McXal's Reviews

Episode 317 wasn't great...but there is enough on tap for this week to suggest it should be better. We are scheduled to see an 'international dream match' as Bullet Club's Englishman Marty Scurll faces Search & Destroy's New Zealander Jay White. And whilst that probably should be the main event, it isn't because that slow goes to a four-man TV Title #1 contendership match. Punishment Martinez, Chuck Taylor, Mark Briscoe and Shane Taylor share the ring for that one. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana are back for more commentary, ringside in Las Vegas, NV.

Having been in ROH for more than a year, it was pretty common knowledge by this point that Jay White would be returning to NJPW sooner rather than later. As two intensely talented and upwardly mobile athletes, each will have their eye on rising towards the main event scene in their respective home promotions. A win here will do much to elevate the winner, and also give further bragging rights in the never-ending battle of factions across ROH and NJPW - with Marty representing Bullet Club and Jay a member of Search & Destroy. This was taped a day after his bruising Street Fight with Punishment Martinez, so White will very much still be feeling the effects of that encounter here.

The crowd are as pumped for this as any other match at the entire taping; both guys get thunderous reactions. As you'd expect both men are keen to work the mat early on - giving us an intriguing battle between Marty's European intricacy and Jay's powerful, NJPW dojo style. Scurll goes for a Chickenwing early...and walks right into White's potent dropkick. MutaLock applied by White, who has some fun antagonising the Scurll fans in the crowd whilst doing so. The Villain escapes by trying to use the ropes for a pin...then snares Jay in the ring apron before stomping on his hand. Back in the ring Scurll maintains an attack on the arm and hand, but gets distracted by posing and playing to his fans. White recovers and absolutely SMACKS him with a couple of forearms. Jay's arm is really bothering him, but somehow he fights through the pain to hit rolling judo suplexes into the turnbuckles for 2. Arm breaker in response by Marty, setting up Just Kidding. Flatliner into a DEAD-LIFT GERMAN by White gets 2! His arm gives out on him before he can hit a running suplex though, allowing Marty to counter into a brainbuster. Octopus stretch by The Villain, but when he looks to transition into the Chickenwing White's size counts against him. Finger Snap countered with more punishing elbow strikes! Marty low blows White behind referee Paul Turner's back, then rolls him up for a deflating win at 09:52 (shown).

Rating - *** - This definitely should have been the main event; the crowd were on fire for it. This was decent throughout too. I could've done with White selling the arm better, I would've liked it to go a little longer...but obviously my major gripe is going to be with the finish. Delirious' crippling inability to book heels as anything other than one-dimensional cheaters is so frustrating. Listen to the crowd - Marty was hot property and felt every bit a future World Champion here. Jay White is on the way out and has been extremely well protected throughout his time in ROH. Scurll should have been the recipient of a clean victory here. I'm sure this will be pushed as another masterful piece of 'Villainy' on his part. But by this stage fans accept him as a Villain and buy him as a great wrestler. Not putting him over the outward-bound White feels like a huge missed opportunity. All that said, this was still one of the best matches from this taping thus far...

'Ring Of Honor is plagued by a litany of problems' - Christopher Daniels preaching the truth. The Addiction plan to be 'problem solvers' in ROH, and feel like it would be a better place if they put Kushida and Jay Lethal out of commission for a while...

Cut to a Jay Lethal promo, where he denounces The Addiction's lack of respect for Ring Of Honor. He also blames them for his failure to win the Honor Rumble - therefore blocking a potential road back to the ROH World Title...

I thought this was Rhett Titus and Will Ferrara's debut as a team, but a video package shows them losing to the Tempuraz before attacking them...so what do I know. We did see them on Coleman's Pulpit last week by way of a formal introduction to their act. They have a big brother/little brother sibling rivalry dynamic but are both bitter at what has happened to them in ROH so far this year and taking it out on all they come across. 

The action is hot and heavy from the outset, with The Dawgs hitting stereo back suplexes...only for the Boyz to no sell and hit tandem Germans. Tanaka tries to throw Ferrara off the apron...only for Titus to save his partner with a lariat into the apron, which sets up Will's tornado DDT to the floor. The Dawgs isolate Sho as we head into a commercial break. Issues arise as Rhett and Will bicker about which member of the team is the 'Big Dawg', and Tanaka fights past Titus to make a big tag to Yoh. He drives a double knee into Ferrara's midsection, then feeds him into the POWER BREAKER (Project Ciampa) by Sho for 2. Double clothesline by Rhett to save his partner...only for Sho to lay Ferrara out again with a spear. Lungblower/mafia kick combo gets 2 again for the Tempuraz. Yakuza Kick by Titus, who then nabs Yoh for a double team Rhett-ribution DDT. The Dawgs pick up a debut TV win...

