McXal's Reviews

Final Battle is in the books. Normally when we reach episodes like this and we find ourselves with content taped well before a pay-per-view airing afterwards and therefore not addressing events of the PPV itself it feels like a 'dead' episode and I ponder what ROH could do to fill it. That won't be the case this week, since the main event will see Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks - The Elite - in action. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana provide commentary in Lakeland, FL.

Daniels and Kazarian won't be happy with opening the show against the bottom ranked team in the tag division. They have little to gain as obvious favourites here, whilst preparing for a big showdown with War Machine at Final Battle. C2C have everything to gain however. Searching for their first major ROH win, taking the scalps of veteran stars like The Addiction would be a serious accomplishment...

C2C show some aggression and attack their opponents before the bell. It means they start the match with serious momentum...but fall victim to the experience of The Addiction. Daniels attacks Ali from behind, setting him up for a slingshot DDT by Kazarian. They quickly isolate Shaheem, giving him an emphatic beating as we go to commercials. It continues upon our return, until Ali fires up and hits an Olympic Slam and tags St. Giovanni in. Kaz counters Saint-splosion, but LSG counters the Tomikaze into a DDT for 2. C2C set Frankie up for the double Van Terminator only for Daniels to save his partner. Tomikaze on Shaheem! Springboard lariat by LSG...before he is scooped up for the BEST MELTZER EVER! The Addiction win at 07:05 (shown).

Rating - ** - Competent stuff all round. C2C showed some fire, but at times were made to look like total rookies as the veterans used their years of experience to dominate the match. Daniels and Kaz being jerks to Ali as they worked him over was easily my favourite part.

LSG grabs the microphone (with Cabana joking about them actually getting TV time). He complains about their abject failure to win matches. Shaheem vows that they'll win their next match on TV - or they'll stop teaming together.

Isom is introduced as 'already in the ring', which Cabana rightly points on commentary as an ominous warning sign for the kid. He's appeared as ringside security on a number of occasions, is part of Future Of Honor and has trained at the ROH Dojo. Now he steps onto television with the fearsome Taylor...

Taylor throws the young man around with a smile on his face. Isom makes the mistake of firing back at his opponent...pissing Shane off immensely. He sends Eli flying through the air with a biel before taking his head off with a running lariat. Knock Out Punch sends Isom collapsing to the ground - and so unconscious that Mike Posey stops the match. Taylor wins by stoppage at 02:42

Rating - N/A - As a squash match to show off Taylor's threat then this worked well. After more than a year in the company he shouldn't necessarily need this type of match, but as a TV squash it had some charm. 

The Young Bucks gloat that they are bringing their 'best friend' to face the Best Friends tonight. Marty Scurll thinks it's him - it obviously isn't. He is sent away, and Kenny Omega appears. He is glad that ROH 'opened up the checkbook' to bring him to Florida so The Elite can perform together...

COLEMAN'S PULPIT - Brandi Rhodes is Caprice's guest tonight. He talks her about a reality show she is appearing on...but transitions to asking her why she hasn't won any matches since stepping into the ring. She refuses to use her name to obtain a higher roster spot and wants to work her way up from the bottom. This is INCREDIBLY long and dull. With every second that passed I couldn't help but think about the time it was sucking out of the main event. Who the hell made the call to put this on television?

Bullet Club Rules are in effect, meaning once again The Elite are defending the Six-Man Titles with Omega swapping in for Hangman Page. Romero and the Best Friends consider themselves top contenders for these belts having defeated current champions the Hung Bucks in Taylor's debut ROH match. This is Bullet Club vs CHAOS, Bucks vs Best Friends, Bucks vs RPG Vice...and should be a hell of a main event.

Matt mouths off at Romero causing them to rumble back and forth, each teasing an early attempt at their finishing move. Omega tags in with Taylor - only to find Beretta jumps him from behind. Kenny goes right for the OWA on Chuckie but it's blocked. Backbreaker on Romero instead as the Bucks skittle the Friends to the floor. Rise Of The Terminator triple topes score for The Elite. Sole Food/half nelson suplex combo by the Best Friends! That knocks Matt Jackson sideways and allows Rocky and the Friends to cut him off from his partners. Rocky starts to get jealous that he is left out of the Best Friends hugs, threatening to derail their dominance. Matt blasts him with a Superkick on the floor and scores with the springboard corkscrew cutter on the Kentucky Gentleman. Nick dumps Romero to the floor with a springboard dropkick...then takes flight with an effortless ROPE RUN CORKSCREW MOONSAULT to the floor! Swanton Bomb blocked with Trent's knees...into the Gobstopper Knee on Nick. Dudebuster COUNTERED to a Superkick/Code Red combo by the Bucks. Stop Sign Enzi from Kenny to Rocky, before The Cleaner busts out Dragon Rush suplexes to all three opponents. Chuckie stops The Cleaner from hitting the V-Trigger. SUPERKICKS to everyone by Matt and Nick. More Bang For Your Buck blocked, allowing Rocky to hit a German suplex on Matt...as Trent German superplexes Nick into a moonsault onto his own brother. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA by Chuck! PILEDRIVER ON OMEGA! Trent gets 2! He tries a tope suicida...only to dive out of the ring into a hug to his own partner. Stereo Superkicks to break that up by the Bucks! Double rana by Romero! V-TRIGGER ON THE FLOOR! SPRINGBOARD DDT ON THE APRON from Matt to Taylor! PILEDRIVER ON THE APRON by Beretta to Omega. GERMAN SUPLEX ON THE APRON by Nick! SHIRANUI TO THE FLOOR ONTO EVERYONE by Rocky! Matt and Romero hobble back into the ring teeing off on each other. Forever Clotheslines...countered with a Superkick. NO SOLD! RUNNING SHIRANUI on The Cleaner! Moonsault off the apron by Nick! Cease & Desist on Rocky! The Best Friends make the save and all six men collapse in a pile. TRIPLE SUPERKICK by The Elite! TRIPLE NO SELL by Romero and the Friends! TRIPLE CRADLE PILEDRIVERS! The Elite all kick out at the last. DOUBLE STOMP DUDEBUSTER gets 2! Nick escapes the Awful Waffle and whacks Romero with the Swanton Bomb. Kenny and Matt scoop up the Best Friends. MISSILE DROPKICK DOUBLE TOMBSTONE SENTON COMBO! ONE-WINGED INDYTAKER! CEASE & DESIST! Romero taps out, giving The Elite the win at 18:51 (shown).

Rating - **** - You had to know what to expect from these six men. They've been putting on matches like this together on multiple continents for years. It was silly in places, funny in others, but relentlessly chaotic and quite brilliantly held together. Keeping up a frantic pace with this much skill and precision is incredibly difficult - but all six have vast amount of experience and made this look exceptionally smooth. As Colt Cabana remarked during commentary, the fact that this match was given away for free on television rather than on PPV or behind ROH's VOD pay-wall is commendable too.

Tape Rating - *** - Clearly the main event was where the money is on this episode and they delivered, so you should certainly check that match out. Beyond that there wasn't much else - although I did think Taylor/Isom was fun for a jobber squash bout. If you're a big Coast 2 Coast fan the revelation that they will split up if they don't win their next match is rather significant. Coleman's Pulpit with Brandi was absolutely ghastly and should be avoided at all costs however.