McXal's Reviews

This episode first makes air on various Sinclair stations up against the 17th Anniversary PPV so probably won't be the strongest show in their near-400 episode history. Nothing was announced for this broadcast last week, but a cursory check of Cagematch reveals that we will be seeing a lot of ROH Dojo talent. That comes alongside the final ROH matches (to date anyway) for Thunder Rosa and Madison Rayne...then a New Japan-produced main event throwing CHAOS' Rocky Romero in the ring with Suzuki-gun's Zack Sabre Jr. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana are at the announce desk in Lakeland, FL to navigate us through another hour of ROH...

New Cary-tron graphics for the Shinobi Shadow Squad tonight. They have fought gamely in trios action this year and racked up victories over the likes of the NJPW LA Dojo crew plus former Six-Man Champions Dalton & The Boys. This is another massive challenge though as they step into the ring with Tag Champions the Briscoes plus the rugged 2-time former TV Champion Silas Young. The Briscoes and Silas are part of a five-man wrecking crew which has been hell-bent on dominating ROH in 2019 with the kind of anarchy and violence that groups like Lifeblood have formed to fight against. They'd like nothing more than to make mincemeat of ROH's wrestling school team...

Isom starts for his team with former World Champion Jay Briscoe, with Ian R talking up the fact that Eli has already beaten two former ROH Champions in his short career (Daniels and Dalton). He tries to use his speed...but Jay stands and watches him before kicking him in the stomach so hard he almost collapses. Nova is next up and with some assistance from Burger enjoys some success with Mark. That is until Mark almost decapitates Burger with a Sick Kick. The Briscoes and the Last Real Man isolate CB from his partners with such violence that Jay actually starts to question whether they've killed him. Turns out they haven't and finally he scrambles away into a hot tag to Eli. POP-UP AIR RAID CRASH on Jay, whilst Nova keeps everyone else at bay with a tope suicida! Jay blocks Isom's Brainbuster finish by hoisting him up for a running DVD. Froggy Bow gets 2 for Mark. Isom blocks the Jay Driller and hits the Brainbuster on Jay! He barely kicks out after that and looks incredulous that the kid almost beat him! Total Elimination from the Briscoes! JAY DRILLER! Jay pins Eli at 06:36 (shown)

Rating - ** - Short, punchy and mostly fun. The real takeaway here was the heart and courage Eli Isom showed in resisting both Briscoe brothers at the same time. I wasn't particularly invested in the early stages of this match, but everything after Burger's hot tag to Eli was excellent.

Rhett Titus is hanging out backstage and takes some time out to discuss his NWA National Title Match with Willie Mack next week. Rhett says he'll take the 'Flex Express' nationwide after he wins the belt...

This is before Johnson started working 'The Mecca' gimmick, so he still has the lank ponytail and calls himself 'Number One' a lot. He gets on the microphone to complain that Florida is full of 'beer slinging bozos' which probably won't endear himself to his opponents tonight. He and Keys have supposedly impressed in Future Of Honor action and are rewarded as such with this unenviable assignment on the main roster...

Bruiser and Milonas have very much settled into their role as lovable goon undercard team haven't they? They have catchphrases and spend a minute messing around with the crowd before getting down to business. Bruiser slaps Keys around, even when he tries to cover up in the corner. Johnson tags and profits from Keys tripping BCB from the apron to get in a few shots. Together the Future Of Honor team manage to lift Bruiser up for a body slam...but can't keep him down and are powerless to stop him unleashing Milonas. He almost breaks Johnson in half with a spinebuster then decks Keys with a Chokebomb. Elevated guillotine leg drop wins it for Milonas at 05:27

Rating - * - As of writing in 2021 both Johnson and Keys are still with ROH, albeit neither have really truly shaken off the 'Future Of Honor' label quite yet. However, clearly ROH are investing in them so I do understand why this went as long as it did. But, from the perspective of making this a good TV show to watch this bout was FAR too long. It wasn't a good squash, it wasn't good as a comedy match, nor was it exciting as a display of great wrestling. It was actually a rather insipid segment.

Madison Rayne is in the brightest corridor of all time. She criticises the Twisted Sisterz, saying their conduct goes against everything that Women Of Honor stands for. It isn't why she came to ROH and tonight she plans to make a statement by beating Thunder Rosa...

Willie Mack pops in to talk about his plans to defend the NWA National Title in all fifty US states. Beating Rhett in Florida next week will take him to five...

The Twisted Sisterz have had issues with Madison Rayne going back months. Whether she teams with Britt Baker or Sumie Sakai, Madison has repeatedly found herself on the receiving end of sneak attacks and beatdowns. In Texas, Rosa and Holidead put the entire Women Of Honor roster on notice, and now plan to extend their dominance with another win over Rayne tonight. Holi accompanies Thunder Rosa to the ring, so Madison brings Sumie out with her...

