McXal's Reviews

New content from the 15th Anniversary Show drops for this week - just in time as this is also the go-home show for the Supercard Of Honor 11 extravaganza in Florida, which will take place in front of ROH's biggest crowd ever. We'll acknowledge our new World and Tag Champions for the first time this evening as both the Hardy Boyz and Christopher Daniels will be making appearances (the former defending the Tag Titles in a dream match against the Briscoe Brothers). Ian Riccaboni and Kevin Kelly are in Las Vegas, NV.

Christopher Daniels is the first man through the curtain, proudly raising the World Title belt and pouring Appletinis! He gloats that he was smart enough to concoct a plan that hoodwinked the Bullet Club. Frankie Kazarian puts Marty Scurll on notice that he is coming for the TV Title, before Dalton Castle interrupts the pleasantries. He discovers the joy of appletinis for himself, he congratulates Daniels on his victory...but reminds him that in just a week's time they'll meet for the title in Florida. Adam Cole and the Young Bucks come to the stage, defiantly calling the events of the Anniversary Show a screwjob and the prospect of Dalton as champion 'laughable'. Frankie challenges Bullet Club to a six-man tag main event...

The Villain pops in for some promo time and calls himself the most dominant TV Champion of all time and is disappointed in the standard of competition ROH has provided for him thus far. Kenny King crashes his promo and accuses him of 'overlooking The Rebellion'. He wants a match with Scurll, and the Villain has no problem accepting.

Of course this is a dream match, and one ROH have smartly shoehorned into their programming given that they have a limited window of opportunity to use Matt and Jeff after their Impact careers ended but before they moved onto other things at WrestleMania weekend. But there is some history here too. Matt Hardy was involved with The Kingdom (in the very early days of the group) and was heavily involved with Jay Briscoe - becoming the final man to challenge Jay for the World Title before his shoulder injury meant he relinquished the belt (and descended into madness). Since that time Matt has been Broken, but in their quest to be the most dominant team in all of time and space he and Brother Nero will not have overlooked how significant a win over the Briscoes on their home turf would be...

Mark goes right into Redneck Kung Fu, and acts so weirdly that even Jeff is thrown off his game. It needs some signature Hardy double team combos to kill Mark's early momentum, and when Jay piles in they break out the Delete/Obsolete chops. Poetry In Motion blocked though, and Jay tosses both champs to the outside for a TOPE SUICIDA! CACTUS ELBOW from Mark to Broken Matt! The Briscoes isolate Brother Nero without much pretty offence but with a whole lot of brute force. Jay is enormously antagonistic towards Matt which I like given their history - and taunts him whilst holding Jeff hostage in the ring. Whisper In The Wind knocks both Briscoes down though, allowing Nero to make the big tag to Matt. Twist Of Fate blocked...so Matt hits a DDT instead for 2. He beats down Mark, which Ian Riccaboni smartly spots that he does entirely by himself to ensure Jeff has time to rest and recover. Back from commercials and Jeff has been allowed back in...and it's he that makes a mistake by failing to hit his version of the Twist Of Fate and allowing Mark to tag out. We get the big Matt vs Jay showdown...and they fight like animals! Matt bites a CHUNK out of Jay's forehead! Jay hits back with the Day One Neckbreaker for 2. Jay Driller COUNTERED to the Side Effect! STEREO superplexes by the Briscoes. Froggy Bow nailed...but Matt kicks out! Twist Of Fate by Jeff, coming to his brother's aid. SPRINGBOARD DOOMSDAY DEVICE! JEFF BREAKS THE PIN! TWIST OF FATE FROM THE FLOOR from Jeff to Jay! Inside the ring Matt hits the Twist Of Fate on Mark! SWANTON BOMB! BUT MARK KICKS OUT AT 2! But Mark has nothing left in the tank! He wearily swings right hands at Matt...who tags Jeff then backslides the younger Briscoe into the folding double leg drop pin. Hardyz retain at 12:39 (shown).

Rating - **** - Ultra-generous, and upgraded because it was given away for free on television, but this was a lot of fun. Credit to Matt and Jeff Hardy, who have definitely come to ROH with their working boots on for this brief run. They were fun in New York, crazy at the Anniversary Show and here they delivered the goods in a straight forward, competitive tag bout. I was thrilled that they acknowledged the history between Matt Hardy and Jay Briscoe, and that moment where Mark kicked out of the Twist Of Fate/Swanton combo was an amazing false finish which literally everyone in the building bit on. This night really was the only opportunity ROH would ever get to book this match - and I'm so thankful they didn't pass it up.

