McXal's Reviews

Two weeks into the new year, and ROH have lined up a couple of big-time matches for us on this episode. Dalton Castle wrestles for the first time since winning the World Title; teaming with The Boys to face The Kingdom. The other will see Jay Lethal and Will Ospreay in a match which could headline any ROH show. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana provide commentary from Philadelphia, PA.

The fact that this isn't the main event - even over the World Champion's six-man tag - is mind-blowing. No backstory to speak of here, just two great professional wrestlers locking horns. Lethal has thrown his hat into the ring for a World Title shot and comes in having beaten Marty Scurll at Final Battle. Another win here might just see him cement his top contendership

Ospreay is far too quick for Lethal, so Jay wrenches arm and genuinely looks like he is trying to break it off. Will nips up to easily counter the hiptoss dropkick...but Lethal hits back by preventing a standard Ospreay handspring and DUMPING him against the guardrails for a Tope Trilogy! The Aerial Assassin is left on his ass in the crowd - as Marty Scurll (wearing a Lethal shirt) walks down the aisle to get a closer look at the action. Ospreay is wounded after his adventures with the guardrails and Jay tries to exploit it with repeated backbreakers. Slingshot senton from Will...which he immediately regrets and hunches over holding his back. Recognising he needs to switch up his offence he starts pummelling Lethal with massive strikes...only to be dropped again with a tilta-whirl backbreaker. Both men start to feel the effects of the intense competition and really tee off on each other with kicks and chops. The Aerial Assassin pings Jay to the floor with a body scissors and instantly gives chase with the SASUKE SPECIAL! Of course that hurts him as well so both men are left flat on the 2300 Arena floor. OsCutter misses, but Will blocks the Lethal Injection. Handspring by Will...but right into the Lethal Express for 2. Jay rips his elbow pad off and climbs...but so slowly that Ospreay has little trouble cutting him off. ROPE RUN SPRINGBOARD FRANKENSTEINER! HIDDEN BLADE gets 2! Robinson Special blocked into the Lethal Combination! Hail To The King blocked...Figure 4 blocked...OSCUTTER COUNTERED TO A MID-AIR ACE CRUSHER! LETHAL INJECTION SCORES! Lethal wins at 11:22

Rating - **** - This is probably the best ROH on Sinclair opening match ever. In all 330 episodes I'm struggling to remember anything better than this. A great TV match which was smartly wrestled in the first half but then absolutely electrifying in the second. Both men are such smart workers and really locked on to a story which would see them deliver the maximum buck for their ring-time allowed. Lethal's smart counters and assault on Ospreay's back slowed him somewhat, but Will showed real resilience, ferocious striking and an ability to pick his moments to hit high spots with real impact - whilst still selling an injury. I was fearful that, by not getting the main event slot, they wouldn't get the opportunity to deliver something special - but they really did. 

COLEMAN'S PULPIT - Jonathan Gresham is Caprice's guest, supposedly to talk about his goals for 2018 - but mostly it's an excuse to make short jokes at his expense. Gresham thinks he is a master of technical wrestling and wants to create his own special rules match to showcase his pure style. I didn't get this segment at all. It felt designed to sh*t all over Gresh...

Last week Kenny was drunk and trying to pick a fight with the new TV Champion Silas Young. This week he's in action, looking to get his campaign for a TV Title rematch off to a flying start. Milonas made it to the semi-finals of the 2017 Top Prospect Tournament. He's a big slugger and his sheer size will make him a difficult opponent for King.

King looks to use his speed but can't get the 'Kingpin' off his feet. Instead he topples him over the top rope and flies after him with a corkscrew pescado. Milonas is so big that Kenny almost pinballs off him up the aisle. Back in the ring Milonas steamrolls the former TV Champ with a body avalanche. He misses a butt splash and is rocked with a corkscrew enziguri. Shotgun Knees nailed - but Brian is too big to hit the Royal Flush on. One Night Stand instead - giving King the win at 03:51

Rating - ** - I don't think I'll ever be at the front of the queue to watch a Brian Milonas match, but this was competently wrestled TV midcard action. King approached the match as you'd expect he should when fighting a man of Brian's size - working fast, struggling to get him off his feet and having to swap out his finisher to get the desired result. 