Rayne jumps Thunder before the bell, so keen is she to get the fight started. The beating is so severe that Rosa actually leaves the ring and has to be consoled by Holidead. Holi and Sakai get into an argument on the floor, so Madison drops her work on Rosa and instead drops Holidead with a baseball slide. Thunder snatches the opportunity and crunches Rayne spine-first into the side of the ring. She loudly announces her intention to work Madison's back and, true to her word, starts battering it with a flurry of kicks. She aggressively whips her into the turnbuckles and Rayne pops right back out of the corner selling extreme pain in her spine. Sleeper slam nailed next for 2. Even when Madison musters up the strength to hit a spear, she is so injured she has no strength to follow it up. Somehow she rattles off a few elbow strikes and clocks her opponent with a jumping enzi for 2. GORY BOMB by Rosa in response! Thunder is unable to contain her rage that the move didn't bring her victory, and she unknowingly walks into an inverted DDT. Rayne wins at 07:08 (shown)

Rating - ** - Good work from Thunder Rosa on one side of the ring, pretty average stuff from Madison on the other. I am fully cognisant of the fact that the Twisted Sisterz have international commitments, but the fact that this is Rosa's last ROH match to date is wholly confusing. She has looked by far one of the best workers in the WOH division since debuting. Madison is likeable and brings a stateswoman-like quality to the Women Of Honor...but this is her last match as well. Creative differences led to her asking for her release. As such this match marks the conclusion of whatever ROH were going for with the Twisted Sisterz or Madison. It feels unsatisfactory and it feels unfinished...but largely because you recognise the quality that leaves when Thunder Rosa does, rather than because you are desperate to see more from the Madison vs Twisted Sisterz rivalry.

NEXT WEEK - Coast 2 Coast are gearing up for a big match against Jon Gresham and the ROH World Champion Jay Lethal...

The international stars of New Japan come to Florida for a TV main event in an ROH ring. ZSJ is undefeated since his spectacular debut victory over Gresham at Final Battle, but faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet in the form of the wily old fox Romero. 

Rocky tries to go straight to the mat only to find Sabre able to easily slip away and start taunting him. Zack soon has the former Havana Pitbull trapped on the ground and begins prying his arm for weaknesses. Romero smartly boots the Englishman to the floor to get some respite. Romero continues to frustrate Sabre as he thwarts, blocks and counters his attacks. The tension escalates and the standard of grappling is excellent; Romero repelling multiple ZSJ submission attempts. He slithers brilliantly out of an attempted armbar and finally moves to keep distance between them - so he can lay in a few strikes. They engage in a snapmare duel...during which Rocky visibly gets carried away, allowing the more composed ZSJ to hit him with a neck snap. It leaves him grounded and once again vulnerable to multiple holds from the lethal English technical wizard. SPRINGBOARD tornado DDT by Rocky; going aerial to throw Sabre off his game. Zack is up first but walks into a running hurricanrana, followed by a springboard crossbody block. He slaps at Sabre Jr, putting him in the corner and looking for the Forever Clotheslines. Zack blocks those with a big boot, and when Romero tries to hit back with a jumping knee strike Sabre Jr COUNTERS TO A MID-AIR STF! Rocky makes the ropes, as much because the ultra-confident ZSJ is trying to showboat as because he found an organic way to escape. Strike flurry by Rocky, who shakes off some disrespectful slaps and puts the boots into Zack's ribs. HANGING OCTOPUS in the ropes! But Romero escapes and hits the springboard dropkick to the back. RUNNING SHIRANUI gets 2, with Zack looking vulnerable for the first time. He blocks a second Shiranui though, and converts Romero into the Hurrah! Rocky taps at 12:46 (shown)

Rating - *** - A hugely entertaining exhibition of technical wrestling between two skilled performers. They had a better match in them I'm sure; they'd barely scratched the surface of what they could do with juxtaposing Romero's speed and MMA strike game against Zack's freakish technical style. What we did get was these two experienced professionals demonstrating what a lifetime of dedication to your craft does. The standard of grappling and countering was quite astonishing, giving the match a fluent and almost hypnotic quality. It wasn't a MOTY and time constraints denied them the time to really go up through the gears to make it something special...but as a ten minute demonstration of impeccable technical brilliance this was hard to fault.

Tape Rating - ** - There was a lot of in-ring content packed into this episode of ROH TV, but sadly most of it was of a rather underwhelming standard. The means your mileage on this broadcast purely comes down to how much you enjoy heavily ground-based technical wrestling matches. If you like that style then the ZSJ/Romero clinic is worthy of your time. I had a blast with that one, and can certainly appreciate ROH trying to pack the hour with as much wrestling as possible. If methodical and intense technical wrestling isn't to your taste, then this is certainly a show you can comfortably skip right over.