ROH on Sinclair - Episode 384 - 25th January 2019

Our final episode taped at 'Final Battle Fallout' is scheduled to be headlined by a Six-Man Title showdown between The Kingdom and the newly-formed Villain Enterprises, giving debuts to Brody King and PCO. We'll also see Juice Robinson return after an outstanding Global Wars 2018 Tour (he went 4-0 across the four shows) to face 'Darewolf' PJ Black, making only his second ROH appearance. Also check out the end of this review where I'll be taking a look at the Honor Club Exclusive 'Farewell To The Elite' 8-Man Tag; Cody, Hangman and the Bucks facing World Champion Jay Lethal, their old friend/rival Flip Gordon and the Best Friends. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana are, once again, in Philadelphia, PA for commentary...and tonight are joined by special guest Nick Aldis, the NWA Heavyweight Champion (using an NWA-branded microphone too).

PJ Black vs Juice Robinson
The Darewolf debuted at Survival Of The Fittest, making it to the finals after defeating fellow Lucha Underground alumni, the Luchasaurus. He faces another stern test tonight in the form of Juice Robinson. After going 4-0 on the Global Wars 2018 Tour we're told we'll be seeing a lot more of him in ROH in 2019. Apparently Aldis is on commentary because PJ Black is a top contender to the NWA Heavyweight Title and they'll be meeting for that championship on ROH television from Atlanta in a couple of weeks time.

Black chops Robinson hard rather than shake his hand. PJ's unorthodox attacks and striking repeatedly take Juice down, but the Darewolf himself is quick to retreat to the floor when Robinson threatens a comeback. Juice teases a cannonball in the corner only for PJ to block with a crunching heel kick across the face. Back from commercials with Black flying through the air into a double stomp to the head as well. He starts bashing Juice's face against the bottom turnbuckle in a pendulum stretch, whilst Nick Aldis babbles on about only wanting honourable, rule-abiding challengers for his title. Black starts working submission holds and exerting his strength advantage over the New Japan star. In fact Robinson has barely gotten out of the starting blocks and is now unable to get off his feet without PJ diving at him with another punishing strike. Finally he blocks one - countering a springboard axehandle smash into a belly to belly suplex. A big spinebuster scores, setting PJ up for the Juice Box which gets a nearfall. Pulp Friction blocked, Black slips on the ropes and still manages to deliver a frankensteiner. MOONSAULT PRESS gets 2 for the Darewolf. They start duelling Juice's jabs with PJ's kicks, ending with the Left Hand Of God sending Black to the corner for a cannonball senton. Juice climbs to the top rope, only for Black to throw referee Paul Turner at the ropes causing Robinson to collapse to the mat. Apparently that is enough for a DQ at 09:58 (shown). Juice wins...

Rating - ** - Underwhelming for the amount of TV time it got. PJ is someone ROH spent decent money on to recruit and lock down to a contract, but based on this performance he needs some time to get used to the ROH pace and style. I felt the same about him when he arrived in Lucha Underground too though. The finish was drab, but I suppose if they are building to an Aldis/PJ title match and Aldis wants honest competition then I can see the purpose. Quite why ROH is giving airtime to another promotion's World Champion is a mystery to me though. Robinson was pretty much a bystander in the whole thing, subjected to ten minutes of almost constant PJ offence.

PJ Black punches Paul Turner's lights out as well! He starts gesturing towards Aldis at the announce desk, but Kamille gets in PJ's face and blocks his path to the 'National Treasure'...

DURING THE BREAK - Juice gets the microphone to talk about what ROH means to him, then promises we'll be seeing more in 2019 - where he'll 'breathe new life' into the product.

The Kingdom concede that Marty got the jump on them when he debuted Villain Enterprises, but swear that it isn't over and have cross words for all three Villains.

Caprice Coleman replaces Aldis on commentary, because he wants to call the action as his former stable-mate Shane Taylor has his first ROH match in a little while following a brief European tour. He heralded his return by destroying Christopher Daniels and tearing up his new contract before he could sign it - and makes a further statement here by knocking out 'already in the ring' enhancement talent Mike Law in just a few seconds. He gets on a microphone and says nobody paid him to take Daniels out of ROH - he did it because he 'decided to'...

