McXal's Reviews

As we reach Glory By Honor 16 weekend, we also reach the first batch of fresh content taped in the aftermath of Death Before Dishonor. It was a night which saw Bullet Club stand tall against CHAOS, the Briscoes fend off the Tag Title challenge of The Addiction, Jeff Cobb step into the TV Title picture and Matt Taven return from Mexico with his very own 'Real World Championship', assaulting actual champion Jay Lethal after his win over Will Ospreay. With nothing announced, I turn to Cagematch and see that we'll get a star-studded four corner tag team main event pitting the Young Bucks against The Addiction, the Best Friends and Los Ingobernables de Japon (who didn't work the PPV). Stay tuned at the end of my review for the Honor Club Exclusive NWA Title defence from this taping which saw Willie Mack face Cody. Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer and Caprice Coleman are in Las Vegas, NV.

The Kingdom march straight to the ring and hijack the show. They take Bobby Cruise and Todd Sinclair hostage too; forcing Bobby to read a Corino-esque list of Matt Taven's accomplishments then having Todd present Taven with the purple 'Real World Title' belt.

NEXT WEEK - Punishment Martinez vs Jeff Cobb for the TV Title

Although technically not his ROH debut it has been a LONG time since Owens has performed in an ROH ring (NJPW Honor Rising events aside), and he returns tonight with King on something of a tear through Bullet Club (whom Chase also represents if you aren't familiar). He has scored controversial wins over Marty Scurll and Adam Page in recent weeks on television and backed that up with a PPV victory over Jushin 'Thunder' Liger as well. 

The two combatants are evenly matched through the first ninety seconds and work to a complete stalemate. King tries to quicken the pace but finds Owens able to keep up with him, setting up the Crown Jewel for a dropkick into the guardrail. Chase follows that with a hanging flatliner for 2. Back from commercials and Owens is still all over Kenny, hitting him with a swinging neckbreaker. Kenny starts striking at the Bullet Club man and finds a route back into the match with the corkscrew pescado. Owens lands repeated kicks and a knee strike on King though, shutting down his comeback as quickly as it started. Package Piledriver blocked, and King's knee seemingly blows out on him as his feet hit the mat. Chase tries to check on him...and of course King pounces for a roll-up victory at 07:10 (shown)

Rating - ** - The match was fine but no better...with a finish that could best be described as 'completely awful'. I have no problem with Kenny King cheating to win matches over Bullet Club, but at least make it authentic. Why on earth would a member of Bullet Club have fallen for the injury fake-out trick? Isn't the whole point of their group that they don't give a sh*t?

NEXT WEEK - Coast 2 Coast are undefeated in 2018 and are rewarded with a Tag Title shot.

As we get set for Flip Gordon vs Shane Taylor in singles action, Flip grabs a microphone and rants about not being declared the victor in his Tables Match at Death Before Dishonor. Bully comes out and gloats about it, creating a distraction that allows Silas Young to come through the crowd and low blow him. He then orders Taylor to start beating on him with a chair...

The Briscoes pop in to tell us that Coast 2 Coast don't stand a chance when they meet next week...

Jay Lethal talks about ROH's Madison Square Garden sell-out being a dream come true. But it has put an extra pressure on him because he wants to go into MSG with the World Title still around his waist.

Like Chase Owens, EVIL and SANADA are NJPW talents who did not work the PPV but are here for the TV taping. At the time this went to tape the Bucks still held the IWGP Tag Title, placing a target firmly on their back particularly for LIJ. The Bucks share storied rivalries with both the Best Friends and The Addiction too. In the race for ROH Tag Title contendership, Daniels and Kaz know that after failing to beat the Briscoes at Death Before Dishonor they in particular are right at the back of the line so need a win badly tonight.

All eight men brawl before the bell, to such an extent that Todd Sinclair can't even start the match. Lawn Dart Cutter by Taylor and Beretta...but they are prevented from hugging by LIJ. Sanada hits a big crossbody to the floor, leaving a pile of bodies which Nick dives into with a ROPE RUN CORKSCREW MOONSAULT! Stereo somersault planchas by Trent and Chuckie! It means we actually get a bell at last with Daniels and Trent as the legal men...for all of ten seconds. Sanada invades and breaks out the Paradise Lock as Ian runs through his favourite Sanada/LeBron James comparison. Los Ingobernables take turns beating down Daniels...until he blasts Evil with a gourdbuster. Trent and Chuck are strutting around ringside in sunglasses like they do on BTE as Daniels makes a much-needed tag. Worst Case Scenario from Matt to Chuckie T gets 2...but soon after Chuck suplexes Matt on top of his own partner. Slingshot swinging neckbreaker from Sanada to Kaz! Superkick on Evil! ANGEL'S WINGS by Daniels! Piledriver by Taylor! Strong Zero! Swanton Bomb by Nick to break the pin. Superkick flurry by the Bucks! Moonsault off the apron by Nick to take out SCU! MELTZER DRIVER! Bucks win at 06:46 (shown)

