McXal's Reviews

Two weeks into the tournament to crown a new ROH Pure Champion and Ring Of Honor continues to receive hearty praise for their smart, athletic, action-heavy and safety-conscious return to action following their Covid-enforced hiatus. There hasn't been a bad match yet, the quality of the interview/video segments has been first rate and even the likes of Jim Cornette have been forthright in the way they've talked up this rebooted ROH product. This week things get interesting as we see the long-awaited debut of former Evolve Tag Champion (and Catch Point stable-member) Fred Yehi. He is a perfect fit in the Pure division...but faces a stern test on debut in the form of Silas Young. The main event pits La Faccion Ingobernable member Kenny King (looking to bring more gold to a group which already has World Champion Rush and TV Champion Dragon Lee) against Josh Woods, a man with the mixed martial arts skills to make him arguably the most dangerous in the tournament. We join host Quinn McKay plus commentators Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman in Baltimore, MD.

You can find my previous Pure Tournament Reviews below:

LAST WEEK - After defeating Rocky Romero, David Finlay admits he is in the tournament representing NJPW - and therefore has his sights set on the bragging rights of beating ROH's 'Franchise' in Jay Lethal when they meet at the Quarter Final stage...

LAST WEEK - Matt Sydal was feeling high...on life after beating Delirious last week. He can't wait to pit his wits against Jon Gresham in the next round, and feels like the Pure Title is his destiny.

'The Savageweight' talks about concentrating on wrestling at all levels to help him escape a rough childhood full of 'negative influences'. He calls out Bryan Danielson and Low Ki as ROH stars of the past who have influenced him and - like them - doesn't need to break rules to inflict serious injury upon his opponents. Silas' interview is as revealing as anything he's done in his entire ROH career - which after years of playing the brutish 'Last Real Man' character is really interesting. They show clips of him working jobber/enhancement talent duties a decade (or more) ago to show how he truly has worked his way up from the bottom, they talk about his having to scrap for everything as the youngest sibling in a large family...and he credits his 'protege' Josh Woods with having helped him switch out his style and bring in new influences or training techniques even as he approaches the age of 40. Young was in the most recent Pure Wrestling Rules Match (at Best In The World 2019) and only lost because his opponent Jon Gresham - one of the favourites for this tournament - had to cheat to beat him. Silas is, however, dismissive of his opponent and, whilst respective of Yehi's skills, calls the first round a 'gimme'...

Yehi's music is awful. Silas tries to mark his territory by trash talking and slapping Yehi...who tears into him with strikes and kicks which put the Last Real Man on his ass. Young is noticeably having to work VERY hard to keep up with Fred on the mat. The Savageweight seemingly has a counter and a hold lined up for everything Silas tries. First he has Silas limping around after some leg work, then starts picking apart the arm with a graphic wristlock. He's more powerful too it seems - clubbing Young to the ground with a tackle. Ian R rightly points out that Young needs to use his veteran smarts to get ahead, which he does by countering Yehi's momentum first into La Magistral and then into a surfboard. Sadly that doesn't last long as Fred counters him back into an Indian deathlock - which forces Silas to utilise his first allotted rope-break. During the break Silas starts hitting suplexes which have apparently inflicted significant damage to Yehi's midsection. He retaliates with repeated, bruising knee strikes which thump into Young's jaw and chest in the corner. And when Silas tries to get his arms up to protect himself Yehi simply starts wrenching and snapping at that limb too. Koji Clutch! That is Yehi's finisher...but on this occasion Silas rolls out and hits a Yakuza Kick in the corner. Diving tornado DDT from the second rope gets 2, but when Silas clings to his signature full nelson Fred hits a devastating chop then a German suplex! Cannonball senton in the corner! BRAINBUSTER by Silas! He then deposits Fred on the ropes for a superplex as well. Twisting neckbreaker gets 2...but then Yehi dumps him with a sliding kick as the match enters the final three minutes of the time-limit. Plunge misses! Strike flurry...into a small package! Using a move one of his influences - Bryan Danielson - used so successfully, Yehi scores a huge victory on debut. He advances at 10:30 (shown).

Rating - *** - Cards on the table; I am a fan of Fred Yehi. He is a guy who has been rumoured to be coming into Ring Of Honor for a long time. Even as far back as late-2018/early-2019 he was reportedly on the way and even made a couple of appearances as an on-screen extra. He is EXACTLY the kind of talent ROH should concentrate on recruiting, and this match was wonderfully laid out to give him an extremely strong debut. The story was a simple one; Silas Young was never able to really keep him on the back foot for prolonged periods, solely because Yehi can be so destructive in so many ways. He is powerful, he has endless submission holds, he can counter-wrestle supremely well, he's got big strikes, the ability to drop an opponent instantly with suplexes and - as the finish demonstrated - a keen sense of timing too. The structure gave him the perfect platform to wrestle this as an exhibition match to the ROH fans. In terms of subtlety though, it was actually Silas who have the better performance here. His showing as the grumpy, grizzled old-timer trying to intimidate the newcomer only to be completely out-gunned and over-powered was excellent - as well as showing real generosity and humility to his opponent. I really hope Yehi goes deep in this tournament and if they only pick up one of the debutants in the field - he is the guy for me.

