McXal's Reviews

In many ways this is where the Pure Title Tournament gets interesting. We are at the second round/Block Semi-Final stage meaning every match is a potential blockbuster. We've had our fun seeing some exciting new talent and experimenting with the Pure Wrestling Rules - but now the pressure starts to mount. As we progress greater scrutiny falls on the in-ring talent to produce high quality matches...and greater scrutiny is placed upon those in charge of ROH's creative to deliver a product which continues to win back lost fans and earn strong reviews as they have done thus far. Once again the reigning Tag Champions are in action on this episode; continuing their quest to meet each other in the final - Jay Lethal taking on David Finlay, whilst the second match sees a real contrast in styles as Jon Gresham faces Matt Sydal. Quinn McKay is our host once again, with Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman inside the arena in Baltimore, MD.

You can find my previous Pure Tournament Reviews below:

LAST WEEK - Tracy Williams says he lives on the kind of competition Rust Taylor gave him in Round One. He looks forward to facing Catch Point stable-mate Fred Yehi next...

LAST WEEK - PJ Black thinks the smart money for the tournament is on him. 

No fancy interviews for this round, but instead we get extended highlights of their first round encounters. Lethal was the winner of the battle between former World Champions when he bested Dalton Castle in a physical encounter. Finlay overcame one of his mentors in the form of Rocky Romero - but in doing so aggravated a shoulder injury which leaves a question mark hanging over his physical condition tonight. He has openly stated that, as a New Japan contracted athlete, he wants to use this platform to inflict defeat on ROH's 'Franchise'...

Lethal goes right for a cross armbreaker, trying to test out the shoulder injury Finlay has struggled with. Fujiwara armbar applied next. Caprice provides a great counter-argument on commentary by pointing out that Finlay's ability to constantly counter those submissions - and even use the position to hiptoss Jay right over the top rope - actually demonstrates that he isn't carrying a shoulder problem. Lethal dropkicks the leg to shoot Finlay to the floor...only for the NJPW star to quickly dive out of the way to make sure Jay can't break out his Tope Trilogy. Finlay stays outside testing out the knee that he just took a big shot to. At the five-minute mark we see Lethal landing the hiptoss/dropkick sequence but still trying to find a real weakness on his opponent. During the break we see Finlay counter a Lethal Injection into a urinage backbreaker - inflicting a serious injury to the Tag Champion. He kicks at the back to stop Lethal going to the Figure 4 Leglock. Lethal Combination nailed instead, but it hurts Jay as much as it does Finlay. RUNNING SPEAR gets 2...and converted into a deathlock which absolutely slaughters Lethal's legs! Jay fights for all his worth but eventually screams in agony as he reluctantly uses his first rope-break. They start trading blows on the apron, until David starts viciously stamping on his opponent's leg. Springboard dropkick by Lethal, with his execution brilliantly modified to sell the leg. TOPE SUICIDA! Lethal comes up limping and sees his subsequent attempt at a Figure 4 Leglock easily countered. LETHAL INJECTION! Lethal wins at 10:37 (shown).

Rating - *** - I liked the competitive nature of this match, with Finlay looking really strong in defeat by repeatedly repelling Lethal's advances only to fall to a puncher's chance Lethal Injection. I don't think the TV edit did this one many favours though, as it cut almost a full five minutes out - most of which appeared to be Finlay's offence, meaning it did feel almost entirely devoid of any real tension. Two matches in and it feels like we're still waiting for Lethal to really catch fire...but he keeps finding ways to advance. 

Jay Lethal dedicates his win to former ROH Champion Xavier, whom he was scheduled to face at the cancelled Past vs Present event earlier in 2020...

After commercials, Vincent Marseglia stands alone in the ring. Even with everything that has happened, he doesn't feel the need to embrace ROH's newfound 'purity' or change because he remains Righteous. He is interrupted by another 'Follow The Trend' video...which is revealed to be the returning Matt Taven! He's been MIA since Vincent showed up at his house to attack him during a quarantine livestream. Taven is apparently healed from the injuries he sustained at Final Battle and tears up the canvas and padding to reveal the wooden boards. CLIMAX on the exposed wood! He isn't done either; putting Marseglia on a table on the floor. TOP ROPE FROG SPLASH THROUGH THE TABLE! 