Rating - ** - This was enjoyable for a formulaic filler TV bout. Making Rhett and Will 'Dawgs' isn't groundbreaking writing, but it gives them some purpose and allows them to channel their apparent real-life friendship into something more. The constant flip-flopping on the Tempura Boyz is irritating - are they hard-working dojo boys on excursion or are they nefarious, foreign cheaters, it really depends on a match-by-match basis what Delirious needs them to be. Has there ever been a bigger waste of talent than ROH's booking of Sho and Yoh?

Bullet Club are out in force for a backstage interview, with Cody's friends congratulating him on how he is spending his new-contract wealth. Then Hangman cracks a penis joke and everyone laughs. Basically, this is ROH trying to put BTE-type skits on their TV show...

These are the four men that threw their hat in the ring as contenders for Kenny King's TV Title a couple of weeks ago. Questions remain about where Mark's head is at following his brother's actions at Death Before Dishonor - but he has always made it known that his 'dream' is to be TV Champion, so he's back for another crack here. Shane Taylor is something of an unknown quantity, having barely wrestled since Best In The World - and instead spent his time taking paydays from everyone from QT Marshall to Cody as a gun for hire. Chuck Taylor (now formally rebranded as 'Chuckie T' by ROH) comes in fresh from his stellar match with Marty Scurll at Death Before Dishonor. It was a losing effort though, so he perhaps is the outsider. Martinez, on the other hand, is the red-hot favourite after his victory in his feud-ending Street Fight with Jay White.

Chuck starts with Martinez, chops him in the chest...then heads for the hills with a tag to Briscoe. Mark uses his speed and strikes to take the fight to the Punisher, only for the big man to ignore all his offence and smash him across the face. Shane and Chuck in next, and it's Shane who quickly comes out on top with a front slam. Chuck and Briscoe form an alliance to take out the big boys with stereo dives to the floor! They then turn on each other, trading armdrags at great speed...until the unimpressed Punisher drapes Chuck face-first over the apron. He then boots Mark halfway across the ring, setting up a violent release falcon arrow for 2. Chuck returns and throws Briscoe AT Punishment with a belly to belly suplex! But the Kentucky Gentleman is smeared into the mat soon after via Shane's diving splash from the second rope. Finally its time for Shane and Punishment to fight! They explode in the centre of the ring with stereo lariats which leave them both laid out on the ground. They fight back up and tear into each other with more fierce strikes, until Mark returns to break it up with a Fisherman Buster on the Punisher. Sole Food from Chuck to Briscoe, followed with a pop-up powerbomb for 2. URINAGE from Mark to Shane! Standing Shiranui by Chuckie! STEP-UP SOMERSAULT PLANCHA BY MARTINEZ! But before he has a chance to capitalise Shane steps up and punches his lights out. SNAP PILEDRIVER from Chuckie to Shane! FROGGY BOW OFF MARTINEZ'S BACK! Briscoe pins Chuck and becomes #1 contender at 11:24 (shown).

Rating - *** - Very little about this felt innovative. Mark Briscoe getting another TV Title shot isn't particularly fresh. Determining the next TV Title contender on or shortly after the preceding pay-per-view event via a multi-man spot-fest is becoming tediously old-hat as well. BUT, seeing the new blood like Chuck, Punishment and Shane show their stuff in a TV main event was enjoyable, and I do understand the logic of having Mark go over here. He is probably the biggest 'name', so feeding him to Kenny early in the new champ's title reign would do something to enhance King's credibility and prevents Delirious from having to put King over one of the other three hot rising stars (even if King versus any one other than Mark Briscoe sounded like a far better match). They weren't trying to re-invent the wheel here but it was an enjoyable, fast-paced match to end the show, highlighted by some really decent exchanges between Shane Taylor and Martinez.

Jay Briscoe comes to the ring and interrupts Mark's celebrations and reminds his little brother that his 'last name is still Briscoe'. Then, rather hilariously, he belittles Mark for going to do 'singles stuff'!

Tape Rating - ** - Last week was really poor, with very little wrestling in the episode at all. This week, at least, was heavy on the in-ring content and all the better for it. As usual the athletes in the ring worked incredibly hard and probably delivered as much as could be expected with the time constraints and limitations placed upon them. ROH's creative direction, as ever, doesn't do anyone many favours though. Scurll going over White was the right decision, but the methodology was all wrong. In the circumstances Mark Briscoe becoming TV Title #1 contender was probably the right decision too...but again the route we took to get there was all too predictable. Top that off with 'The Dawgs' over Roppongi 3K and a lame imitation of 'Being The Elite', this was one of those broadcasts where I really felt like the weight of Ring Of Honor (or its corporate overlords) stifling resistance to change or innovation detrimentally impacted the athletes.