On paper this is one of the hardest calls in the entire tournament. Woods does a good job of marrying his recent smiley, half-goofball 2 Guys 1 Tag character with an emphasis on his extensive credentials as a legitimate athlete, wrestler and fighter. He also recounts a locker-room interaction in 2017 when King openly questioned his ability to teach or train younger wrestlers, which he admits caused him to doubt himself...meaning he is here to force King to respect him. Kenny admits he is looking to win another singles championship for La Faccion Ingobernable...and has spent his time in quarantine honing both his grappling and boxing skills so is confident he can hold his own with 'The Goods' tonight. Crucially - he has no intention of being a golden boy or following all the rules. The end result is all that matters...

Within seconds they go to ground and it is King which makes a statement by holding his own with Woods on the deck. Crucially, he is a more experienced and accomplished all-rounder too - which means that when they come out of the opening grapple he is already poised to unload with a couple of armdrags. Josh reasserts himself with a couple of snug pinning combinations which almost nab victory. King invites Woods to get down on the mat with him again...but is quickly caught in a front facelock by The Goods. Josh tries to convert to a kimura, then into a triangle choke which for a moment looks like it may finish the match. Kenny finds a way to escape but is visibly rattled as we go into commercials. During the break Woods lands his signature shinbreak back suplex...and as we return he runs through an anklelock then a version of the Trailer Hitch, which causes King to crawl under the ropes to escape. Todd Sinclair calls that a rope-break which is a controversial call - particular since when Gresham and Yuta went under the ropes two weeks ago it wasn't a break. Kenny is rightly annoyed, but used the floor environment to his advantage and puts a beating on Goods on the outside. Seismic Toss blocked...with a PUNCH to the face! Woods sells the sh*t out of it as Todd issues King with his official warning. As he promised in the interviews, the Ingobernable attitude of Kenny has put him in the ascendancy despite Josh's MMA skills. But it is those same skills which bring The Goods back into the match - strikes and suplexes rock and roll King all over the ring. Seismic Toss nailed, but Kenny collapses out of the ring before Josh can pin him. He returns...FOR THE ROYAL FLUSH! Woods uses a rope-break to stop the pin - albeit more because his arm was under the rope than anything intentional! Kenny tries to haul Woods up the ropes...but finds his attack countered into a CORKSCREW SUPERPLEX! Both men are now reeling from some heavy blows...and seem unsteady on their feet as they start tearing into each other with mid-ring strikes. There is a minute left in the time-limit and they are still completely evenly matched. They take turns smacking each other around in the corner. King counters an attempted kick...into a half crab. In a frenzy he sits deep into the hold, but the 15:00 time-limit expires without a submission (13:27 shown). For the first time in the tournament we are going to the judges...

Rating - **** - I don't think many people would have pulled this out as a candidate to deliver one of the best matches of the first round. Immense credit therefore belongs to the two combatants, plus those booking the tournament who showed faith in them. Obviously I'm still catching up - but in truth I don't think I've seen a better Josh Woods ROH match. What made this one so good was that, in many ways, it embodies what the Pure Title Tournament represents as ROH tries to relaunch and rebrand itself. Kenny King is a reminder of the 'old' era. A member of La Faccion Ingobernable, a rule-breaker, a guy who once defected to TNA. He came in as villainous a manner as any entrant into the tournament so far. Woods, meanwhile, represents what this competition is all about. He isn't necessarily the most comfortable talker...but when it comes to pure athletics and wrestling credentials he is almost peerless. Therefore to rebirth him, from the shadows of the 2G1T comedy team, as a fearsome pure wrestler taking the fight to a nefarious foe using punches, arguing with the officials and brawling on the floor was a GREAT story. For a 15-minute time limit draw, with the added complication of being cut-up for commercials breaks, the pacing here was REALLY gripping too. It almost felt like a big fight; momentum swinging one way, then another, and truly keeping you guessing until the very end. I could understand why fans jaded by what ROH had served up in 2019 might see these two names and skip this. Don't - it will really surprise you...

In a nice touch, as the judges (Sumie Sakai, Gary Juster and Will Ferrara) deliberate over who to declare the winner, they run through replays of the key moments - like Kenny's use of a closed-first, and a close-range camera angle which shows his back did graze the bottom rope when escaping the Trailer Hitch so was correctly penalised a rope-break. In a scene reminiscent of a boxing match, Todd Sinclair stands between both men...and raises Josh Woods' arm in victory (via a 'split decision' from the judges)!

NEXT WEEK - Two debuts as Rust Taylor faces Tracy Williams and Tony Deppen meets PJ Black - in the final Round One matches...

Tape Rating - *** - Three for three for ROH in terms of using this Pure Title Tournament format to deliver simple, relatable and enjoyable wrestling television. I listened to Jim Cornette talking about Episode 469 on his podcast and I thought he made a great point that the lack of fans in attendance gives ROH a huge opportunity to refocus their product (or, as he put it 're-educate' their fanbase) without the pressures of having to appease a live audience too. Whilst I may not necessarily be comfortable with the term 're-educate', I do think agree with his general premise and it is interesting to watch ROH reset and re-scope itself into a more sports-focused and athletic product/presentation. It plays into the core principles upon which the company was founded, it is a clearly identifiable niche in the modern pro-wrestling landscape and - thanks to the choice of talent and booking so far - is making for really good TV. Coming out of this episode, I can't speak highly enough of how they debuted Fred Yehi. He didn't squash Silas Young in a traditional pro-wrestling sense, but instead battled him in a realistic, sporting contest where he proved himself to be superior to the long-time ROH veteran in every way. And if that weren't enough, there won't be a bigger surprise package from the entire tournament than the quality of the King/Woods match. I'm not sure it was quite on the level of Gresham/Yuta, but it is comfortably the second best match from the six we've seen so far (to me anyway)...