Another EC3 'Control Your Narrative' package airs...

Many - including the man himself - feel like Gresham is destined to win the Pure Title Tournament. He has such a huge personal investment in this; calling himself 'The Foundation' and leader of a pure wrestling revolution in ROH. But this bout represents the sternest of tests of his championship credentials to date. Sydal is even more experienced than him, has wrestled for every major promotion on television, and - like Gresham - enters this tournament extremely motivated. Sydal was convincing in his first round victory over Delirious; debuting a new, mature and more cerebral style which gave him the edge over a career-long rival. Gresham, meanwhile, will enter this still feeling the ill-effects of the high octane chess match he survived against Wheeler Yuta.

As you'd expect, Gresham grabs a limb and drags Matt to the ground - unwilling to give Sydal any chance to build momentum or speed. He starts grabbing at Sydal's notoriously fragile foot and ankle, wrapping it up in a vicious anklelock. Showing real courage Matt finds a way to kick his way out rather than use a break...and in one swift movement starts kicking the sh*t out of Gresham's leg! He starts anklelocking Gresh...until The Octopus similarly kicks his way free. Hammerlocking half crab applied, pausing only briefly to chickenwing Sydal's other arm too! Crucially Sydal breaks free and busts out a flurry of ranas and armdrags. Gresh tries to go back to the legs only to fall victim to another armdrag then a London Dungeon by Sydal! Both men roll into the ropes, which the ref announces is 'neutral'. Standing moonsault misses for Sydal, jarring his knee and leaving him vulnerable to a strike flurry. Big, leaden-footed kicks by Sydal bring him back into proceedings after the break, before he grabs the arm and starts looking for Delirious' Cobra Stretch again. Jon blocks that so eats a dragon screw instead, leaving him prone on the canvas for a standing corkscrew senton. It is apparent that Gresh doesn't have the strike power to trade blows with Matt - and reacts by trying to go for a flurry of pin attempts. Sydal kicks out of all of them and NAILS The Octopus with a roundhouse kick! Mexican surfboard...DROPPED into a toehold chickenwing! Sydal instantly taps, giving Gresham a real statement victory at 10:55 (shown).

Rating - *** - I've really enjoyed both Matt Sydal matches in this tournament. Gresham may well be my favourite worker on the ROH roster so his quality hasn't surprised me...but Sydal really has. He's worked a style that really suits him at this stage of his career; still capable of doing his typical high-flying junior moves...but going easier on those and instead replacing them with plenty of veteran tactical nous and some really big strikes. He said in his Round One interview that his foot injury left him with calcified bone making his kicking more brutal - which paid off here as he repeatedly used that as a weapon to counteract the utter brilliance of The Octopus. As I've said a couple of times already during these Pure Tournament reviews; when you present the loser of the match as a highly skilled athlete it only makes the victor look stronger in victory. I called this a 'statement win' for Jon Gresham - and that felt very much by design. Despite being smaller, less experienced and less well-known than Sydal, Gresham was the aggressor and instigator throughout. Everything Matt did was a result of something Gresh was doing. For Gresham to Terminator through an athlete of Sydal's status and beat him without even needing to break out his usual finish, was a real assertion of his status as favourite for the championship. 

NEXT WEEK - We round out the final four with Black vs Woods and Williams vs Yehi

The show ends with another EC3 package - this time showing his face for the first time as he stretches students at the wrestling school...

Tape Rating - *** - Probably not my favourite Pure Title episode from the first batch of ROH Bubble tapings in truth. Lethal/Finlay and Gresham/Sydal were both good matches, but after some of the GREAT stuff we saw in Round One they both felt a little lacking in palpable drama or tension and the results never really felt in doubt at any stage. Taven's return was an EXTREMELY well kept secret; the benefit of taping the entire show on a closed set in a quarantined bubble and probably the most exciting moment in the broadcast (also the biggest deviation from the rigidly in-ring focused content this taping has produced thus far)...