NEXT WEEK - Eli Isom vs Silas Young to earn a shot at the TV Title

Colt Cabana hits the ring next to interview Flip Gordon. He congratulates Flip for making Bully Ray say 'I Quit' at Final Battle, and now he wants to know what is next. Gordon wants his shot at the World Title, but doesn't get to say much else before Kenny King interrupts. He makes producers show footage of him pinning Jay Lethal in Toronto last year (edited to remove references to him with his feet on the ropes which caused that pin to be over-ruled) to demonstrate that he deserves another title shot.

It's time for our scheduled main event, which should see The Kingdom defending the Six-Man Championship against Villain Enterprises. Matt Taven comes out and (correctly) points out that they don't deserve a shot since they've never teamed up before. As a result, he tells them they need to start climbing the ladder before they get a title shot...and brings out the Shinobi Shadow Squad to face them instead...

Marty Scurll/Brody King/PCO vs Cheeseburger/Eli Isom/Ryan Nova
I completely agree with Matt Taven's points that Villain Enterprises didn't deserve a shot at the belts. But what authority does The Kingdom have to back out of scheduled matches (title defences no less) and just sub in Cheeseburger and his friends instead?! The gauntlet has been thrown down by The Kingdom however, so Scurll and his new allies will be looking to make short work of the Dojo boys. 

The Villains assault 3S during their entrance, which make sense as they are, as mentioned, villains. Brody slams Burger into the floor of the arena before Marty boots his face into the guardrails. Isom does his best to fight for his team and hits a somersault plancha to the floor...but soon after is attacked from behind by Brody. Michinoku Driver by PCO then a running senton from King for 2. Brody then ties Isom in the ropes to almost break his neck with a cannonball. NECK DROP GERMAN SUPLEX BY ELI! Burger gets a few shots in on Marty and hits a springboard Rolling Rock for 2. PCO tags in, grabs Cheese by the throat and absolutely drills him into the canvas. Nova arrives on the scene but none of his offence seems to hurt The Monster in anyway! Eli knocks Scurll and King to the floor then starts repeatedly superkicking PCO in the face (whilst Burger tries to choke him out as well). PCO ignores them all and bludgeons them to the ground just seconds later. Stereo tope suicidas by Isom and Nova blocked! Scurll knees Burger in the face. STEREO APRON CHOKESLAMS by Brody and PCO! TOMBSTONE ON THE FLOOR BY MARTY! Pop-Up Powerbomb from PCO to Nova, then the GONZO BOMB! PCO-SAULT! The French Frankenstein pins Ryan Nova at 07:35 (shown)

Rating - *** - I really liked this as a pseudo-squash main event. It was cleverly laid out to give us glimpses of character for both Brody and PCO, as the newest members of the roster. Villain Enterprises looked almost completely dominant in victory...with the exception being Eli Isom. After a half-decent 2018 and a Final Battle appearance I said that Delirious now faces the challenge of having to integrate Isom from 'dojo guy' to accepted member of the roster, and I thought the gutsy performance he displayed here was absolutely the right way to go. 

That isn't the end of the show though. A video shows a pissed off Bully Ray outside somewhere lighting a fire, apparently haunted by visions of his loss to Flip Gordon in the Hammerstein. In doing so he reminds us that he didn't actually say 'I Quit' at Final Battle (he said 'yes' in agreement that he quits).

We fade out with the orange and black logo again, promising that 'new life' is coming...

Tape Rating - ** - Probably my least favourite episode from the taping. It wasn't necessarily bad - I liked the main event and I'm extremely happy to see that Shane Taylor is going to be promoted to a more prominent spot on the roster. But Black/Juice was a big part of this show (along with Aldis' presence), and none of that really landed with me. PJ looked sluggish and off the pace, the match got very little reaction in the 2300 Arena and I'm another person who isn't quite sure what partnering with NWA quite so frequently does to help Ring Of Honor. Ending with Bully Ray pointing out that even in putting Flip over at Final Battle he couldn't even say 'I Quit' to lose an I Quit Match is a) crap and b) typical of the appalling manner in which Bully has been over-promoted throughout his ROH run. That really ended the episode on a sour note for me. On the whole it has been an interesting taping. The ROH World Title scene was well-presented. Marty was sensibly repositioned as a top babyface with a new gang around him; ROH recognising the need to protect him as one of their most marketable attractions clearly. And right out of the gate Matt Taven was clearly hallmarked for a major role in 2019. I think he had mic-time in every one of the four episodes? It wasn't all perfect (I thought the exits of SCU were handled clumsily for instance), but there was enough to keep fans interested in my opinion...