King grabs the microphone and runs down Silas Young again. For a second time at this taping he demands a fight with Silas...and this time they do come to blows. Kenny takes Young's head off with a kick and tries to pose with the belt, until Milonas jumps him from behind. Kingpin is revealed as Bruiser's new tag partner...

After commercials Chris Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky come to the ring to formally introduce themselves as Socal Uncensored. Joe Koff comes out on the stage - despite freely admitting that fans don't want to see him. He calls the group disruptive and wishes he could fire them. Daniels threatens to leak corporate secrets to the likes of Don Callis and AJ Styles if he does it...so instead Joe reminds them that their contract expires at Final Battle 2018 - and announces that he won't be renewing! 

The Briscoes are in the parking lot with more targeted words promising to be the next Tag Champions.

The Kingdom were on last week's episode and demanded to be in contention for all the ROH championships. A win here puts them in pole position for at least a couple. Dalton is World Champion so any kind of pin over him would obviously put the victor in line for an opportunity at the biggest prize in the promotion. This one is, of course, also a battle of former Six-Man Champion teams. The winner here is also surely a top contender to the Hung Bucks. 

Dalton starts in the ring, as the leader and focal point of his trio with The Boys. They whoop with delight from the apron as he drives TK out of the ring. Marseglia jumps Dalton from behind, forcing the Peacock to tag The Boys in. Taven tags and refuses to fight them, instead summoning Dalton back in so he can fight the champ. He and Castle work a terrific, physical back and forth exchange of holds - which Matt wins by landing a jumping enzi to knock his rival sideways. The Boys cause some mayhem; clearing the ring of Kingdom members so Castle can pose. TKO OVER THE TOP ROPE from Taven to Boy #2! He rebounds right out of the ring where O'Ryan and Marseglia are waiting to bounce him off the guardrails. He is knocked silly and dragged back into the ring for a double flapjack. Boy #1 gets tagged...and then gets knocked the hell out with a running knee from Taven. Castle has no choice but to get back in, and he quickly clears the ring of all opponents. TOMBSTONE on Taven! O'Ryan breaks the pin though. BANG-A-RANG! TK does a brilliant sell bouncing out of the ring on that. Julie Newmar on Marseglia, who taps out at 10:22 (shown).

Rating - *** - I had low expectations, but this felt like a lot of fun. Castle and Taven were both outstanding and made me really want to see a singles World Title match between them. Every exchange they had was loaded with intensity and physicality. As I've said often, I like The Kingdom as a trios team - especially in matches like this when they are presented with credibility and allowed to come off as real threats as opposed to purple-clad idiots who need axes and baseball bats just to stand a chance. Castle looked great, Taven emerged as a future challenger, The Kingdom re-established themselves as a threatening six-man unit; these all feel like real accomplishments this match pulled off.

Tape Rating - *** - Another solid hour of ROH television. Obviously Lethal/Ospreay stole the show; it was sensational and will almost certainly be in the top 10 ROH TV bouts come the end of 2018. But everything else was solid too. King/Milonas wasn't bad and ended with the reveal of a new tag team in the form of Bruiser & Milonas. Joe Koff announcing the release of SCU a year in advance is a storyline which genuinely intrigues me (as it will involve long-term story-telling and planning to pull off, and I wouldn't call those the strongest elements of Delirious' capabilities as lead booker). The main event was probably better than you might expect as well. The only segment I didn't like was the Coleman's Pulpit - but even that was because Gresham is one of my favourites and it felt very damaging to him. If you like the humour of the Coleman's Pulpit segments I could see people liking that more than me too.