McXal's Reviews

We reach the conclusion of the quartet of episodes taped in early December, and the line-up for this one is so stacked that it almost feels inevitable we'll all leave disappointed that matches didn't get enough time. Marty Scurll makes his 'live' television debut (despite already being TV Champion) in a mouth-watering potential match with Jon Gresham. His countryman Will Ospreay debuts too - in an international triple threat against Kushida and Dragon Lee. If that weren't enough we also have the first Decade Of Excellence Tournament semi-final as former KRD allies Christopher Daniels and Chris Sabin collide once again. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are together for the last time on commentary - in Philadelphia, PA.

They still haven't bothered to fix Gresham's misspelled Carytron video, which is pretty inexcusable. His generic rap music entrance theme doesn't help either. In 2017 we need to see much more of the man known to some as the 'Octopus'. He is an exceptional wrestler, and has honed a great deal of skill in the European style favoured by men like Marty Scurll thanks to multiple tours all around the world. A victory over the TV Champion could be the key to earning a full-time job in the promotion...

Scurll sneers and jokes around with Gresham, who largely ignores his shenanigans and sets about his work tying Marty in knots on the canvas. Gresh actually starts making fun of the champ, such is the success of his bewildering array of tricks and skills. Marty is pissed off and superkicks Gresham from the apron because he can't get the better of him inside the ropes. Only now is Scurll able to show off some of his own skills on the canvas...but mostly relies on an ability to ferociously out-strike the Octopus. The second he tries to lock Gresham up on the mat is the very instant that Gresh frees himself and mounts a comeback. He kicks and drags Marty's arm, and levels it again with a flying knee strike moments later. Just Kidding by Marty! No sold into a jumping rana by Gresham for 2! Dangerous body slam by the Villain, who then recoils into the corner to call for his finishing hold! Gresham picks at his bad arm to block the Chickenwing though! FINGER SNAP by Marty! CHICKENWING! Gresham taps out at 08:57 (shown).

Rating - *** - This was one of the best matches from this entire taping. I'm so pleased with how ROH approached this; the tone was pretty much perfect. Gresham wasn't treated as an enhancement talent and got to showcase how skilled he is, and that in turn helped deliver a great match...which only served to put over Scurll even harder on his television debut. I didn't think the finish was particularly logical given that Gresham had worked the arm all match - but then again Scurll does need to get his finishing sequence over. This was a LOT of fun...

Throughout the night we will be seeing extended clips from the O'Reilly vs Cole ROH World Title rematch from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11. This is NOT the way I'd have chosen to air the title change, but it does enable them to edit it in such a manner that makes the match look considerably more substantial than it actually was...

NEXT WEEK - Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe meet again, this time on television and this time in the semi-final of the Decade Of Excellence Tournament. Lethal gloats that he has Briscoe's number in big money matches...

Daniels survived a physical encounter with Mark Briscoe, whilst Sabin benefited from a somewhat controversial victory over Colt Cabana when Dalton Castle's Boys distracted the Chicago-native. These two men - former allies in the KRD, bitter rivals throughout 2016 as The Addiction and the Motor City Machine Guns feuded over the Tag Titles, survivors of Ladder War 6 and combatants going back years in multiple promotions - will step through the ropes once more, looking to get one step closer to a ROH World Title opportunity at the 15th Anniversary Show in Las Vegas.

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary and calls this tournament Chris Daniels' last shot at being ROH World Champion. Kevin Kelly trying to put Chris Sabin over as equally significant or 'tenured' in ROH history as Daniels is everything at is wrong with Kelly's dumb ass, horrible commentary. As usual he is blatantly lying and completely untrue just to make the cheesy, dated point that he wants to make. Inside the ropes Sabin is going after Daniels' neck. That is significant because Daniels has had neck trouble his whole career, and also a receipt after The Addiction went after his neck repeatedly in 2016. Sabin clearly hasn't forgotten either, because he gets into an argument with Kaz on commentary. STO INTO THE GUARDRAIL by the Ring General! That tears the Machine Gun's neck and back apart, and Daniels tucks into the injuries with relish. Sabin counters Angel's Wings (which Daniels won in Round One with) into a hurricanrana...but drops himself on his own neck in the process. He punts the Fallen Angel from the apron and flips into a senton to the floor...but is so injured as a result he temporarily lies alongside his fallen opponent. Over Easy - a vintage Sabin move - rocks Daniels for 2...so Daniels clobbers his beck with a lariat, Asai moonsaults across the head and neck and rolls straight into the Koji Clutch. SPRINGBOARD tornado DDT by Sabin! Both guys are killing each other's necks here. Daniels blocks Cradle Shock and collapses into a Samoan drop. BME misses...STO slam...BEST MOONSAULT EVER! Daniels advances to the finals at 08:42 (shown).

Rating - **** - This was a f*cking outstanding, if disappointingly brief match for free television. I'm certain many won't have liked this as much as me, and I feel like these two definitely won't get the respect they deserve - but I thought this was brilliantly crafted. I loved the neck work both men broke out here, and I wish they had a better announce team (Kelly sucks, and Nigel just doesn't work commentary enough to build up that base of historical knowledge) to put it over. Sabin getting into an argument with Kaz made total sense considering how much they butted heads in 2016. Daniels going f*cking crazy with that STO into the guardrails put over the high stakes of the match. Once again they were both busting out retro blasts from their past movesets too. Even a break for commercials didn't hurt their flow too much, and I thought they built to a sound conclusion as well. I feel like I'll get heat for over-rating this. Daniels is an all-time great, but it isn't always 'cool' to put over broken down TNA guys like Sabin. But he deserves credit for his in-ring performances of late, and this was the best of the bunch. I know I sound like a broken record calling for matches to go longer and get more time. But they don't always need to and this was a great example of two extremely professional workers making the absolute most of the time they were given. Both of these veteran performers knocked this out of the park.