Jay Lethal/Flip Gordon/Trent Beretta/Chuck Taylor vs Cody/Adam Page/Young Bucks
This is 'Farewell To The Elite', taped at Final Battle Fallout as an Honor Club Exclusive and capturing the final ROH match for Cody, Hangman and the Bucks. Making this an Honor Club match feels like smart business; one last time cashing in on their popularity to get some 'buys', dedicating the rest of the four weeks of television to the 'new' product in 2019 rather than dwelling on the box office talents ROH are losing...and also meaning they get more time (and commercial-free time) to make this special. Their opponents are a somewhat random 'ROH all-star line-up'. Lethal clearly fits as World Champion, getting to lock up one final time with Cody after besting him at Final Battle. Flip is a crowd-pleasing choice as well, fresh from beating Bully Ray at the PPV and getting to work one last time with his tormentors-turned-friends from 'Being The Elite'. The Best Friends are slightly more left-field. They have regular skits on BTE, but their positioning here (and prominent placement within the new TV show opening credits) suggests ROH had big plans to expand their role in 2019. That clearly didn't happen as they too departed for AEW in February!

Cary Silkin stands at ringside to shake the hands and hug all of The Elite. Page and Lethal start with a thrilling near-miss sequence. Cody in next, calling out Flip so they can settle the score between them. Rhodes tricks Gordon into accidentally laying out all of his own partners until the Best Friends force him to tag out. Up next it's Bucks vs Friends, as Lethal knocks Page off the apron with a springboard dropkick. Lethal, Trent and Chuckie hug but don't let Flip join them after he socked them all earlier! Neckbreaker/somersault senton combo from the Bucks to Beretta; spectacularly breaking up the pleasantries. Page puts the exclamation mark on it with a Red Star Press for 2. SOLE FOOD/HALF NELSON SUPLEX COMBO by the Best Friends! ROPE RUN SOMERSAULT PLANCHA by Flip! Best Friends try to isolate Rhodes, Trent in particular getting nasty as he is bitter about not getting an IWGP US Title shot at Cody in Toronto as had been scheduled. He gets so hot that he accidentally takes out the ref with a wayward Gobstopper Knee...and as soon as that happens chaos breaks out. FOUR MAN POWERBOMB THROUGH A TABLE from 'Team ROH' to Cody! Star Spangled Stunner! Hail To The King! Todd Sinclair arrives and makes a two-count. Bionic Shoulder Spear from Brandi - behind Todd's back - to take out Beretta and allow her husband to tag out. Page lays out Gordon with a fallaway slam, goes straight into a pescado on Lethal...and without missing a beat hits Chuckie with a Superkick too. Tope suicida onto everyone by the Hangman, then back into the ring to hit the Drop-sault for 2. Pele Kick by Flip, cuing up tags all round. Spear from Matt to Trent, then the Worst Case Scenario on Taylor. Stereo Sharpshooters on the Best Friends, quickly broken by Flip and Lethal of course. Superkicks blocked...double Figure 4 Leglocks blocked too! QUADRUPLE SHARPSHOOTER from The Elite! Disaster Kick from Cody to Beretta, but he finds Cross Rhodes blocked into the Lawn Dart Cutter. DOUBLE Buckshot Lariat by Page! Lethal Combination nailed! DOUBLE SUPERKICK by the Bucks to block the Lethal Injection. Springboard moonsault by Flip COUNTERED WITH ANOTHER DOUBLE SUPERKICK! FOUR-MAN SUPERKICK ON BERETTA! STEREO DIVES TO THE FLOOR by Chuckie and Lethal. Kinder Surprise from Gordon to Cody, leaving him in the corner so Beretta can hit SHATTERED DREAMS! Buckshot Lariat by Flip! Best Friends hug BY the Young Bucks...broken with SUPERKICKS by the Friends! INDYTAKER ON MATT! DOUBLE LETHAL INJECTION BY CODY! CROSS RHODES BY LETHAL! 450 SPLASH BY FLIP! FLIP PINS CODY! It's a win for 'Team ROH' at 17:37