The Young Bucks are back on the stage, still peeved that the Hardy Boyz have stolen the Superkick Party Titles. With a smirk on the face they say they've come right from 'the office' where they've arranged for the Supercard Of Honor clash to be changed...to a Ladder Match!

The agenda is clear here - Cole wants revenge on The Addiction for their elaborate scheme that cost him his ROH World Title. The Bucks and The Addiction certainly don't need an invitation to fight each other either. Dalton is, as is so often the case, an x-factor. He has history with the Bucks - including a failed Tag Title shot taken during Champions vs All-Stars last year which wound up triggering Colt Cabana into violently dissolving the Castle/Cabana team (he also pinned Cole that night as well). But he is preparing to face Christopher Daniels for the World Title at Supercard Of Honor. How can those two coexist just a week prior to such a huge match?

We start with all six men brawling in the ring - then around ringside where The Boys can get involved too. Daniels tries an Arabian Press...only to be held upside down for a Superkick. ROPE RUN DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR by Nick! TRIPLE APRON BOMBS! The Boys basically turn heel by blocking Rise Of The Terminator...and are roundly MURDERED by Superkicks! Cole drags Kazarian into the ring and looks to punish him for his actions in infiltrating the Bullet Club. Triple Brainbusters attempted by Bullet Club countered to triple suplexes by The Addiction and Castle! Bucks act quickly to stop Frankie tagging out though, delivering a combo standing Shiranui then a 450 SPLASH/STANDING MOONSAULT COMBO! Nick hits a moonsault off the apron soon after as well. Kaz brings him back in with the slingshot cutter though, then makes the hot tag to the new World Champion. Blue Thunder Driver takes out Matt. Fall From Grace blocked by Nick...but he then inadvertently hits a flying headscissors on his own brother! Superkick by Cole to block Angel's Wings. Dalton charges in with a Saito suplex on Cole! Bang-A-Rang blocked...Panama Sunrise COUNTERED with a dismissive overhead throw! EVEREST GERMAN on Nick! EVEREST GERMAN ON COLE! SWANTON BOMB BREAKS IT! Flipping cutter from Matt to Kazarian. ANGEL'S WINGS ON MATT! SUPERKICK ON DANIELS! ALL SIX DOWN! PANAMA SUNRISE on Kazarian! BME COUNTERED WITH DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! INADVERTENT DOUBLE SUPERKICK WIPES OUT COLE! ARABIAN PRESS TO THE FLOOR BY DANIELS! BANG-A-RANG ON COLE! Dalton wins at 11:46 (shown).

Rating - **** - This was an absolute riot of a main event. As is usual for a Young Bucks match, it probably won't get the credit for the amount of story-telling they jammed in amongst the chaos and high spots. There were a couple of fun simmering tension moments within the SuperKliq as we build to the implosion of that trio. Bullet Club wanting to f*ck Kazarian up for his actions made perfect sense given that he'd infiltrated their ranks. And they did all that whilst keeping contact between Daniels and Cole at an absolute minimum...but loaded with tension whenever they did collide. This was exciting, fast-paced and at times outright strange (The Boys trying to do the Rise Of The Terminator). But it was the content they packed in amidst the carnage which I really liked, and worry will be overlooked...

Tape Rating - **** - The 15th Anniversary was a great show. Not a great show by modern ROH standards, but plonked down in any era of Ring Of Honor it was an outstanding card. Following up a night of action like that, 24 hours later at TV tapings in the same building with a smaller crowd, is never easy. But this episode kept the momentum going superbly. Delirious and Sinclair made sure they didn't miss a once-in-a-lifetime chance to book Briscoes vs Hardyz and even within the confines of TV that was a thoroughly enjoyable match - with frankly surprising levels of effort and intensity from Matt and Jeff. We saw the announcement of the Ladder Match at Supercard Of Honor, hype for the World Title Match that night too, Marty and Kenny setting up next week's main event...and a terrific trios sprint to end the night. Great wrestling, solid story progression...if only every week could be like this.