! Handspring heel kick by Kushida! Sky Splitter COUNTERED to the Urinage by White! TOPE ATOMICO BY KUSHIDA! MIDNIGHT STAR! ACH pins Coleman to win a second match for his team at 11:35 (shown).

Rating - *** - I actually preferred this to the Kushida/White/ACH match versus the Briscoes and Yano at All Star Extravaganza that I know many people liked. The Cabinet aren’t a popular act, which I understand, but I do enjoy watching two thirds of them (King and Coleman) – and it was those two who did the bulk of the work for their team. What this match did well was to flesh out the idea that Kushida, Jay and ACH are indeed a team of individuals – but successfully pooling their talents for the good of the team. Kushida is the experienced leader and strategist, ACH has the legs, the speed and is therefore the finisher of the trio, where as White is the rookie with gas in the tank and willing to do the hard work and carry the team through the middle portion. Had Caprice sold the arm this could have been even better…

NEXT WEEK – Dragon Lee enters the TV Title Proving Ground with Bobby Fish

Tape Rating - ** - There was nothing you needed to see here, but it was a more consistent episode than last week. The main event was fun, we got another segment to set up Final Battle for the Briscoes, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly, and I really liked that ROH are putting an effort to promoting their live events on television. Jay Lethal’s interview was minimal, but ROH really don’t do enough shouting about the huge matches and great action which takes place outside of TV and PPV.