Rating - **** - As far as 'farewell' matches go in ROH, this is definitely a candidate for the best ever. Of course it was a spot-fest, but it was incessantly fun from the opening bell and at times even reminded me of the WrestleMania weekend Dragon Gate multi-man tags with the way these guys glided around the ring pulling off one whacky stunt after another. I was really pleased that The Elite showed up to work. It would have been easy for Cody to stall, for them to do the 'Ten Boots' routine and basically eat up huge chunks of the run-time without doing much (whilst the crowd lapped it up anyway). The closing stretch where they all started hitting one another's signature moves was outrageous, and Flip pinning Cody was a lovely way for it to end for long-term BTE fans (and also ROH fans who expected to see a lot more from Flip in 2019). I'm sure if you have an Honor Club subscription this is one of the first things you've checked out but if, for some reason, you haven't yet - do so now. Even if you don't watch the post-match, the match itself is just over twenty minutes long with entrances and gives you everything you love about watching this group of athletes perform.

Flip's smirking look of disbelief that he won is quite something. All eight men participate in a massive group hug to celebrate then Lethal, Flip and the Best Friends split so The Elite can take their bow. Matt speaks for the group, talking about going all the way back to the 'ROH on HDNet' days and calling the last two years the most fun he has had in his career. He says they'd like a banner in the 2300 Arena's 'Hardcore Hall Of Fame' one day...bringing out Bully Ray (and Silas Young). He berates them for their insolence, creating a distraction which allows the Briscoes to come through the crowd and steamroll The Elite. Shane Taylor comes out as well, making it a violent 5-on-4 assault. Flip, Lethal and the Best Friends come back to make a save but they are beaten down as well. Jay Lethal is held hostage as Bully rants, goads the fans, threatens Cary, shoves Bobby Cruise into the guardrails and leaves. The Briscoes are so profane they can't say anything without being censored. Colt Cabana tries to make an (extremely belated save) so Taylor flattens him. Eventually the microphone is cut and the house lights turned on with them still prowling around ringside trashing things...

SIDENOTE - If nothing else those ugly post-match scenes were certainly memorable. It's a shame Bully was involved in truth. I know I'm constantly bashing Bubba, but I genuinely feel like this would have been an outright BETTER segment without him. We've seen this routine from him a million times; talk trash, try to start fights with fans - he's been doing this for twenty years. And he wasn't needed. Had the exact same thing happened with the Briscoes, Taylor and Silas it would have had a far bigger impact and felt a lot more like a 'star-making' piece of footage to kick of 2019. Bully is obviously an effective communicator - but Jay, Silas and Taylor are all very good at that too. Imagine we start 2019 with the new Tag Champion Briscoes, reinvigorated Last Real Man and unleashed heavyweight monster Shane Taylor running wild. That would have felt fresh, vibrant and crucially DIFFERENT to The Elite years. It would've meant ROH gained something from wrecking the 'Farewell To The Elite' post-match. Sadly Bully Ray's involvement means nothing felt fresh and that is a real shame. Not to mention it makes no sense that he and the Briscoes are buddies again after everything that built to Final Battle 2017.

Top 5 Final Battle Fallout Taping Matches
5) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs Frankie Kazarian/Scorpio Sky (*** - Episode 382)
4) Rush vs TK O'Ryan (*** - Episode 383)
3) Silas Young vs Beer City Bruiser (*** - Episode 383)
2) Zack Sabre Jr. vs Tracy Williams (**** - Episode 382)
1) Jay Lethal/Flip Gordon/Best Friends vs Cody/Adam Page/Young Bucks (**** - Episode 384 Dark)

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