McXal's Reviews

The headline bout for our broadcast this week is the final of the #1 Contender Tournament; the winner earning a World Title shot at the Final Battle 2019 pay-per-view. Marty Scurll and PCO are the finalists, making this an all-Villain affair. Quinn McKay and Ian Riccaboni are our hosts. Colt Cabana and Lanny Poffo provide additional live commentary in New Orleans, LA.

The first highlights from Glory By Honor 17 feature Kelly Klein winning back the Women Of Honor World Title from Angelina Love, thanks to plenty of help from Maria Manic.

Quinn interviews Marty Scurll, calling him the favourite to win the #1 Contender Tournament. Marty says he is 'long overdue' the Ring Of Honor World Championship and says he'll go through PCO if he has to...

Brian Johnson invades the studio and steals Ian Riccaboni's microphone to complain that nobody talks about 'The Mecca' on television...and says he is done being overlooked.

Jay Lethal is next in line for an interview with Quinn. He says he is happy to be back on the same page as Jon Gresham, and is fired up to become a three-time World Champion.

Dalton Castle is asked his opinion on how he can make it through PCO in their semi-final. He isn't scared because he isn't scared of ghosts...huh?

Brian Zane checks in with another Top 5; this time counting down his favourite finishers in Ring Of Honor. His list features Jeff Cobb's Tour Of The Islands, Flip Gordon's Star Spangled Stunner, Mark Briscoe's Froggy Bow (which isn't even MARK's best finisher, let alone ROH in its entirety), Rush's Bull's Horns and Jay Lethal's Lethal Injection. I very much dislike this feature...

Quinn fails to interview PCO, because he just makes odd noises at her whilst rolling his eyes around in his head. Is 'electrical malfunction' seriously all the explanation we're getting as to why he is now Uncle Fester?

We then see extended lights of the Scurll/Lethal and PCO/Castle semi-finals; setting up our main event/feature bout of the broadcast.

This is a clash between Villains, with the winner advancing to a World Title Match in the main event of Final Battle 2019. Marty feels he is the top man in the company and destined for the championship. PCO has been almost unbeatable all year and knows becoming a World Champion in his 50's would complete one of the most remarkable comeback stories in sporting history. 

Marty says he always knew this match was inevitable...and encourages PCO to wrestle a clean match, where the best man wins. He then duly smashes PCO across the face with his umbrella before the bell rings and tries to nab an immediate victory! PCO kicks out and starts a demented climb to the top rope. Marty counters whatever he had in mind with an Iconoclasm for 2. The Monster shrugs off Scurll's attempts to work the arm and smears him into the canvas with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. Top rope Cannonball gets 2...so Marty starts snapping multiple fingers. PCO ignores that too; booting The Villain to the floor and lumbering after him to set up a table at ringside. He climbs to the top rope again, but Marty desperately scurries up to the apron to PRESS SLAM HIM THROUGH THE TABLE! Todd Sinclair gets knocked to the floor as PCO blocks the Chickenwing, and PCO gets a visible pinfall on Marty whilst Todd is down. Brody King runs in and lays out PCO with a Bossman Slam - apparently under orders from Scurll. Scurll tries to smash PCO off the top rope know - and as PCO clobbers him backwards, Scurll falls on top of Todd again. Flip Gordon does a run in and blasts PCO with the Kinder Surprise. Marty then drops him with a Six-Man Title belt shot too...but still PCO kicks out. TOPE CON HILO on Brody and Flip! PCO-Sault gets 2! He decides to take Marty out for good with his death-defying Swanton to the apron. BUT SCURLL MOVES! Despite almost killing himself on the apron, PCO is still moving...so Scurll lariats him onto his neck (and barely gets 2). PCO-Sault again...and it's PCO going to Final Battle at 13:25

Rating - * - A token star because PCO, as usual, took so many ridiculous bumps that if nothing else this main event really was a spectacle. But in brutal honesty this was a mess. The fact that Delirious needed this much bullsh*t to feel comfortable putting PCO into the World Title picture tells you that the guy simply shouldn't have been put there at all. He's as popular as anyone in 2019, and is FANTASTIC in his role as ungainly, oddball pet monster for Marty in Villain Enterprises (and in all fairness his World Title Match with Taven was one of the most strangely enjoyable bouts of 2019)...but this really showed his limitations. The match itself was an unimaginative blend of un-funny comedy, near constant ref bumps, run-ins and stupidity...and I am astonished that ROH still persisted with sending PCO to the Final Battle main event after this. 

Tape Rating - DUD - The Scurll/PCO match is still terrible, and basically the whole broadcast is dedicated to building up to that. Other than another dreadful Brian Zane 'Top 5' and a Brian Johnson promo there is nothing for VOD/Honor Club members here either.