McXal's Reviews

Ring Of Honor have been hyping this episode for the last three weeks. Before we go to post-Best In The World content we have a final stop at NYC Excellence - the episode headlined by a five-team Six-Man Gauntlet Match to determine #1 contenders to ROH's Trios Championship, held by The Kingdom. We know SCU are involved and we know The Dawgs are in if they can find a partner, but we've also been promised some teams which are, in Cabana's words, 'hodge-podge'. For one final time at this taping we go to Manhattan, NY to join Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana.

TK and Marseglia don't care about the 'March Of The Melvins' main event tonight, but Matt Taven is still pissed off. He thinks it is a conspiracy that the competitors this evening could potentially earn a title shot in a single night, when it took them a whole year to get the belts back...

This is a showdown between two women whom Sumie Sakai has already beaten with the Women Of Honor Title on the line. Klein succumbed to defeat in the tournament final, whilst Rose was bested in Sumie's first defence. The winner here gains a clear edge in the race for another shot at the champ...

Klein talks smack in Jenny's direction...so Rose slaps her in the face to get the match underway. She works hard to keep the Gatekeeper grounded, negating her strength and allowing Jenny to use some of her technical skill. Only when she gets over-confident and allows Kelly to create some distance between them does she lose control - and Klein pounces to club her to the ground. Kelly works hard to maintain that distance between them so she can repeatedly bludgeon Rose. It isn't a pretty strategy but it is effective and Jenny doesn't appear to have an answer. She fights desperately to block the K-Power, eventually countering into a lungblower. No Doubt blocked by Kelly so Rose DUMPS her with a German suplex and the old Jamilia Craft Spear for 2. Klein snap suplexes her into End Of The Match, quickly choking Jenny out. The Gatekeeper wins again at 05:26 (shown).

Rating - ** - I wish Delirious hadn't booked Klein to lose to Tenille in London. That was so damaging to Kelly's credibility and momentum, which she'd been gradually rebuilding after losing to Sakai in New Orleans then Deonna in Florida. As I said on play-by-play, this contest wasn't particularly pretty - but it had an admirable work ethic and a clear story which I liked. It actually came off like an imposing, formidable performance by Klein as she dominated long periods of the bout (against someone who recently pushed the WOH Champion to the limit) before choking her opponent out. It was a strong way to follow up from Klein's feud-ending win over Deonna Purrazzo too. But because she dropped the match to Dashwood in the UK it doesn't feel particularly significant. It feels like bad booking...

Cody is on the phone bragging about how much money he and the Young Bucks are spending on All In. The Dawgs overhear him...so ask him for money so they can pay Shane Taylor. He acts like he has no cash, but when they act like they'll go get it from Marty Scurll instead he jealously gives them all the money they need.

The Kingdom crash the announce table to watch the Gauntlet Match, mostly repeating the same lines they delivered in their promo to open the show.

Five teams enter, the last left standing earns the shot at Taven, Marseglia and O'Ryan. We know SoCal Uncensored are in this hoping to get a rematch with The Kingdom, and we now know that The Dawgs found the money to pay Shane Taylor to team with them. Who are the other three trios, and who will leave New York a step closer to championship gold?

Shane Taylor and The Dawgs are #1, joined by another makeshift team at #2 - in the form of Search & Destroy colleagues Alex Shelley and Jon Gresham, plus Leon St. Giovanni of Coast 2 Coast (Shaheem was out injured I believe). Titus and Taylor were stable-mates in The Rebellion that went to war with Search & Destroy so there is some history there. Shane starts by decimating LSG with a Sick Kick. Gresham tags in and works circles around the hapless Dawgs; so much so that they start arguing among themselves. Rhett monkey flips Little Willy into a clothesline on Shelley, before they both exit so Taylor can methodically batter the veteran Motor City Machine Gun. He smiles sadistically as he relentlessly beats on Alex with knee strikes - so much so that Gresham has to come in and save his partner. Urinage slam/Warrior Splash combo sends him packing as The Dawgs hit the BLL/Big Dawg Splash for 2. Flatliner/DDT combo by Shelley which sets up a hot tag to St. Giovanni. ROPE WALK 450 SPLASH TO THE FLOOR! Back in the ring he schoolboy pins Ferrara, earning his team the victory at 06:26 (shown). Team #3 are TV Champion Silas Young and The Bouncers of Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas. Gresham hits a flying crossbody off the apron on Silas, only to be CRUSHED by a cannonball off the apron by Bruiser. The Bouncers team up on LSG to devastating effect but are less successful with Shelley who causes BCB to dropkick his own partner. Ace Crusher from Young to Shelley! Gresh and Silas battle endlessly over waistlocks...until Bruiser holds The Octopus in the ropes so Milonas can mow him down with a running crossbody. It's a temporary intermission before Silas and Gresham go right back to relentless standing switches (which the fans are eating up). St. Giovanni tags and levels Beer City with a springboard elbow. 