Daniels and Sabin end their feud with a handshake and a hug in the middle of the ring, as the fans justifiably rise to their feed to applaud them.

Steve Corino is in the parking lot huddled over a burning trash can with Sullivan, Whitmer and Martinez like a bunch of hobos. Kevin congratulates him for embracing the darkness and welcomes him back to the family. He sends Corino off on a mission to 'get the golden one'...presumably a reference to Goldust (and therefore Steve's pending move to Florida to work in WWE's developmental system).

Our final match of the taping is a huge international triple threat match. CMLL's Dragon Lee from Mexico, NJPW's Kushida from Japan, and ROH's newest signee from the UK in Ospreay (albeit he's more a New Japan guy). These three are respected around the world as spectacular junior heavyweight performers, so seeing them brought together for a free TV main event does feel special. Not one of the group will have enjoyed Final Battle, with Kushida failing to win the Six-Man Tag Titles and his opponents each failing to take the TV Title from Marty Scurll. With bragging rights and potential title shots as we move through 2017 at stake, you could argue that none of these three can afford to lose...

The opening sequence is ridiculous with armdrags thrown, nearfalls a-plenty, multiple countered rana spots and a crazy three-way back-flipping pose-off as they get a standing ovation from the 2300 Arena. In some of the worst editing for TV I've ever seen, they then take a commercial break and come back showing more clips from Cole and O'Reilly at Wrestle Kingdom before picking up again. Kushida punts Ospreay into oblivion...only for Lee to counter a tumbling dropkick attempt into a version of the STF. Kushida escapes and goes after the arm, only to be quickly thwarted by the Aerial Assassin. Kushida f*cks up Will's arm too, so Ospreay hits a NO HANDS HANDSPRING CORKSCREW KICK! Pip Pip Cheerio nailed, knocking the Japanese athlete outside for a HANDSPRING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! TOPE ATOMICO BY DRAGON! Inside the ring Ospreay counters the Desnucadora...misses an SSP off the apron and EATS Kushida's Tanaka Punch! INSIDE OUT RANA OFF THE APRON BY LEE...SENDING KUSHIDA INTO A SENTON ON OSPREAY! Desnucadora gets 2 on Kushida. Red Star Press by Will! Double stomp by Lee...who then dumps Kushida on his neck with a bridging German. Ospreay breaks the pin with another standing SSP just for kicks. REVERSE RANA by Lee! Kushida blocks the Dragon Driver into the HOVERBOARD LOCK! CORKSCREW ENZI by Ospreay to break! OSCUTTER COUNTERED TO THE HOVERBOARD LOCK...COUNTERED TO A PIN FOR 2! PELE KICK! BACK TO THE FUTURE! Kushida pins Ospreay at 09:15 (shown)

Rating - **** - ROH f*cked up by putting those random Cole/O'Reilly clips in the middle of the match. That was a horrible editing choice, it didn't work and took a hot steaming dump over the brilliant opening sequence these three had just delivered. With that out of the way, this was a total riot. It was the best match of the taping and an extraordinary affair to put out for free on television. Not everything was clean, and of course this wasn't one for the purists as they just threw crazy sh*t around for ten minutes. But as a piece of incredibly athletic performance art this was a joy to behold. I have a serious problem with Ospreay doing the job though. He is ROH's new star and should have won this. It made me wonder how much of an influence NJPW and CMLL may have had here (especially since Dragon already did a clean job at Final Battle). I may be in a minority, but I actually liked this more than the Scurll/Ospreay/Lee triple threat from Final Battle...

The episode ends with the concluding moments of O'Reilly vs Cole from Wrestle Kingdom. It means we go out with the shock news that Adam Cole has made history by becoming a three-time ROH World Champion...

Tape Rating - *** - This was clearly the best episode from this set of tapings. Scurll/Gresham was fun, Daniels/Sabin was an under-rated clinic and the international dream match main event was nuts. I've not gone higher on my rating because I fundamentally disagreed with a couple of major editing and post-production decisions Ring Of Honor made with this show. Firstly, I didn't like the format they opted to utilise in broadcasting the World Title change from New Japan. If NJPW were giving them the rights to the footage, my view is that it was such a historically significant moment for Ring Of Honor that it had to be shown in full. I understand that the match wasn't brilliant, but for me personally the format they broadcast the title change in devalued the belt far more than a poor match does. Secondly, the decision to insert some of those highlights into the middle of the main event was one of the dumbest things I've seen in the entire ROH on SBG run. 

5) Deonna Purrazzo vs Sumie Sakai (*** - Episode 276)

4) Marty Scurll vs Jonathan Gresham (*** - Episode 279)

3) reDRagon/Dalton Castle vs Adam Cole/Young Bucks (**** - Episode 274)

2) Christopher Daniels vs Chris Sabin (**** - Episode 279)

1) Kushida vs Will Ospreay vs Dragon Lee (**** - Episode 279)