Rating - *** - Suitably chaotic, giving fans everything they would like to see in a condensed, fast-paced spotfest. By far my favourite part of the match was the way they stalled starting the match, with Todd looking like he was going to explode with rage as he wasn't given any opportunity to get the bell rung. In such a short time period nobody had time for much more than playing the hits, but for a free TV match they didn't need much more. 

Tape Rating - ** - Less then fifteen minutes bell-to-bell wrestling in an episode isn't enough. I know we got two in-ring segments, plus hype for next week and a Jay Lethal sit-down interview, but for a company which supposedly offers the 'best wrestling on the planet' there simply wasn't enough wrestling content for me. My concern is that this is another show falls into the same old ROH crux of relying on New Japan and the Young Bucks rather than manufacturing any good content for themselves. It is the kind of approach which devalues everything else within the product...and the kind of approach which left them in real peril after MSG in 2019.

Although I'm reviewing this as an 'Honor Club Exclusive', I believe this is also on NWA's YouTube channel for you to check out for free. Cody won the NWA Heavyweight Championship in a memorable, emotional encounter with Nick Aldis at All In. He wants to be a fighting champion and live up to the legacy of his father, so defends the belt in an ROH ring tonight. He is deep in preparations to face Aldis in a 2/3 Falls rematch for the belt at NWA 70th so a win for the returning former PWG and Lucha Underground star Willie Mack would really upset a lot of plans...

Cody spends the first minute adjusting his weightlifting belt and prancing around playing to the crowd. That's never a good sign. The showmanship and stalling get to Willie, causing him to make errors that allow Rhodes to get in all the early shots. Mack finally responds by quickening the pace; flipping around, breaking out lucha armdrags and then absolutely levelling him with a running knee. Cody tries to sneak up on the challenger and take a cheap shot...but Mack is a veteran and knows exactly what is coming. NIPPLE CRIPPLE on Cody! He runs off into the crowd to recover from that. Mack starts absolutely beating on Rhodes in the corner, growing on confidence having overcome the early game-playing of the American Nightmare. In fact, over-confidence is what ends up biting him in the ass; running at Cody in the corner and watching in horror as Rhodes sidesteps and blasts him shoulder-first into the ringpost. Immediately the champ goes to work on the arm, inflicting serious damage quickly (with Caprice Coleman on commentary doing some really good calling the action as well). Willie rolls off the turnbuckles into a DDT...but collapses to the ground alongside Cody. The champ takes a shot at the arm...so Mack responds with his classic Samoan drop/standing moonsault combo. Stunner blocked, but when Cody runs up the ropes looking for a moonsault Mack crotches him with ease. VAN TERMINATOR BY MACK! Cody tries to walk out...so Willie takes a run-up and levels him again with a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! He then rocks Cody with a lungblower as he puts his head through the ropes trying to get back into the ring. Cody grabs a Figure 4 Leglock almost to protect himself from more punishment. Mack escapes, but doesn't see Brandi pour water into her husband's mouth. He spits at Willie, disorientating him for long enough to hit the Disaster Kick for 2. POP-UP FLATLINER by Willie gets 2 in return. Champion and challenger start beating on each other. STUNNER! NO SOLD! Cross Rhodes...COUNTERED TO THE STUNNER for 2! Willie climbs the ropes. FROG SPLASH GETS KNEES! CROSS RHODES! Cody wins at 19:40

Rating - **** - It's a shame the work on Willie's arm didn't have any great depth or long-term consequence because structurally this was almost faultless. Cody showed up in full on stall-mode. It visibly threw Willie off his game and led to the champion controlling the early exchanges. But Mack is unorthodox and extremely difficult to face thanks to his combination of speed and size. Just when the challenger looked set to dominate, though, Cody showed his smarts by using Mack's momentum against him an opening up an injury. Mack needed all his big offensive bombs to get back into the match but ultimately couldn't get back onto Cody's level or land one of his big finishing moves. It's a shame ROH tucked this away on Honor Club; but it was a great match and the kind of high quality action and the standard ROH will need to keep hitting if they want to keep putting individual matches behind their Honor Club pay-wall.