Saint-splosion on Silas gets 2, only for The Bouncers to MURDER him with a Hart Attack guillotine leg drop. Shelley counters Misery only to run into a Killer Combo instead. Gresh COUNTERS the Killer Combo with a German...only to eat a swinging DDT by Bruiser. Last Call blocked and all three guys have to climb the ropes to shove Milonas off the top. 450 SPLASH by LSG! He pins Kingpin, winning a second match for his team at 08:05 (14:31 total shown). What a night St. Giovanni is having! It isn't getting better though, because SCU enter at #4 and lay waste to their tiring opponents. They quickly isolate LSG recognising that he has less experience and will be critically worn down after putting so much into winning twice already. Shelley appears to be seeking medical attention outside the ring by the way. Running frankensteiner by Scorpio, setting up CELEBRITY REHAB! Leon almost got the Liger treatment on that and finally succumbs to defeat at 03:36 (18:07 total shown). The final entrants are the most random, thrown-together bunch of the entire bout; it's Kenny King, Chuck Taylor and Eli Isom?! Chuckie beats Daniels out of the ring then comes and is joined by Kenny to start doing Best Friend spots on Sky and Kazarian. Isom gets a chance shows his inexperience and is hoodwinked by The Addiction - turning his back and allowing Frankie to brutally pummel him to the canvas. SCU show all of their prowess as a trio to quickly isolate the rookie. Eli makes a critical tag to King who belts Scorpio with a corkscrew enzi then drops Frankie with a spinebuster. Taylor, King and Isom share a mid-ring hug...but then Kenny misses a corkscrew pescado and eats a slingshot rana to the floor by Kaz. TOPE ATOMICO by Sky! In the ring Daniels lines up Eli for Angel's Wings only for Isom to counter to a bridging pin. AND HE WINS! A colossal upset; the rookie Isom pins the Ring General to win the Gauntlet at 09:46 (27:53 total shown).

Rating - ** - I just don't particularly enjoy Gauntlet Matches. The biggest compliment I can pay this is that, at times, it actually felt a little like Lucha Underground with random oddball teams running around and some completely zany booking decisions which you just didn't see coming; the most prominent of which being Isom going over Daniels to win the whole thing. All the participants kept the match moving at a brisk pace with none of the matches really out-staying their welcome and plenty of big spills and spots dotted around to keep you interested. The Kingdom were actually quite fun on commentary too actually.

The Kingdom outright celebrating rank outsiders winning the Gauntlet, effectively giving them on paper the easiest title defence possible, is a great little touch of detail to end the broadcast.

Tape Rating - ** - Last week was a bad episode, and crucially this show was much better. It did feel flat and was clearly filler. But almost the entire episode was spent on in-ring content and most of the matches were entertaining enough. If nothing else you'll witness a defining moment in a young man's pro-wrestling career here with Eli's win over Daniels. Who the hell knows where Delirious is going with that one?!

5) Six-Man #1 Contenders Gauntlet Match (** - Episode 356)

4) Jay Lethal vs Chuck Taylor (*** - Episode 353)

3) Kenny King vs Jonathan Gresham (*** - Episode 354)

2) Matt Taven vs Ultimo Guerrero (**** - Episode 354)

1) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe/Punishment Martinez vs Young Bucks/Adam Page (****1/2 - Episode 353)